North Sea Clothing - Whatever Weather

Interview with Neil Starr.

Ed Wardle, Tim Jarvis and Paul Larsen of The Shackleton Epic Team sporting NSC clobber outside the RGS last summer. (On one of the hottest days of the 2014!)

Further to my recent article on North Sea Clothing's Intrepid sweater, I caught up with the brand's founder, Neil Starr, for an interview. 

Neil has had a long standing interest in vintage and military clothing. Having run a vintage stall in London’s Portabello Road Market for years, he decided to start NSC 15 years ago.

Surplus supply of the original WW1 & WW2 Submariner sweaters dried up in the 1990's. It was partly this scarcity that led to the birth of NSC, “they actually became very hard to find… so we developed it ourselves. Initially it was just the Submariner in ecru. We changed the shape slightly, because some of them were designed to go over your jacket, sort of like a big sack. We changed it to something more suitable for modern guys.”

A heavy knit Victory roll neck.

So these are not stitch for stitch recreations. Such attention to detail has its place, but is perhaps irrelevant here. NSC’s jumpers are not too dissimilar to the originals and, as Neil argues, these would have varied anyway, “the spec was sent out and the originals were made in different factories. Like most military clothing they just had to meet certain criteria. We just try to focus on the quality in everything we do.”

There are several other reproductions out there, but it is this quality that sets North Sea Clothing apart. In fact, NSC are so good that apparently other brands have tried to copy them.

Bet there's a tot of rum in that cocoa...

Neil is charmingly sanguine about it all, saying, “I don't want to disrespect the other brands, we've had a lot of people see what we're doing and produce their own Submariner, but it's usually only for one season. A couple of companies have been very naughty who've knocked off the label, almost making a facsimile. I look at it as  a compliment in a way, instead of getting wound up about it. It's great to think that you're doing something that's worth copying.”

All NSC jumpers are made from 100% English wool by family firms in the UK. The untreated wool retains its natural lanolin, so will keep its insulating qualities even when wet. Construction is robust, with reassuringly heavy knits. 

Robust construction - reinforced seams and shoulder gussets on a Submariner. These pullovers will last you.

Production is labour intensive, just to get the yarn on the bobbin is quite an involved process, with the wool having to be sheared and scoured first, “it has to travel all over the place. There are not many people who can do that in the UK any more. There are only a couple of scourers left.”

However, British wool is making a comeback. After being at such a low ebb where there was almost no point taking it to market, a few years ago the price doubled.

With people as passionate as Neil behind the British wool revival, things can only get better.

Ed Wardle looking suitably rugged in an Intrepid.

The Submariner may be their staple, but NSC have a growing range of other sweaters and accessories. Neil tests all the pieces himself before they go to production.

Future plans include the introduction of a deck jacket, based on a vintage French Marine National example Neil has in his collection, “anything I produce is something I'd like to wear myself. We took one to the shows last year, it wasn't ready… I wasn't happy with it. But I was wearing it and someone said, ‘that's really nice, why don't you put it out on the stand?’” Feedback was so positive that Neil is planning to release the jacket for Spring / Summer 2014.

A sneak preview of the new deck jacket. (Review to hopefully follow soon.)

North Sea Clothing’s motto is “Whatever Weather.” Having worn an Intrepid (a Norwegian pattern Submariner) over two Scandinavian winters I can testify that this is no idle boast. 

I've said this already in a previous post and make no apology for repeating it here - the fact that NSC supplied the Shackleton Epic Team in their recent recreation of the original 1916 expedition to the South Pole should tell you all you need to know on how good these sweaters are.

No gents winter wardrobe is complete without one. You can purchase them online here.

Perfect for jaunts to The South Pole. Or a summer camping holiday in England.

US Army 5 Button Pullover

An Original Dead-stock Military Sweater

I wonder what else Carthage Knitwear made?

As regular readers will know I love my knitwear. Spring is still some way off, but I recently began searching for something a little lighter than my North Sea Clothing Intrepid for the coming months.

