004 // Why I Keep Coming Back to Workwear
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I seem to have spent much of my career coming back to workwear. Field jackets, fatigue trousers, chore coats and practical clothes developed for people who needed them to do a job.
I'm not interested in making somebody look as though they're heading off to a workshop or joining the army. What interests me is the thinking behind those clothes, and why so many of the shapes still make sense today.
Details With a Purpose
A pocket has to be in the right place if it's going to be useful. A fastening has to be dependable. The cloth needs to cope with movement and wear.
Of course, not every old workwear garment was beautifully designed or made. There were compromises then just as there are now. But the best examples have a clarity that I find refreshing.
You can often understand the reason for a detail without anybody having to explain it. That's something I always look for in a garment.
Borrowing Without Copying
The danger when designing from archive references is wanting to keep everything. Another pocket, a strap, an adjustment tab, a contrast panel. Each detail might be interesting in isolation, but together they can turn a perfectly good jacket into a costume.
I've learned that editing is as important as designing. Sometimes I'll start with a familiar pocket arrangement and remove half of it. Or keep a shape but change the fabric entirely.
The objective is to make something you genuinely want to wear now, not a reproduction that belongs in a collection.
Workwear at Supermoon
The Field Parka, Fatigue Pant and Joiner's Jacket all reflect this interest in practical clothing, but in different ways. They're connected by their easy proportions, useful shapes and fabric choices rather than by a single historical reference.
I like clothes that you don't have to think too hard about once they're on. Something you reach for because it works.
Perhaps that's why workwear has stayed with me for so long. When the starting point is usefulness, the design often has a better chance of lasting.
Supermoon / / Edition 01