Coach Jacket
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TEST CONDITIONS
I had grand plans for the Malle Mile this year. I switched the clip on handlebars on my Honda CG125 over to a set of raised clubmans, printed a bunch of t-shirts and loaded my car up with every single prototype jacket I'd designed to date.
I set up a whatsapp group last year to bring a bunch of likeminded guys together. What started off as a handful of us is now a crew of 30+ and most of us were headed over to the Mile.
The idea was to ride over together and to capture as many moments as possible. Unfortunately, this July has been the sixth wettest on record in the UK and I'm pretty sure that most of the 140mm rain fell on that Saturday.
Best laid plans...
Still, the constant rain gave me the opportunity to test out a prototype coach jacket that I'd designed and had stitched up last year.
Traditionally, coach jackets are made of nylon or polyester. They might keep you dry from the rain but the fact that that they're essentially made of plastic means you might as well be wearing a bin bag. Gross.
This prototype is made with a Halley Stevensons waxed organic cotton. Now, most waxed jackets have a greasy feeling to them and if they're not lined, they can leave a residue on whatever you're wearing underneath.
Halley Stevensons have developed what they call a 'dry wax'. It's breathable as you'd expect cotton to be and has all the same rain repellent features as a standard waxed cotton but feels, well, dry.
THE GOOD
We arrived at the Mile at 9am and from the moment I stepped out the car to the moment we left at 5pm, the rain didn't stop.
In all that time, the jacket kept me completely dry and because I've designed it to be a couple of inches longer than a standard coach jacket, the rain fell off at the back rather than soaking into my jeans.
From a fit perspective, it's obviously a very different jacket to the Lawrence but it carries the same DNA.
Rather than the boxy shape of a traditional coach jacket, I've designed it to include darts along the length of the back along with cinch tabs at the waist to give it a slim fit.
I've also included the same recessed ribbed cuffs that are on the Lawrence. This is something that I'm likely to carry over across all the jackets I design for the foreseeable future.
It's a nice signature touch and they're also incredibly functional.
THE BAD
There were two major findings that I wasn't happy with.
Although I hadn't been riding, I had gotten up close and personal with a lot of mud as it was thrown up at the start line of the hill climb. So when I got home, I threw the jacket into the wash to see how it would fair.
Because of the wax that's fused into the cotton, it's incredibly prone to creasing but it isn't possible to iron. As the heat's applied, the wax finish can melt and of course, if you try to steam it, the water beads up and runs off.
In some cases, the creasing that waxed jackets pick up over time can be great.
It can give a jacket a really unique look as it moulds to you and your movements. But I want our jackets to look clean and sharp for as long as possible.
Which is why 'colour fastness' is also important. The 'fastness' of a colour is a term that relates to how well it stands up to fading.
You can see in the picture above how the colour on the tips of the collar and the and the top edges of the pockets has already faded to pink after just one wash.
SOO…ARE YOU GOING TO MAKE IT?
No. Maybe.
Over the four years of perfecting the Lawrence jacket, I designed six different jacket styles and created initial prototypes for each of them.
This coach jacket is one of them. I've also looked at a flight jacket, a peacoat, a melton wool over shirt, a classic moto inspired zip up and a Harrington.
All of these are very much in the prototype stage and will need development before bringing them to launch.
For the coach jacket, there are two things that I need to dial in before anything else. First and foremost, the fabric. I want something that's crease resistant and with a better colour fastness while still giving the same level of protection from the rain. Secondly, I'll want to seal all of the seams to make sure that they aren't a weak point.
But, right now, the focus is still 100% on getting the first batch of Lawrence jackets done, dusted and out to each of you who managed to get your hands on one before they sold out.
If you have a moment, can you do me a favour?
I want you to be involved in the decision making process. I get that it's tough to say without seeing them and I will get photos out to you before I move ahead with anything but if you have an idea of what sort of jacket you feel is missing from your wardrobe, can you click the button below to let me know?