My researches led me to the 5 Button US Army sweater. Military they may be, but they look fantastic, particularly the buttoned placket front. The olive drab is almost a light brown and works well with both denim and tweed.

The 5 button placket front in all its glory.

A Bit of History

First issued in 1942, these jumpers replaced the earlier roll neck sweaters as part of a much needed overhaul in American Army clothing, most of which had been found unequal to the rigours of operations in Europe. 

Out went the heavy wool combined service & combat uniforms of WW1, in came Herringbone Twill (HBT) and the very modern idea of a layered combat uniform.*

Something was still needed to help keep troops snug in winter - this is where the 5 button jumper came in. Made of pure wool, it is however not a particularly heavy gauge knit - perfect for layering over / under shirts or jackets.

These look like the original Bakelite buttons.

Several places on the web sell these jumpers, but I was led back to Jerry at WPG, as he still has a few of the original items left.

This one dates from 1st December 1950, and is in such good condition I doubt it was actually issued. As with most military kit these sweaters were made by various contractors, here by Carthage Knitwear Corps. (I tried to find out more on them but to no avail, has anyone come across them before?)

In fit these jumpers are quite snug - a medium coming close to a 36" chest, and, reflecting the higher waistlines of the period, they're not cut particularly long.

Ribbed cuffs and hem - a heavy duty pullover, despite a slightly light gauge knit.

WPG do also make repro versions - I've not seen them but it would be interesting to see how they compare.

If you're interested you can buy one here.

Slightly rough button hole stitching perhaps, but it is 64 years old..

*Woolen Jeep Coats and Great Coats were still widely worn on winter combat operations however. Kit would have been issued until stocks were depleted, obsolete or not. Such was the clothing shortage in the ETO that GI's would sport whatever they could get hold of.

A Timeless Workwear Staple

 Collarless (Neck Band) Shirts.

A vintage striped cotton work shirt dating from c1920s.

Around the 1840's baggy square cut shirts, with high attached collars and frilled cuffs, were ditched in favour a more austere form of shirt. Thus the collarless shirt came in to being.

The neck band shirt was a fixture of the working mans' wardrobe for many years. These shirts, normally made from stripe brushed or flannelette heavy cotton, were fabricated to last.

Two heavy flannelette examples. The early ones can be quite rough... The solution? I suggest long under garments. 

Whereas the more formal poplin business shirts were usually white, work shirts were either coloured or rather gaudily striped. Interestingly, until roughly the 40's shirts were regarded as a second layer of underwear - not something that one should prominently display, as today. All that would have been visible were cuffs, (separate) stiff collar, and a couple of inches of fabric barely visible above the top button of the waist-coat either side of a tie.

Shirts were not mass produced. Normally made by a local tailor, or in some cases by the women of a working family, they came in a wide variety of colours. 

Men would have had few shirts and separate collars were a way of prolonging its life. The shirt may have been filthy (the colours hid the dirt better), but collars were easy to launder and cheaper to replace. Depending on the trade you were in collar & tie might not have been worn at all during the week, but saved for Sunday best. (That said, I was once robustly told off by the haughty proprietress of a vintage shop in the Kings Road for not wearing a collar & tie!)

Some later shirts had softer detachable collars. A step forward in comfort... 

Most shirts sported a half placket opening, meaning that it was pulled on over your head. Fully button through shirts did not come into fashion until the 1950's.

The tails were cut generously long. This, combined with trouser waist lines that hovered dangerously near the nipple, meant that one's shirt, once tucked in, stayed tucked.

As waistlines dropped so did the placket until button through, or coat shirts (because you donned them as you would a coat) became the prevalent style.

This example sports double cuffs & a reinforced front or "bib". 

Cuffs were normally single and button through, though as with the example above shirts for "best" would have had double cuffs and perhaps be fashioned from a lighter cotton, as here.

