To relax, some people play golf or some people go sailing; I like to visit factories. Maybe it was all those Mister Rogers “how it’s made” segments I watched as a child. Or it could just be my insatiable curiosity about what goes into things. Provenance and all that sort of good stuff. POST OVERALLS started making its own line of work wear back in 1993, well before anyone ever thought about reproducing authentic American goods like chore coats, dark denim jeans and chambray shirts. Long before people were arguing about dressing blue-collar on the internets. Respect and credit is due to Post for paving the way for all of the work wear brands that are out there today.
Items from the POST O’ALLS autumn / winter 2009 collection.
From the Post O’ALLS bio:
“Since its inception, POST O’ALLS’ idea has been remain unchanged-Authentic in details and constructions, eclectic in fabrications with some extra ideas and characters built in, and each garment is made in U.S.A.
POST O’ALLS has its primary design idea deeply rooted in vintage work clothes and other functional garments-such as military outfits and outdoor garments-which are all evolved from work wear platform.
Takeshi Ohfuchi, the designer, has huge respect towards anonymous American vintage work clothes designs, especially from 1920~30s which he considers ‘the very best’- a great marriage of old-world craftsmanship and then emerging Machine Age inspired American industrial design. He believes many of the great American original designs have emerged and flourished in that era.
By wearing and collecting these vintage pieces daily since early 1980s, he became naturally aware of beauty in their patterns and constructions, unmistakable designs and unique fabrications -the elements that make those vintage pieces ultra cool and eternal. Those essences were all thrown into the manufacturing of POST O’ALLS.”
The day I visited the factory Post had just wrapped up a huge production run which explains why many people are not pictured sewing in these photos. It is also the reason that the factory looks a slightly more disheveled. I personally love the POST O’ALLS collection, so it was a treat to see everything being made. Most of the goods are sold in Japan, but you can buy POST in New York at Barneys and Steven Alan.
Gorgeous photos. Oh, I love this so much! Great work, ACL.
brilliant. funny you mentioned it, we just watched a pretzel factory tour on Mr. R’s neighborhood this weekend. (dad stuff i know…) love these tours people are posting up.
Nice, but that factory could use a dose of the Toyota system.
Kairo, I used to work at an outdoor clothing company, and my boss preached “the Toyota system.” LEAN, or, first in-first out. Maybe I am mistaken….and that’s why I don’t work there (and why they are 7 to 9 weeks behind schedule.
Post O’Alls is great stuff. Katsu Naito is a pleasure to deal with.
hah everything made in the u.s…. except for the copy editing… all this stuff looks amazing!
I want that red shirt so much. I love the factory tours-certainly look forward to them…although they make me want to buy way too many things.
is it weird that these things make me incredibly excited? and i don’t even really sew men’s clothing, though am thinking about it. i love all this workingwear, it’s perfect. if i were a man i’d be in plaid flannel shirts and overalls. hells yes.
also i loved mr. rogers and his “how’s it made” segments. those always fascinated me. he was my favorite show as a kid because of that.
Thanks so so much for this post, brother!
Wait a minute so this company makes awesome clothes in the USA but you can’t really buy them anywhere except in New York?
Am I correct to assume then that these aren’t the kind of work clothes I can actually do work in like weld or change the oil?
Ruttinger, that’s exactly what pisses so many people off about the whole work wear trend. I do wonder what people who actually work in their work wear think about it all.
You can work in this stuff. Also, if you live outside of NYC email them and I bet they will sell you something that way. I should also add, why ruin expensive stuff like this working when you can just wear Pointer brand?
ACL
Michael, I would really love it if you would do a line with Pointer. I think others would too. You seem like the perfect guy with your connections and interests to tweak the line a little, give us a little premium pointer with some real vintage workwear details. I like the Pointer stuff, but its lacking a little…
How about a special ACL edition Hickory stripe chore coat?
Just a thought.
I emailed Post O’Alls last October when I was visiting NY, to ask where in NY I could find their wears, I was told they didn’t sell here. I am visiting NY next week so Barneys and Steven Allen will be my first stops! Great post, thanks for the photos and the info.
Great looking product- especially the chambray and denim.
Where exactly are they?
Well, to offer my take on the “can you work in modern repo work wear” question, if you can’t actually do work in it than its not work wear. Its costume. Period.
That said, I have found that the selvedge denim I have stands up to work far better than the crap they sell at Wall Mart. My KMW 1950’s are thick, hard, and totally durable. Assuming that a brand actually does use quality materials and construction- as they all claim they do- there is no reason (outside of price) not to actually wear it.
Also, I can’t speak to the esoteric Japanese repo stuff but I know brands like Filson are worn by real live workers, not just fashonisitas.
I’m not saying you can’t “work” in Post, you can. I’m saying you shouldn’t. There is a difference.
ACL
ACL, I was not really aiming my comments at you, just the whole “is work wear a fraud” discussion. And I must confess, right after I added my 2 cents, I decided I no longer cared. The whole topic is a dead horse. The upside? More well made items in the world is good, more well made items made in America is even better.
As irritating as it is, the hypocrisy of wearing work clothes I would be afraid of doing work in is. It’s overshadowed by the desire to get good looking work clothes, I can actually work in and wear around. Basically I need something between Wal-Mart Dickies and this stuff.
I don’t know anyone who does real work in cheap clothes. Wear a dickies shirt to weld in and get trickling beads of liquid metal bouncing through your shirt and pants. Burns like hell. All the really good stuff to work in is expensive… especially if it is American made, but then it lasts for a while as well.
You wanna look good and work hard, ya gotta pay.
Good stuff thank you for sharing.
Cheers.
Post O Alls is a great brand. Takeshi and Katsu are awsome to work with.
Good quality
Good pesonality
Adrian – Pointer Brand does some vintage style stuff ( or someone does in their name)…I’ve seen it in F&E. Not sold here either….BOOOOO!