This week, I present to you three gold nuggets unearthed during my digital wanderings:
- The first raw linen jeans made in France
- A Japanese canvas shirt that smells like the beach
- A tubular Henley, German quality.
Jean in Linen - Dao
A material that you won't often find on jeans.
Why this brand?
Dao is at the same time a brand, a clothing workshop and an entrepreneurial adventure launched in Nancy by Davy Dao in 2012. After several years of research and successful crowdfunding, the brand has developed and refined its offer while remaining on a human scale.
Today, Dao makes quality artisanal jeans in front of passers-by in its store in Nancy. The brand is transparent about its products and offers a lot of content to inform consumers: clothing care, ethics, environmental impact, interviews, etc.
It's hard for us not to applaud this approach. We'd like to see more brands like Dao. So it's without hesitation that I'm going to present to you what I think is their finest achievement.
Romain Cottarel, who joined the adventure in 2017, and Davy Dao, co-founder, in their workshop in Nancy.
Why this piece?
The suggestion of a pair of linen jeans quickly intrigued me. For a pair of raw jeans, it was a composition that I had never seen anywhere else. At the time of this discovery, I continued to dig. My curiosity thus led to a closer look. And the glance became a crush.
Understanding this crush involves understanding the advantage of linen in a garment compared to cotton:
- Its hollow fiber traps or releases air to regulate body temperature,
- It can absorb up to 20% of its weight in moisture without changing its feel to the touch,
- It retains fewer odors.
So many features that make this piece a very relevant alternative to cotton jeans.
Linen fabrics often have a roughness characteristic of this material, and these jeans are no exception: beautiful irregularities that reinforce the much-loved charm of denim.
For more details on the interest of this material, I take you on a journey to its macromolecules in our linen guide.
These properties make linen an ideal fiber to combat the summer heat. However, in summer, raw denim is in exile because of its heavy armor and dark color. Cotton does not help it at all,
Thanks to the linen, these jeans become a wardrobe staple that I can sometimes play in the summer. And I admit that the idea of being able to enjoy them more easily throughout the year while staying dry appeals to me.
Of course, you shouldn't expect to be able to brave 30 degrees with them. They're still jeans, we're far from the airy fabric of some linen pants. But after wearing them several times, I can confirm that you can climb up to 25 degrees without any problem.
In 25 degrees in the summer, with a pair of open shoes and a henley that spoils the end of my article, wearing these jeans is not a thermal problem. Note that I am wearing the straight cut here, but I have strong legs. For a fitted look, opt for a slim cut.
More and more attentive to the ethics behind a garment, I have also not been insensitive to the socio-ecological argument of linen: it consumes significantly less water, comes mainly from France, and generates almost no waste.
Two questions can nevertheless be asked regarding the composition of these jeans, and I admit that they tickled me until I received the item:
- What about linen's tendency to wrinkle?
- Jeans aren't exactly the softest thing ever. And linen is rough, right?
On the wrinkling side, we feel that the 3% elastane does its job well. Combined with the thickness of the weave, they make this denim much less wrinkle-prone than other linen garments. Especially if it is worn fitted as in my case. . I would still avoid putting it in a ball in my closet.
If you are used to rolling up your jeans at the bottom, you should take into account the fact that a good iron will be necessary at this point the day you want to wear them as simple bottoms for a change. Linen loses its shape easily, you can't do miracles on that.
As for the feeling when worn, I don't find it particularly rougher than a classic jean. To give you another opinion, David finds that the difference is still felt, although he doesn't find it disturbing.
So I take my hat off to this small brand which, after 2 years of development, has managed to master this anarchic fibre to make a very successful first French linen jean.
Japanese canvas shirt - Cotton Society
Now I just need to find the matching beach towel.
Why this brand?
Cotton Society 's bet is to offer half-measure shirts at an affordable price. And overall, it's a success: a very good quality/price ratio, attractive fabric ranges and a half-measure offer that works. To find out more, Nicolò tested it two years ago.
For my part, it was mainly the brand's casual models that led me to my find: Cotton Society has the particularity of offering a wide variety of beautifully textured fabrics, with grain, charm, and an aesthetic that you rarely come across elsewhere.
