My first creation for BonneGueule! (and I tell everything in a VLOG 🎬)

To be honest, I wouldn't have lasted two seconds during the Vietnam War. 

During any war for that matter.

Can you imagine me in the jungle holding my rifle like a limp pool noodle? As I turn a corner, I discover a sun biting the horizon and painting the sky pink, orange and… BAM between the eyes. 

"Here lies Jordan Maurin, a man who is too contemplative."

After all, maybe I was born in the right era. And if my military career was stillborn, I can at least console myself with one thing: re-appropriating army gear . 

That's right up my alley!

For example, I wear military chinos for my peaceful walks, a trench coat to move between the raindrops bombarded from the sky, a military watch to know exactly when to start the aperitif, a field jacket to shoot nature with my Olympus OM-10.

And when Julien, our anonymous collection manager asked me what jacket I wanted to create for BonneGueule, I didn't hesitate: the jungle jacket . 

I must say that it had been on my list of conquests for a while. 

However, it was a big first for me to work on a garment . And I must confess: I had big moments of doubt about my abilities to accomplish the task that Julien had entrusted to me.

I even heard the passive-aggressive voice of the little devil on my shoulder, the embodiment of imposter syndrome: "Are you sure you can do it? What was the last thing you created? And if you fail, do you think Julien and Ben will let you re-create a piece?" 

In short, the birth of this jungle jacket was painful and I wanted to tell you about it in a video.

👇👇👇👇👇👇👇👇👇👇👇👇👇👇👇 

👆👆👆👆👆👆👆👆👆👆👆👆👆👆👆 

The birth of an obsession

(One more… 🤦‍♂️ )

The first time I had a jungle jacket on my back was in June 2019. The day I took my very first steps into the wonderful world of YouTube videos. 

Photo from the first episode of VIRAL on the M-65 military jacket .

It would be a lie to say that it was a revelation. But the truth is that I fell under its spell: 

• A rich history, American too 
• 4 pockets, 2 of which are crosswise (as if the tailor had looked elsewhere while sewing them)
• Asymmetrical pocket flaps 
• An olive green color (meaning something other than the usual navy blue) 
• A material that can be mistreated

This is the essence of the jungle jacket .

And to say it right away, the difference with the field jacket it is that the latter is more of a jacket when the latter is a light jacket, or even an overshirt .

That's why it fits perfectly into our contemporary wardrobe. But we'll come back to that.

Since 2019 and my first jungle test , it had stayed in my head. Often in the morning, I would say to myself “hey, it would be nice to have one on hand.” And I realized that this thought came up often. 

It was more than a whim, it was becoming a fixed idea, an obsession .

Besides, I placed it from time to time in the shootings. Here a vintage found at Brut Clothing.

So the opportunity was too good to miss to create my own. 

If you watched the video, you know the story but I'm going to go into more detail on some points. Starting with what makes it charming.

The Inexplicable Charm of the Jungle Jacket Explained

And Cindy Crawford's beauty mark

Beauty can be resisted, but charm is hard to resist.

Charm is Cindy Crawford's beauty spot, it's Christian Bale's very slight lisp, it's the coquetry in Lauren Hutton's eye. 

And for the jungle jacket , it's these slanted chest pockets.

That's what makes it unique and what makes it attractive. And the funny thing is, that wasn't the original intention at all. 

Do you think the military cares about what is charming? Maybe, but not when it comes to waging war.  

The jungle jacket is first and foremost a jacket created to be useful. Thus, these pockets are angled to allow soldiers to access the contents of the pockets more easily.

Photo credit: Kirn Vintage Stock/Corbis via Getty Images

And just because we're not fighting a war doesn't mean that argument doesn't hold up. Making pockets easier to reach is a timeless mission.

Brief !

When function dictates aesthetics, it results in unforgettable pieces . I think for example of the windproof asymmetry of the perfecto, the loops of the trench coat to hang grenades, the “v” of the sweatshirt to prevent it from tearing when taking it off and many others, in all areas moreover.

So: I couldn't straighten them out or remove one . That's the origin of its charm, I wasn't going to butcher it just to feel like I was creating something new. 

Extract from the technical sheet concerning the dimensions of pocket flaps.

Beyond the inclination and placement of these pockets, what mattered most to me was achieving a certain harmony.

An obsession: seeking harmony

…and find it preferably!

Not the most exciting job, but one of the most important for sure. And I think we did well! Thanks to Julien and Emilie for guiding and advising me. 

First, the harmony of proportions

When wearing a tie, with a shirt and a jacket, you have to find a balance between the width of the collar, the volume of the knot and the width of the jacket lapels so that everything looks harmonious.

