OldBlue Co. Duck Canvas Jacket

When people think of quality selvedge denim what automatically pops in to the mind is Japan or the USA.

However, there’s some great things coming out of places like Indonesia. One such label is Oldblue Co.

Can a Man Have Too Many Jackets?

Founded in 2010, Oldblue Co. is, perhaps unsurprisingly, inspired by work wear of the late 1800's to the 1950's. The label take a lot of their styling from Levi’s Vintage Clothing (LVC.)

I’d been on the look out for a duck canvas jacket for a while so when I saw this one I knew it had to be part of my collection. I must admit here that I own far too much denim... I couldn't justify buying more of the indigo stuff, so duck canvas seemed like a good compromise.

An Alternative to Levi's

As with the LVC original, the first jacket the company ever made in 1878, the key features of the garment are characterized by the triple pleats front and back with box stitching, round bottom pockets (with no arcuates) and a cinch back. The waistband has a little tilt on it, so shorter in length at the back than the front.

Old Blue added their own details to the jacket. The front pockets are larger and they’ve added a hidden pocket on the left chest. All the seams are felled for added strength. There’s black selvedge line detailing on the hang loop and down the centre seam.

The cut is also more like a modern jacket, longer than the original vintage blouse, cut to sit on the hips.

You Want Duck?

For fabric Oldblue Co. use an 11oz brown duck selvedge. (It says 12oz on the label and 11oz other site, I suspect the former is the post wash weight.)

The duck fabric is produced by Cone Mills, their famous vintage shuttle looms using single continuous threads to produce a tighter, heavier and more durable fabric. (The same mill where the bulk of LVC’s fabric is produced.)

This duck fabric starts out quite rigid and gets heavier after it’s first soak

For the hardware Old Blue have used Japanese made 100% copper washers - burr rivets and silver "Laurel Leaf" iron plated doughnut buttons. The custom-made brass cinch back hardware is made in Indonesia, and given an antique copper finish.

The leather patch is a bison hide imported from its origin, USA. According to Old Blue it varies in thickness, 3-4 oz on average, or 1.4 – 1.6 mm. Genuine American bison leather is more than 40% stronger than the traditional cowhide and known for its strength and durability. Compared to the cowhide, bison leather grain is more pronounced, and the fibers are also thicker.

The fabric sanforised, however after a first soak there's just under a centimetre of shrinkage on the sleeves and the jacket in now nice and snug across the chest.

So, the verdict? This is great little jacket and very well made. I hope labels like this grow and thrive to make the denim industry, or the selvedge part of it at least, a more diverse place.

The jacket is available from Oldblue Co. here.

Emmett Jeans 2PJ Selvedge Denim Jacket

Across the pond for the first of our articles this week to discuss the denim jacket.

American influenced, but Scandinavian made - the Emmett Jeans 2PJ Jacket - 14.7oz of selvedge denim goodness.

The cropped denim jacket as we know it today is a thoroughly American garment and can really be dated to 1931 when Lee released the 101J - or Rider Jacket.
Levis referred to their variant, the 506, as a blouse well in to the 1930's, as that is how they were meant to be worn, as a heavy shirt, over a thin cotton undershirt with a heavy duck coat or similar for a top layer. Lee released the Storm Rider - a heavier blanket lined version - in 1936. The blouse was gradually morphing in to a jacket.

Zig-zag reinforcement stitching along the button holes.

Initially intended for horse oriented use this shape of jacket is now widely popular, reinterpreted in to a variety of fabrics and colours.

The number of European heritage work-wear or neo-vintage brands is growing. One such is Emmett Jeans, a Scandinavian outfit founded in 2010.
The 2PJ is their homage to the Lee Rider jacket and shares many of the latter's detailing - most noticeably the slanted pockets, zig zag reinforcement stitching around the button-holes and plastic buttons on the waist adjustment tabs.
The jacket has retained look of the front pleat panels, but lost the actual pleats - originally there presumably to add ease of movement on horseback.

Great detailing - contrasting stitching and doughnut buttons. The pleats are gone, but the panels, running from pocket to waistband, have been retained.

Made from 14.7oz ecru selvedge it's reassuringly heavy, and gets heavier after a rinse. However, I couldn't find out what mill Emmett sourced the material from.
Before wearing the jacket it spent an hour or so in the sink. This gets rid of some of the starch and other chemicals used during production, helping to soften up the material. Though sanforized it did shrink a little.

The 2PJ going for its pre-wear dip.

I love the contrasting yellow / orange stitch detailing and double stitch along the inside of the waistband.

 Nice single ecru selvedge too.

Plastic waistband adjustment buttons.

From the look of the Emmett Jeans website they've not been up to much since releasing their Autumn / Winter 2012 collection. If anyone knows more about them I'd love to hear it.

However, you can find their clobber in Carlings - a high street retailer that, amongst the normal dross, occasionally turns up an odd selvedge gem like the 2PJ.