Sateen is a tightly-woven fabric renowned for its hard-wearing nature and its smooth, soft texture - famously utilised by the US military on the classic OG-107 uniform worn in Korea and Vietnam. It’s one of the cornerstones of what we do, and we’ve been using it to make our Fatigue Pants since right back in the ‘70s.
This season we worked with our fabric supplier to create a washed version of this tried-and-tested military fabric, using a well-worn pair of 1101 Fatigue Pants as inspiration. We wanted to make a fabric that had the patina of vintage sateen, without the weakness that comes with old fabric. It’s got a washed-out flavour and a really nice, slubby texture, whilst still being reassuringly tough.
We put it to work on our Fat Pants. A new design for SS21, these are effectively a looser fitting, oversized version of our OG Fatigues. They’ve still got four big rectangular pockets and those military-grade buttons, but the shape is a touch more relaxed, making them ideal for summer.
And for when the heat is on and the flags are cracking, there’s the Fat Shorts - these don’t need too much explaining, do they? If you’re after some heavy-duty summer legwear, but want something a bit more subtle than cargo shorts, then these are just right.
We’ve also used that washed sateen fabric on our CPO Shirt (in both short sleeved and long sleeved versions) and our Painters Jacket. The shapes themselves take influence from traditional military and workwear designs, but thanks to the lighter pastel hues we used, they’ve got a particularly laid-back feel.
And finally, there’s the Boonie Hat - our take on the cotton sun hats first issued by the US Army in 1967. Think of it like a more substantial bucket-hat, with a wide, flat brim and a drawstring to stop it from flying off - the perfect portable shade when the sun’s out and there’s no place to hide.
If you’re looking for comfortable summer gear that’ll last you well after the leaves start falling, our washed sateen range is ready for action.