1897 Filson seized the first opportunity.
During this period, the Klondike Gold Rush (Klondike River Gold Rush) rose, and an endless stream of gold diggers went north from Seattle, ready to make a fortune.
Because the Klondike River is located in the northwest of Canada, the environment is harsh and the winter time is long. For these people who yearn for gold, clothing has returned to the original tools for survival and warmth. Filson initially relied on providing outdoor equipment such as clothes, boots, blankets and sleeping bags for these gold diggers.
By the end of 19 (about 1899), the gold rush had slowly dissipated, and Filson changed again in due course, shifting its focus to providing working equipment for fishing, hunting and outdoor activities including logging, which successfully consolidated its position.
No matter how the center of gravity changes, Filson has always focused on the outdoor field, and it was during this period that Filson established a brand concept that has been extremely practical for more than 100 years.
Just like your own canvas bag, when it comes to clothes in Filson, it can be summed up in two words, "Easy to use".
Whether it's meticulous workmanship or design techniques, it's hard for you to describe Filson with the words exquisite and excellent, and the rough and heroic style can be seen everywhere.
Due to the requirements of outdoor work, we all know that clothing that pays more attention to protective performance can help workers adapt to the harsh natural environment, which is also the initial starting point and final destination of Filson clothing. Other design techniques have become secondary at this time, and even have to give up.
In addition to warm and waterproof performance, Filson's clothes have another feature, excellent durability. For outdoor workers, durability requirements are almost as important as keeping warm, so most items in Filson are rough and wear-resistant.
From the present aesthetic point of view, a word is "rustic".
They are all American outdoor brands, so we might as well compare them with the younger generation in North Face. (although this is not appropriate)
Now the North Face is chosen by some outdoor explorers or athletes, who focus on outdoor sports, while Filson is chosen by people who really take outdoor work as their profession, such as rangers (firefighters), grazing farmers (cowboys), fishermen, loggers (carpenters) and so on. The main audience is different.
On Filson's body, we can't see the simple and light clothes of North Face, which shows that its technological content is not high. Although various fabrics have been developed later, the brand has always taken a more traditional and retro outdoor tooling route.
In many cases, Filson has to use heavy clothing fabrics to achieve warm or other waterproof and windproof practical effects.
One of the most striking features is Mackinac fabric clothing.
Mackinac is a heavy wool material. Although it was not invented by Filson, it is very common and representative in the product sequence of the brand.
Mackinaw fabric in Filson is made of 100% pure wool, which is dense, thick and crisp, not only keeps warm, but also has excellent windproof and waterproof effects.
Mackinac clothing was originally used as a weapon for outdoor workers such as North American loggers to keep out the cold. Later, we also put a label "lumbersexual Fashion" on it, which together with plaid shirts, jeans, boots and so on became the representative of lumberjack style.
Up to now, Mackinaw fabric is still one of Filson's main products, which lasts for a long time. Similarly, it can also be seen as a microcosm of the brand.
In fact, it's not just North Face, but Filson is also in sharp contrast with many modern outdoor functional brands. Without the so-called "exaggerated" functional protection design, it seems that everything is so unpretentious and even monotonous, but it is particularly reliable and stable.
Looking at the single item alone, many times Filson's clothes look like basic models without any design language, taking a sturdy and durable design route, which seems to have nothing to do with fashion trends. It can be said that you hardly have a chance to see it on the show.
Even compared with RRL with slightly the same style, they are quite different.
RRL can be said that Ralph Lauren launched a high-end retro branch line specifically for the taste of retro groups. Figuratively speaking, RRL is more like a perfect brand, which is more like American retro-ism, compromising the original tooling and retro design.
Filson was originally developed from outdoor protective equipment. Born as a man, grown as a man, will not please anyone. Many times, choose it as a retro group. So what is reflected in Filson is the pure American rough style.
That's why the leaves say that Philson is wilder than RRL. Because in it, you can see the rough hormones that blend into nature.
Nowadays, Filson's clothing items, like her own bags, have become the favorite of many retro fans.
In the old business, its tentacles also extended to more outdoor projects, and also created many corresponding new products, such as advanced protective clothing, down jackets and so on. However, Ye Ye thinks that these new products lack characteristics more or less, which is not enough to represent the brand.
Naturally, this is what I said from the perspective of a melon-eating crowd. If a brand wants to develop, it must not only focus on a few classic models.
