shadow plaid western shirt - asphalt

Flannel Plaid Western shirts with snaps have maintained relevancy in fashion for decades. Kurt Cobain wore them loose as over-shirts, now GQ labels tying one at your hips "adding a little bit more Cobain", whilst we call it adding some David Macklovitch: the Chromeo star and his brother A-Trak, have hardly worn anything else since 2012. Both Tom Ford, and Hedi Slimane (at Saint Laurent), made plaid shirts mainstream for the rich and famous, currently artistic types get theirs at Greg Lauren, whilst rock stars head to Amiri.

Our shadow plaid shirt is made for the common mortal and not just the fashion set. Slow fashion, from yarn to point of sale, this shirt should outlive you; you might just still have it when your son is old enough to fit it. Looked at that way, on cost per wear, it could be the cheapest shirt you ever buy.

Asphalt Black combines faded black with ghostly white checks.

Also available: Klein Blue

SIZE GUIDE + MEASUREMENTS

Model wears size Medium. He is 6 ft.1,186 pounds (185 cms, 68 kilos)

Note, these are the measurements of the garment taken lying flat, in CM.*

This item is generously cut; we recommend taking your usual size to achieve the intended look.

ABOUT THE PRICE

We snapped up the last remaining rolls of this unique fabric from our supplier in Japan. The weave pattern was only introduced in 2016, and it's already out of production. We can't tell you which luxe brands bought the bulk of the rolls, although you may recognise the fabric. We can tell you that anyone else wearing a shirt in this plaid will likely have paid a lot more than you.

Sourcing fabric from outside of the EU incurs a tax on import, as well as hefty air-freight charges, but few mills in Europe or the US have retained their narrow looms, and we were unable to find fabric of this grade anywhere outside of Japan. Heritage production merits supporting and the quality of this fabric is unmatched, so we think it’s worth it.

The shadow plaid yarn is dyed in a famous Japanese dyehouse, then woven in one of the country’s most renowned shirting mills, in the tradition of Banshu Ori. In fact, almost €30 of the production price of each shirt is accounted for by the fabric alone.

We manufactured shirt samples in 3 different factories, in 2 different countries, before we finally found one in Italy, with the ability to cut and piece plaid perfectly. It is slow, meticulous work - even the binding on the sleeves is matched, and the cut of the collars, aligned. This process adds another €31 to the cost of each shirt.

You can see pictures of the Japanese mill that supplies the fabric here.

You can see pictures of the Italian factory that manufactures the shirts here.

SHAPE + DETAILING

Our Shadow Plaid Western Shirt is a modern version of the classic. Cut from a Japanese Cotton/Rayon blend that has been brushed to soften the feel and to add to the shadow appearance, this is not a heavy, winter weight cotton shirt; it’s a year-rounder with the added traits of fluidity and drape. The shirt has a generous cut, and is only slightly fitted at the waist, so it works as an overshirt as well

COMPOSITION + CARE

55% Cotton, 45% Rayon.

Machine or hand wash, delicate cycle

Fabric source - Japan

Manufactured - Italy

*Please remember, each shirt was cut and sewn individually, so minor variations might occur.

All our photographs are shot in natural light, no pinning, no flash, no crafty illumination. Nobody lives in a photographic studio; how the clothes look in the pictures is how they are going to look on you. But as the light changes, colours appear to change slightly too.