West Major’s Revival of the American Western Shirt

From dive bars to design tables, designer Nick Wetta crafts a modern classic 

Photo by: Larissa Andrews

In a dusty Phoenix garage, backed by the hum of music and the grit of persistence, Nick Wetta stitched a dream into cotton. The founder of West Major wasn’t always a designer. He came up on drums and dive bars, band rehearsals and thrift store digs, in a time when western shirts were a rite of passage for music-loving misfits in the desert. But Wetta turned nostalgia into a blueprint. Today, West Major is one of the few brands bringing western shirts back to their roots—quite literally—by making them on American soil.

It all started with a vintage thrift score in Santa Barbara, the kind of find that haunts your thoughts long after the car ride home. "Why isn’t anyone making shirts like this anymore?" he wondered. The idea was shelved for years while Wetta toiled in Los Angeles’ entertainment industry, but it never left him. By 2017, disillusioned with Hollywood and hungry for something real, he turned back to his desert roots and began building what would become West Major.

For Wetta, the western shirt is more than a silhouette—it’s a symbol. Of rebellion. Of rhythm. Of the American West. “Whether you were a cowboy or a blues guitarist, the western shirt seemed like this symbol of freedom,” he says. West Major is his love letter to that icon, delivered in lighter-weight fabrics that actually work in the Southwest heat. They’re meant to be worn hard and aged beautifully, like a favorite record or well-loved pair of boots.

Unlike legacy western brands that off-shored production long ago, West Major is cut and sewn in the U.S., a choice Wetta admits is slow, expensive, and complex. But it’s the heart of his mission. “A successful western shirt company, that made their shirts in America—would have more meaning and impact,” he says. “It might take a lifetime, but that’s what I’ve signed up for."

The process? Less formula, more feel. Wetta’s design method is intuitive—he hunts for fabrics that “feel like a great old song"; makes samples he’d wear himself; and green lights only the ones he can’t live without. That emotional connection carries through to his customers. They aren’t just buying a shirt. They’re buying a story, a vibe, a piece of something deeply American.

When asked about his proudest moment, he recounts it without skipping a beat: "Seeing Post Malone wear one of my shirts—unsponsored and unprompted." The hardest part? Building a domestic supply chain from scratch. But for Wetta, the small wins are adding up: the repeat customers, the shop orders, the email from someone who just “gets it.” Each shirt is packed and shipped by hand, still touched by the same guy who dreamed it up all those years ago.

West Major isn’t chasing trends—it’s chasing timelessness. And if you ask Wetta what he wants you to feel when you put one on? “Like listening to ‘Spirit in the Sky.’” Bold, nostalgic, and unmistakably American. Sounds just about right.

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About the Author

Suzanne Kopulos has spent 20+ years as a celebrity stylist, fashion tastemaker, and lifestyle brand builder. For nearly a decade, she was represented by Ford Models—where her keen eye for emerging trends made her an indispensable part of Chicago’s fashion scene. With degrees in both business and law, Suzanne parlayed these skills into creative strategy; she has shaped campaigns for Neiman Marcus, BCBG, Ted Baker, Lafayette 148, goop, Ulta Beauty, Nike, QVC, Vital Proteins, Macy’s, Burberry, and Kate Somerville. As a fashion industry thought leader, she was regularly featured live on-air, contributing her “fresh takes” on ABC, CBS, NBC, FOX, and WGN.