Stories from the Archive: the E130 Jacket.

We have developed an archive of garments and fabrics that we have collected on all our travels over the years. These influence many of our pieces, and we thought you might be interested in some of the stories behind them.

First up, we take a closer look at the inspiration behind the E130. A workwear-inspired style (one of many!) with an accidental name.

What is the backstory of the jacket?

“When I first saw the jacket, at a trade fair in Paris, it reminded me of a lot of things I had bought from thrift stores and vintage stores in the ’80s which, as a young man, was where you could afford to buy interesting pieces. Back then, they were full of pieces from the ’50s and ’60s because they were the previous generation’s cast-offs. That shape, that blouson type style and shorter shape of jacket, was something that was really interesting to me. This particular piece had really great details and almost uniform elements to it: a really interesting elbow patch, really interesting pockets and an oversized collar. I bought the jacket in question, and I took it to a sample room that I was working with to develop the UW version.”

What is the story behind the name?

“We made a prototype, and it came back with a name on it. And I couldn’t understand where the name came from. So I checked the original garment, and it still had a price ticket hanging off the back, which was €130 (Euros), how much I had paid for the reference piece. They thought I’d called it E130.”

What changes were made to the UW version?

“We added a useful, more modern side entry pocket, we emphasised the shape with darting and gave it a slightly bigger fit. But mostly the details are the same as on the original. The really amazing shape of the elbow patch, really interesting collar, a lot of it is original but we try to improve it and move it on to be more contemporary."

What do you like about the two-way zip?

“We always add a two-way zip, so you can go up from the bottom as well as down from the top. For me, that’s important from a styling point of view. I want to have the flexibility that I have with buttons. So a zip that opens both ways is much more interesting. If you’re sitting in a car, you can unzip it to make it more comfortable, so it’s practical and stylish.”

How would you wear the E130?

“It’s not really short, it’s waist length, and it’s certainly what would nowadays be described as oversized, you don’t really need to size up for it to be quite a loose fitting jacket. It looks great with a pair of jeans or a matching trouser. With a bit more confidence, I think it can work really well with a longer layer underneath, such as a shirt or a t-shirt, so you can see the different layers, which I think is really “right now”. It’s just a very versatile jacket."

You might see this elsewhere referred to as the S130, which has a slight amend to the pocket and collar size, but is otherwise the same. Slight changes means new pattern, and that means we had to name this something different. This time we went for S, referencing the American dollar.