But if you want to start with Filson, Ye Ye thinks that the most worthwhile investment is the iconic items that are durable and deeply loved by retro groups:
# Filson Mackinaw wool cruiser jacket
There is no doubt that this is the most symbolic thing in Filson. In the article that introduced loggers and bloggers in the previous leaf (→ _→ "Heavyweight Blogger's" Taste-oriented "Style), many friends were drooling over his plaid coat, and many styles selected by bloggers came from Filson.
As can be seen from the name alone, this coat is made of the above-mentioned 100% Mackinaw heavy wool fabric, designed and finalized in 1994, and applied for a patent. It has outstanding waterproof, heat insulation and warm-keeping properties, and can keep indoor dry in humid environment.
Friends who often leave messages saying that they are going to freeze to death may wish to try. Even the winter weather in northern China is "watering" for them, but the weight of Filson Mackinaw tweed coat will be heavier than ordinary wool coat, so people with bad back should be cautious. Where do you want to go? )
In fact, "plaid coat" is a general term, not so strict. Here in Filson, its design is a cruiser jacket version, with typical multi-pocket details (***9 pockets: 4 covered pockets, 1 slotted patch pocket, 2 hand warmer pockets, 1 multiple back map pockets, 1 internal practical pockets), which increases the style of practical tooling and the length is between short and practical.
The most famous is this red and black plaid pattern in 10043 style, which is often screened in street shooting, and it is also one of the rare bright items in Filson.
Its modeling effect is not bad, it can be paired with jeans and all kinds of jeans. A pair of boots can not only help you cope with cold weather, but also the domineering style is particularly eye-catching.
Some people may worry that Filson Mackinaw, a heavy fabric coat, is not suitable for Asians, but it is actually very popular in Japan, and even men of ordinary height can control it. If you don't like the tough tooling style, you can obviously "weaken" it into a warm woolen coat by mixing and matching.
If the red Haig pattern is too unsuitable for the street, there are other plaid patterns to choose from in Filson, and all kinds of styles can be recessed at will, such as adding a white shirt inside to expose the collar, and adding a pair of slightly flat pants under the body, which can also make the original outdoor overalls look very gentleman. (The reference price is around $390, about RMB 2,700)
In addition, Filson has plaid shirts and vests made of Mackinac.
# Filson Tin Cloth Jacket
Tin cloth is also one of the iconic fabrics in Filson, and it is also a common fabric in brand bags. Translated, it is called oiled tin cloth.
This is a material containing a mixture of paraffin wax. After heating and other processing procedures, a waterproof oil coating is formed on the surface, which has the effects of wind, water and snow prevention. The texture looks similar to the barber wax coat of the leaves that Amway has seen before.
There are two common versions of Filson's tin cloth jacket. The first one, like the Mackinaw jacket above, belongs to the cruiser style, both of which are multi-pockets, but shorter.
The second one is a relatively long and simple Filson tin cloth field work jacket, which reduces a lot of pocket elements. The seamless shoulder design enhances the rain-proof effect, and the collar lining is added with Mackinac wool fabric. The zipper is made of brass, which is more retro. (The reference price is around 3,000 RMB)
Well, to be precise, Ye Zi personally likes two items of Filson, and the brands introduced to friends in this issue are here. Let's talk about Filson later, but don't just think that it is just a bag brand.
Say something more.
Although retro style is popular now, in comparison, there are still many Ami Kaji brands of such outdoor tooling, and few of them are "accepted" by mainstream groups, especially in China, which the public can't appreciate.
Ye Zi isn't here today (I haven't the strength yet). If someone says it's rustic, I won't rush to refute it, because "rustic" is the root of these brands.
However, anything that can exist without being eliminated has its inevitable rationality. While everyone is pursuing retro street style, there are still a small number of people who will persist silently. As the saying goes, "those who understand will certainly understand."
Of course, we shouldn't slander each other. People who like the minority don't have to boast of being advanced to laugh at the blindness of the public. Maybe their style is just popular, and people who like the public are not qualified to satirize the minority. What we should thank or respect is that the existence of multi-style culture broadens our aesthetic vision.
This article was first published on official WeChat accounts: TOPMEN menswear network (ID: topmencomcn) and Sina Weibo: @TOPMEN Men menswear network.