Black Cat Engineer Jacket

¥31,900

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The asymmetrical chest pockets found on coveralls from the 1920s and 30s—a style known in the vintage world as "Gacha-poke" (mismatched pockets)—are something I absolutely love.
Whether for stowing a pocket watch or easily accessing tools, these features were originally devised for practical work purposes, yet to us today, they appear as compelling design elements.

That is precisely where I find the charm of workwear.

Running our own sewing factory, we deeply know that attaching identical pockets on both sides would be far more efficient. You can cut much faster and the sewing is basically doing the same thing twice.
And yet, there was a need to make them different. More usability for workers than production efficiency. Thinking about that necessity makes me love that slightly unusual look even more.

For me, the "Black Bear" pocket, unique pentagon shaped one, holds a special place in my heart.
We have already recreated this style in our own chore coats at TCB before.
In recent years, we've had a connection with Josh, which led to a collaboration with the Black Bear Brand, allowing us to launch a collection featuring a label where a cat rides atop the bear.
The bear I used to admire carries our own cat on its back now. The very fact that a work garment can feature a bear or an animal label and pull it off with such cool style— Black Bear is the brand that taught me about the depth and versatility of workwear. It has had a profound influence on how we create our own cat labels at TCB.

For this "Engineer Jacket," we based the design on an actual vintage piece from Black Bear.
It features a collarless design and a shorter length than a standard coverall. The shape makes you wonder if the design was intended to eliminate elements that might get in the way of work like when you have to crawl under cars for maintenance or something.

The sleeves are raglan style, just like the vintage original.
Personally, I plan to wear it over a hooded sweatshirt—a winter staple of mine.
The way the hood peeks out from the collarless neckline is one of the joys of wearing this jacket.

The way the seams run on raglan sleeves is another interesting detail. The seams run at various angles relative to the fabric's grain. I wonder what kind of puckering will appear along each seam after washing and wearing it in. Although it has only just been completed, I am already looking forward to seeing how it evolves.

For this jacket, we have also created an original fabric.
Its code name is TCB-003., woven by one of our favorite weaving factories in Okayama called Shinya. If you haven't heard of the name, please check out the article about it.

We based it on a vintage 2x1 denim fabric that had survived as deadstock.
Usually, when we recreate fabric from vintage pieces, the garments we have on hand have already been washed and worn extensively.
Even if we count the threads per inch, the fabric must have already shrunk much over time.
Even if we look at the color, the indigo must have already faded over time.
From there, we have to imagine the density at the time of weaving and the original color.
Using our own methods as clues, there is inevitably some point where we have to rely on our imagination.
That is part of the fun of making fabric from vintage sources, but this time, our starting point was different.
We actually had access to the original unwashed fabric. So, we know the yarn thickness, the thread count, and the color all in the original condition.
Instead of working backward from a garment aged by wear, we could measure the surviving fabric itself and use that as the basis for production.

It is a 10oz denim using #10 yarn for the warp and #12 for the weft.
We won't disclose the exact thread count, but the construction is based on our precise measurements.
We've also adopted Zimbabwean cotton as it has the closest fibre shapes as the vintage yarns.

We often look at old garments and imagine what they looked like when they were brand new.
This time, however, that "brand-new state" was right there in front of us. Now, we will wear and wash this fabric to make it uniquely our own.
We hope you enjoy seeing how the story unfolds from here.

Revisiting lessons learned from the "Black Bear" at the "Cat's Factory."
To start, I think I’ll wear it with the hood out.