Life’s better with a workwear jacket

The workwear jackets we know today all hark back to the hardy, no-nonsense ‘chore jackets’ made for French workers back in the late 19th Century.

These were originally known as coltins, and are often referred to as bleu de travail, or ‘work blues’, thanks to the rich indigo dyes that became all the rage back when steam engines were hi-tech eye-openers.

These tough, practical jackets boomed in popularity in the 20th century, becoming essentials for the millions of manual workers who needed a jacket that would go the distance.

So, that’s the trivia out of the way.

Good news, we've worked to the same basic principles in creating our Workwear Jacket: practicality, hardiness, and handiness. Don’t fancy reading much more? We’ll get into the nuts and bolts in this video.

We reckon you carry fewer hammers and chisels with you than a 1920s French carpenter, but we wanted to keep the iconic patch pockets all the same. These three roomy pockets are key to the jacket’s character. In a concession to modernity, we added a secure, zipped pocket on the inside for your best-kept secrets (read: phone, keys and those receipts you don’t need).

As far as fabric goes, we don’t cut corners. We sourced some seriously tough French duck canvas and two denims, one from Japan and another from Italy. Why three different materials? Because that way you get the colours you want in the fabric that suits them best.

The duck canvas comes from the chaps at Telatex, who also supply the goods for our Tough Trousers and Tough Tennis shoes. See a theme developing? For the Workwear Jacket, we went with a heavy-duty slice of 390g/m2 canvas that’s available in navy or military green.

The black denim comes from Nomura in Japan, the stone denim from Candiani in Italy, weighing in at 405g/m2 (12oz) and 446g/m2 (13oz) respectively.

On to the collar… This is where we all fell in love with the prototype down in the Asphalte workshop. To add a twist of modernity, and to elevate the comfort stakes, we lined our collar with wide-waled French corduroy. Not only is this stuff soft as, it also offsets that sturdy canvas and workmanlike denim with a touch of luxury. Like a suede tool belt or a hammer with a rosewood handle. Oh, and those buttons weren’t standard issue for Paris’ turn-of-the-century dockers either.

We assume you’re getting the picture by now: the workwear jacket’s an all-time classic. But it’s also an all-season hit too. It’ll sit right with a good tee when the sun’s on its rounds, but you'll be just as comfortable with a chunky jumper underneath it come autumn. And, thanks to its beautiful straight cut and no-frills nature, the classic workwear jacket won’t be going out of style any time soon.

So, that’s the Workwear Jacket for you. Don't miss the preorder next Tuesday at 10am. Our Workwear Jacket will be available for 139€, whichever colour or material you go for. Allow a few months for the pros at Cortextil in Portugal to do their thing and your work jacket’ll be on its way for you to look properly industrious come mid-season.

Of course, if for some reason your chore coat doesn't work out, returns and exchanges are easy and the cost of the return is on us.

Need to know anything else? Drop it in the comments below or check our international Instagram page for the answer. Possibly.

Thanks,

The Asphalte Team

Asphalte,