Please note that the models offered by the brand are available in standard size and half-measure. In my case, I opted for the first option.
Why this piece?
I was looking to expand my casual shirt line with a few standout pieces. So I was waiting to come across a piece that really caught my eye, that I would go back to look at several times. I found this shirt.
And for a change, I fell for a Japanese material. On a cotton base, the 7% linen and ramie bring some thermoregulating virtues, as well as an additional touch of roughness.
Between two scroll strokes, my mouse quickly stopped on the blue stripes of this piece. Beyond their well-measured thickness, I also like their irregular weave: this alternation of blue and white threads gives a raw rendering while remaining elegant.
And for me, the choice of an ecru base couldn't be more right for this piece. It makes the whole thing harmonious, and its slightly aged appearance gives a lot of character.
In short, we recognize here all the charm of Japanese fabrics.
What also struck my sensibilities was the summery spirit that the shirt exudes: this thick canvas reminds me of the colours of sand and water. At the seaside, I can already see it floating on me, open and swept by the sea winds.
But while I wait to come across a beach on my way to the office, I plan to let its stripes express themselves on the basis of light pants and a pair of loafers:
Photo of a happy man in his new shirt.
And since it remains quite casual, wearing it open over a white t-shirt won't be off limits to me either.
So many stylistic hypotheses that quickly convinced me about it.
For the second time in this article, I'm going to tip my hat, even though I don't have one: here to the success of the standard cut of the shirt. The piece fits correctly on the shoulders and follows the torso well at the bottom, just the way I like it.
In short, this is my definition of a beautiful shirt: one that pleases the eye, that exudes good taste, that earns me compliments, as well as questions about the origin of this find.
Tubular Henley - Merz B. Schwanen
For me, this is the perfect henley.
Why this brand?
Merz B. Schwanen is often recommended for their premium t-shirts, made on tubular knitting machines. dating from the 1920s to the 1960s. A century of know-how saved in 2011 by a passionate entrepreneur, Peter Plotnicki.
At a flea market, when the latter discovers a henley made by a traditional German factory in 1911, he marvels at the expertise focused on the product. So he goes further by going to meet the factory in question, which he discovers has been closed for three years, due to a lack of orders in the face of aggressive international competition.
Together with his wife and a craftsman from the factory, they spent a year restoring the machines and relaunching Merz B. Schwanen.
A brand full of history, which I find admirable and which perpetuates decades of tradition. Which is clearly felt in its collection.
The famous old tubular machines, still used by the brand.
Why this piece?
The ultimate henley, I've been looking for it for a while. I already have a white one, but it's not there yet. It's white. Optical white. And optical white, on a henley, is not ultimate. Although it has served me very well lately, and I love it, I find that optical white is a barrier to the ultimate henley.
The perfection of a henley, for me, can be found in only one place in the color palette. And that is ecru:
- We find the entire vintage spirit of the piece
- We are moving away from the "pajama" side that a white henley can connote.
I knew Merz B. Schwanen made them, so I took a look and stumbled upon what is, in my eyes, the holy grail of henleys. And for three reasons.
One , the material: in my opinion, this is the ideal fabric for a henley. A beautiful fine knit, subtle speckling, and the kind of ecru that quickly makes you understand the meaning of the word "vintage".
The small brown grains that you can see on the material are the cherry on this cotton and viscose cake[bg_info txt="+"]Cotton is the majority. Viscose makes the hand more fluid and silky.[/bg_info].
An ecru that fits perfectly into the shades of “earth” tones: here with camel pants and brown loafers.
Two: the finishes. The coated buttons and the long ribbed edges bring originality and a real identity to the piece without distorting it.
Well crafted, the buttons fit perfectly into the whole.
Drei: Like the henley itself, this model carries a story. That of the brand, which, as I told you, generates admiration in me. Remember, I told you about a henley manufactured by the German factory in 1911. A henley from which the second life of the brand began. Well, it's this one. Or at least, its grandson. Since it is directly inspired by the design of its ancestor.
So I'll introduce you to his grandfather, can you tell the family traits?
For these three reasons, I am willing to take my hat off a third time. It will be the last one for this week.
