The Zip Fleece Jacket
By Drake's
Jul 13, 2022
If there’s one item from Collection One, 2021 that feels like a representation of the collection as a whole, it’s our new Zip Fleece Jacket. This piece is very much a distillation of the main influences that found their way into our latest drop of clothing and accessories. As ever, our design team took their inspiration from many sources: the overall feel of Collection One could be described as transatlantic, drawing as it does on classic outdoor Americana gear, but also British countryside clothing. A foot on each side of the Pond, as it were.
This clash of styles is most concentrated here. The Zip Fleece Jacket wears its 1970s-West-Coast-climbing-culture influences on its shaggy, boucle sleeve, but where those original fleeces typically made use of largely synthetic fabrics, ours has a much higher content of pure wool, giving it a more organic feel. The fabric itself has been knitted in Italy, and really the photos here don’t do it justice. It has to be handled to be fully appreciated.
While we’re still thinking about the States, this jacket does have something of an ivy feel to it, too. As with the D-43 ‘Sport’ jacket we featured last week, which nodded to those classic 60/40 mountain parkas of old, this has that rugged midcentury sensibility that ran alongside the more tailored looks we associate with the ‘50s and ‘60s. But, as mentioned, it’s not all California dreamin’. Being a British company, we like to root many of our designs in things that feel familiar or specific to us. Our recent campaign shoot was defined by an English country aesthetic, one which carries through to many of the products available as part of the collection. The Zip Fleece Jacket, while giving off a laid-back, sun-kissed vibe, also feels at home amidst the damp British countryside, and would be perfect for trudging across the Fens, or venturing into the Brecon Beacons.
With a nicely relaxed fit and a drawstring hem, the silhouette of this jacket speaks to an earlier time, too. It’s sporty in a classic sense, and will more than earn its place in your wardrobe.