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 fry? At the bend of a path, I discover a sun biting the horizon and painting the sky pink, orange and… BAM between the two eyes. 

“Here lies Jordan Maurin, a man too contemplative.”

Finally, maybe I was born at the right time. And if my military career is stillborn, I can at least console myself with one thing: reappropriating army clothes . 

That’s right up my alley!

For example, I wear military chinos for my peaceful walks, a trench coat to move between the drops bombarded from the sky, a military watch to know precisely 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 . 

It must be said that it has been on my hunting list for a while. 

However, it was a great first for me to work on a piece of clothing . And I must confess: I had serious 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 this? 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. 

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

• A rich history, American and more 
• 4 pockets, 2 of which are crooked (as if the designer had looked elsewhere when sewing them)
• Asymmetrical pocket flaps 
• An olive green color (meaning something other than the usual navy blue) 
• A material that can be mishandled

This is the essence of the jungle jacket .

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

This is why it fits superbly into our contemporary wardrobe. But we'll come back to that.

Since 2019 and my first jungle try , it had stuck 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 fad, it became a fixed idea, an obsession .

So the opportunity was too good to create my own. 

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

The inexplicable charm of the jungle jacket explained

And Cindy Crawford's mole

Beauty is hard to resist, but charm is hard to resist.

Charm is Cindy Crawford's mole, 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.

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

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

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

And it is not because we are not waging war that this argument no longer holds. Facilitating access to pockets is a timeless mission.

Brief !

When function dictates aesthetics, the result is unforgettable pieces . I am thinking, for example, of the windproof asymmetry of the perfecto, of the loops of the trench coat to hang grenades, of the “v” of the sweatshirt to prevent it from tearing when removing it and many others, in all areas Besides.

So: it was impossible for me to put them straight or remove one . That's the source of its charm, I wasn't going to butcher it just to feel like I was creating something new. 

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

An obsession: seeking harmony

…and preferably find it!

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

First, the harmony of proportions

When you wear a tie, with a shirt and a jacket, you need to find a balance between the width of the collar, the volume of the knot and the width of the lapels of the jacket 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 tilt caused the outer corners of the pockets to get a little too close to the armpit, potentially creating everyday discomfort. So that meant bringing the pocket closer to the center each time. 

All this, while making sure not to disrupt the harmony created by the correct inclination.

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

No question of making a fitted cut here. That’s not what this type of jacket is about. She is simply straight. This is 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. It is a deliberate choice.

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

My goal was to stay in this raw, comfortable overshirt aesthetic. 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 an item of clothing.

Material…

…which hits the nail on the head!

Yes, I can say it , I am proud . I am proud of this fate-influenced choice, 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. It's already quite unique.

But, you know us, there’s 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 fairly unique material of its kind :

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

Dyeing takes a long time, after a first mechanical impression to fix the color, there is a second one which is done by hand. It gives this aged and irregular appearance that is 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 color rich in brown-green nuances with a very subtle marbled effect 
• A natural, almost organic appearance 
• A slightly crunchy hand... sensual in fact! 

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

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

And I like that. And to Julien too who likes its rather unique aged appearance.

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

I worked on a pass never seen before at BonneGueule

It's a 3-in-1

For the pass, we had to convince. 

The thing is, I don't like the collar of usual jungle jackets . There it is said. 

It always seemed to me to be ridiculously too small compared to the pockets . He gets eaten by them so much so that I always see the pockets first before seeing the guy carrying him. 

Clothing should serve oneself and not the other way around.

So, I thought about a collar that was harmonious with the pockets and would highlight the wearer. 

And it’s an audacity 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 short video to show you. 

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

And for the record, I later realized that it was really reminiscent of the flat M-65 pass.

I could have stopped there but I am a die-hard. Or a pain in the ass depending on who you ask! 

Details that are not

Just for fun

What matters is inner beauty

I thought it wouldn't happen. 

From the beginning when I was thinking about the piece, I was thinking about its story . But not really about the fact that she dressed the 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 military jackets by customizing them .

Field and jungle jackets go 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 jacket customization workshop in the store on the launch day, with a designer. But given the health context, it was a risky bet.

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

The simplest and most discreet way was to imagine a fancy lining. The bandana quickly imposed itself on me. It’s the most American of designs. It makes sense, right? I thought Julien was going to veto it but he didn't.

That's what happens :

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 which came to me a bit at the last minute but which we managed to develop anyway. My idea was to parody the strict and very technical labels of military clothing.

Here's what ours looks like:

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

Thanks to Emilio who created the graphics.

We haven't neglected the exterior, 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 n°1, and below is a small part of the choice available to me:

And then we feel completely stupid.

I know I want a different button aesthetic but… which one? There's plenty to worry about for hours and hours and it's true that a simple button totally changes the appearance of a piece of clothing.

On the original jungle jackets , the buttons are unshaded green and, I assume, plastic. I didn't want to do the same. No interest.

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

  

How to wear this jacket?

On the shoulders ! Ok I'm leaving.

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

I show you the 5 looks that I created with this one.

1. Simple as “hello”

Always at least 1 accessible look, which speaks to everyone.

And that meant jeans + t-shirt + tennis shoes.

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!

Jeans are my personal Renji . This is my type of cut. The sky blue matches the hair 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 yourself of them?

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

2. Jungle denim supplement

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

Maybe my favorite. The one that seems the most natural in any case.

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

This is the basis of this outfit.

And then, well, as I had to dress the bottom so as not to shock anyone, I opted for good old raw denim. A choice that was self-evident, as the association was easy from every point of view.

To finish, I put on our western shirt. For a collection inspired by the United States, that seemed logical to me, right? It adds even more texture, interest because it's denim like the bottom, although in a different shade.

Necklaces are for that little pop of unexpected color. The glasses… well, they’re for the beautiful sunshine of the Bay of Somme!

3. Americanesque

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

But the construction principle is the same.

With the same pop of color around the neck.

So you don't necessarily have to opt for straight, loose jeans for it to be cool...

4. On the light side of the force

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

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

I chose a more casual aesthetic register, streetwear even : the sweatshirt, the boat shoes with commando soles, the cap, the leather bell which serves as a key ring.

This is a perfect look for mid-season. And take a ride in his 56 mustang convertible of course.

5. Conversation with America

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 the colors in fact, just watch out for the greens.

Same structure as look 2 here. But Converse gives a more relaxed look. And the checked shirt really energizes the point.

The yellow cap is to show you that this type of green goes easily 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 in our stores.