To explain concretely with the example of pockets:

• I wanted the angled pockets to line up as best as possible with the collar laying flat. 
• And that, thanks to the asymmetrical flaps and the inclination, a sort of not quite straight line is drawn at chest level 

A bit like two eyebrows that give personality to a face.

It's down to the millimeter. 

The thing is, changing the angle caused the outer corners of the pockets to get a little too close to the armpit, potentially creating discomfort in everyday life. So that meant moving the pocket closer to the center each time. 

All this, while making sure not to break the harmony created by the right inclination.

Harmony of the cut in relation to the register of the piece

No question of making a fitted cut here. That's not the point of this type of jacket. It's simply straight. That's how the originals are to guarantee ease of movement.

And that brings me to the next point.

Harmony in the register of aesthetic choices

I didn't want a drawstring. That was a deliberate choice.

I find that it distorts the piece by changing the cut.

My goal was to stay in this aesthetic of raw, comfortable overshirt. I didn't want to make it a sartorial piece. It's a casual piece above all!

But be careful not to leave too big a gap between the top and bottom pockets since there is no cord to fill it.

A house of cards sometimes the design of a garment.

A material…

…which hits the nail on the head!

Yes, I can say I am proud . I am proud of this choice influenced by destiny, as seen in the video.

The watchword with the material was: don't overdo it. We already have 4 pockets, 2 of which are crooked. That's already quite unusual.

But, you know us, there was no question of having something flat either! We had to find the right dosage, the right compromise.

And the answer was this brand new material from our Japanese supplier Shibaya called “ Sunny Dry ”:

Admire these nuances and this relief! To tell you the truth, it is a material quite unique in its kind :

1. It is first hand dyed (which is already rare enough to be worth mentioning)
2. Then, she is exposed to the strong wind Enshū no Sorafu !
3. And finally dried in the sun 

Dyeing takes a lot of time, after a first mechanical printing to fix the color, there is a second one which is done by hand. It allows to give this aged and irregular aspect so cool. And since a picture is worth a thousand words, we show you a video:

This material is perfect for the jungle because it offers:

• A rich color in brown-green nuances with a very subtle marbled effect 
• A natural, almost organic look 
• A slightly crunchy hand… sensual in fact! 

Yes, sensual! I'm not afraid of words.

And then, the somewhat random nature of the production of this fabric means that the jacket you get will not be strictly identical to your neighbor's. 

And I like that. And Julien too, who likes its rather unique aged look.

Of course, just for your beautiful eyes, I wore prototype #1 over and over again to test the material. And I have to say that it holds up perfectly and is very comfortable to wear.

Yes, I roughed up the jacket a bit. And it went very well! Note that I wear a 48 (the size of our prototypes) and I am more like a 50.

I worked on a collar never seen before at BonneGueule

It's a 3-in-1

For the pass, it took some convincing. 

The thing is, I don't like the collar on regular jungle jackets . There you have it. 

It always seemed ridiculously small to me in relation to the pockets . It gets eaten up by them so much that I always see the pockets first before I see the guy wearing it. 

Clothing should be about serving yourself, not the other way around.

So I thought about a collar that would match the pockets and enhance the wearer. 

And it was a bold move that initially left Julien skeptical. But when the first prototype arrived, he was convinced.

The beauty of this collar is that it allows 3 positions. I made a little video to show you. 

When the collar is open, it guides our gaze towards the head. That's all I wanted.

And for the record, I realized later that it really reminded me of the M-65 pass on the flat.

I could have stopped there but I'm a diehard. Or a pain in the ass depending on who you ask! 

Details that aren't details

Just for fun

What matters is inner beauty

I thought it wouldn't work. 

From the beginning when I was thinking about the piece, I was thinking about its history . But not so much about the fact that it dressed GIs sent to Vietnam. 

No! What interests me more is the counterculture movements. and the veterans who protested against this endless war and who appropriated the military jackets by customizing them .

Field and jungle jackets are transformed from war uniforms to symbols of peace. I wanted to make a modest nod to this pacifist movement.

The first idea that came to me was to offer a workshop on the day of the launch to customize your jacket in store, with a designer. But given the health context, it was a risky bet.

The other possibility: offer to buy a jacket already customized.

The simplest and most discreet way was to imagine a fancy lining. The bandana quickly imposed itself on me. It is the most American of patterns. It holds up, doesn't it? I thought Julien was going to veto it but he didn't.

This is what it looks like:

Like a secret that it is up to each person to reveal or not. 

Between us, it comes from Maruwa, another Japanese supplier that we know well. And it's 100% cotton. 

To reinforce the idea of ​​personal customization, I didn't want the bandanas sewn together to be too aligned . I wanted it to be a little wobbly as if you had sewn them yourself.