A heavy flannelette shirt with additional cotton lining. This Somax shirt is actually quite modern. I found it languishing as dead stock in the corner of a sadly now defunct gents outfitters in Whitstable, Kent. It's now been turned in to a Costa Coffee... 

In addition to the heavy weight fabric needing to be durable for work, the fact of their construction meant that these shirts last for years - important if you couldn't afford to replace them. Remember too that almost all houses were coal fire heated, and in the case of working mens quarters, cheaply built and drafty.

I love this type of shirt. I wear them regularly and feel that they still deserve a place in any man's wardrobe. The heavier versions are immensely warm, and worn sans collar are very comfortable. Combined with a round point stiff collar they can look particularly dapper. (More on the important topic of collars and their nearly endless variants later.)

If not able to raid your great uncle's armoire fear not, you can invest in a high quality reproduction at Darcy Clothing. I found most of my original examples at Old Hat in Fulham, London. Run by tailor David Saxby, this place is a treasure trove of vintage mens apparel.

The Guernsey

Knitwear Icon.

The authors' Guernsey - 21 years old and still going strong.

As Danish autumn progresses and the howling winds that are an ever present feature of life in this country get colder one's thoughts inevitably turn to the subject of insulation. This leads me nicely on to the guernsey.

The knitting industry in the British Channel Island of Guernsey dates back to the early 16th century, when licences were granted to import wool from England. In those early days, the Island’s exports were stockings and at the peak of this trade it is believed that 10,000 pairs left the Island each week. Both Mary and Queen Elizabeth (1558 to 1603) owned articles of Guernsey knitwear. Even the unfortunate Mary Queen of Scots wore Guernsey underpinnings at her execution.

If it doesn't have one of these sewn in to the seam it's not the genuine article.

The Guernsey sweater came into being as a garment for seamen & fishermen. Venturing in some cases as far as Newfoundland, they required a warm, hard wearing, yet comfortable item of clothing that would resist the sea spray.

So was born the now famous oiled wool Guernsey. During the time of the Napoleonic Wars, Admiral Lord Nelson recommended that the Guernsey be worn by the Royal Navy and it was at this time that the Guernsey, which until then had been knitted in unscoured natural wool, was dyed Navy Blue. Variants of the guernsey, known as a "gansey", are today used from Cornwall to Scotland.

Traditional Guernsey knitwear still functions as a cottage industry, produced using age old techniques that have been tried and tested. They are knitted with close stitches from tightly twisted worsted wool and this gives it its ability to withstand sea spray and rain. The result is a strong, long lasting garment that will hold its shape better in both wear and washing. (Though I prefer to dry clean mine.)

Beautiful cuff detailing

The rib at the top of the sleeve represents a sailing ship’s rope ladder, the raised shoulder seam a rope and the garter stitch panel, waves breaking on the shore. These details used to differ from family to family - it helped identify sailors lost at sea.

Traditionally passed down within families or given as presents I received mine from my grandmother, a Jersey islander, when I was 16. Bought large for me to grow in to, my guernsey is sized 40 inch chest.

They are meant to be worn skin tight to make the most of the their insulating properties & mine fits more like a rather snug 38". 

There really isn't much 'give' in that tightly worn worsted! Some suggest sizing up a full 4 inches, though I feel strongly they should be worn as intended.

Under arm gusset for ease of movement

Ditto the split hem

The Guernsey is a working jumper - the under arm gussets and split hem provide ease of movement despite the snug fit.

My jumper has had a hard life, years ago I used it whilst working as a labourer during the Christmas holidays and various other menial student jobs. However, with a few running repairs it is still serving me well and will for years to come.

A few patch repairs over the years are testament to this garments working life and durability

Beware of imitations made elsewhere from inferior wool - for a guernsey to qualify as such it has to have been made on the island from the correct worsted wool to the traditional pattern. A kosher example will set you back approx £70 / 650DKK.

I have no idea where my grandmother found mine all those years ago, but I can suggest these chaps as a starting point. More on jumpers to follow soon.