An estimated 1940s 'Blue Moleskin Work Jacket ' by Adolphe Lafont.
A special arrival.
"Adolphe Lafont", one of the most popular of all French workwear brands
Adolphe Lafont is a brand founded in Lyon, France, in 1844 by "Louis Lafont", a pedlar from the Pyrenees.
It began as a fabric shop, to which Louis's son added a tailoring workshop. Later, Louis's grandson, "Adolphe Lafont", began making the work clothes that would become its foundation.
The first item made was a pair of corduroy carpenter trousers. In 1896 he registered his own name, 'Adolphe Lafont', and after clothing generations of workers, he died in 1952.
From Adolphe Lafont, then, a brand with more than 180 years of history, comes an enduring staple of French workwear: the "Blue Moleskin Jacket".
A piece in "Moleskin", one of the great staple fabrics of French vintage.
As the name suggests, it is said to have been so called because the fabric feels like the skin of a mole.
Touch it and you will see: it has a smoothness and a thickness you would not expect from cotton.
The secret lies in "how the yarn is woven". Moleskin is a fabric made in what is called a "satin weave".
Satin weave is considered one of the three foundational weaves, built on five or more warp and weft threads; its floats are long, so that only the warp or only the weft appears on the face. It is dense, thick, supple and smooth, with a strong lustre.
It is precisely because moleskin is so densely woven, so substantial and so supple that it was adopted as work clothing for people labouring in harsh conditions.
This piece is in the ink-blue moleskin so representative of French workwear, faded with age: everything that makes vintage worthwhile.
It was actually used as workwear in its day, so its function is beyond question.
The popular details are here too: the large rounded collar, the A-line silhouette and the V pockets.
Also inside is the label particular to Adolphe Lafont: an "embroidered label" in red and white on black. Among embroidered labels it belongs to an early period, and seems most often found on pieces up to around the 1930s and 40s.
Adolphe Lafont pieces hold a special place in French workwear. Their value is higher than that of other brands, and the older the piece, the rarer it becomes.
The size label cannot be confirmed. Roughly equivalent to a Japanese "M".
Judging by the actual measurements, it is an ideal size for Japanese builds and should suit a wide range of frames. It looks right whether worn true to size or oversized.
There are signs of use such as fading particular to the fabric, fading, marks, abrasion, loose threads and replaced buttons, but no significant damage that would affect wear, so it has plenty of life left in it.
The workwear brand no account of French workwear can do without: " Adolphe Lafont" Pieces from early periods in particular become noticeably scarcer.
A coat that more than earns its place, whether in the wardrobe or in a collection. It is a rare piece that seldom comes into our shop, so if you have been looking for one, do not let this chance pass.
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