But that's not all!

The final touch is this label that came to me a little last minute but that we managed to develop anyway. My idea was to parody the strict and very technical labels of military clothing.

Here is what ours gives:

If you can't read it, I guess you'll have to take a closer look... in a store, for example. Hehe.

You probably don't have many clothes that say "for love, not war"...

Thanks to Emilio who created the graphic.

The exterior has not been neglected, however.

I found that the buttons we usually use didn't fit here . So I wanted to change.

In this photo, we see the basic buttons mounted on prototype #1, and below is a small part of the choice available to me:

(Spontaneous photo on iPhone at the time of choosing)

And there we feel completely stupid.

I know I want a different button aesthetic but... which one? There's enough to rack your brains for hours and hours and it's true that a simple button completely changes the look of a garment.

On the original jungle jackets , the buttons are plain green and, I assume, plastic. I didn't want to do that. No point.

So I decided to keep it simple and am happy with the result which matches the jacket better in my opinion.

They are made of horn and their brown shades highlight those of the jacket.

How to wear this jacket?

On the shoulders! Ok I'm going out.

Don't be put off: whatever your style, you can integrate it with your pieces.

I'll show you the 5 looks I created with this one.

1. Simple as "hello"

Always at least 1 accessible look that speaks to everyone.

And that meant jeans + t-shirt + sneakers.

BonneGueule jacket, t-shirt and jeans, Asahi tennis shoes, vintage bag, Salt Optics glasses

A graphic t-shirt will work well under this jacket: stripes like here but it can be a more daring pattern, that of your favorite rock group, a vintage one with Mickey or Snoopy if you like!

The jeans are my personal Renji . They're my type of cut. The sky blue goes perfectly with the green of the jacket.

Tennis shoes: we could have chosen white ones but the navy blue resonates with the sky blue of the jeans, so why deprive ourselves?

Eating an apple with a Basque knife is just for show.

Hamilton Watch, Salt Optics Glasses, Mother Nature's Apple

2. Jungle denim supplement

This is the one that came to me immediately after the first one. The second one, then. I see you're following and I like that!

Maybe my favorite. The one that seems the most natural anyway.

Jungle jacket, shirt, BonneGueule t-shirt, Salt Optics glasses, Fullcount jeans, Velasca boots, Jinji necklace

As the jacket has brown highlights, it will go superbly with beiges, browns of course, camel, ecru . So, from this observation, I chose our beige t-shirt and medium brown boots.

This is the basis of this outfit.

And then, well, since I had to dress the bottom so as not to shock anyone, I opted for good old raw denim. A choice that imposed itself, as the combination was easy in every way.

Finally, I wore our western shirt. For a collection inspired by the United States, it seemed logical to me, right? It adds even more texture, interest because it is denim like the bottom, although in a different shade.

Jungle jacket, BonneGueule shirt and t-shirt, Jinji necklaces, Salt Optics glasses

The necklaces are for the little unexpected touch of color. The glasses… well, they’re for the beautiful sunshine of the Bay of Somme, let’s see!

3. Americanesque

BonneGueule jacket, henley and jeans, vintage bandana, Paraboot derbies and Mes Chaussettes rouges socks

It's practically the same chromatic construction as the previous outfit. Except that the jeans are not raw, they are more fitted, the shoes are not boots and a layer has vanished.

But the construction principle is the same.

With the same touch of color around the neck.

Which means you don't necessarily need to opt for straight, loose jeans to be cool...

4. On the light side of the force

Jungle jacket, sweatshirt, BonneGueule cap, La Perruque key ring, Arpenteur jeans, Sebago shoes, Serica watch

White jeans and an olive jacket, it’s a winning combo.

You can play it a little chic with dressy loafers and a nice shirt, but I chose another route.

I chose a more casual aesthetic, even streetwear : the sweatshirt, the commando-soled boat shoes, the cap, the leather bell that serves as a key ring.

BonneGueule cap and jacket, Serica watch, Arpenteur jeans

This is a perfect look for mid-season. And taking a ride in his '56 Mustang convertible, of course.

5. Conversation with America

BonneGueule jacket, shirt, t-shirt and cap, Fullcount denim, Converse sneakers

The last look is with jeans. Again! Yes I know.

However, don't worry, this jacket can also be worn with chinos. A beige, a navy, another blue, any blue in fact, all colors in fact, just be careful with greens.

Same structure as look 2 here. But the Converse give a more relaxed look. And the plaid shirt really energizes the subject.

The yellow cap is to show you that this type of green goes well with many other colors than the usual gray and navy.

How to get the jungle jacket and our other new products?

Visit our e-shop or our stores.