NAVY YARD Sashiko Chore Coat

$345.00

$425.00

Variant

Pre-order open now — ships September 2026

Note: Indigo transfer can occur with sashiko fabric and will decrease and stop with wear. Avoid white surfaces while breaking in.

The NAVY YARD Sashiko Chore Coat is our Brooklyn take on one of the oldest garments in the working world. It combines two of our all time favorite things: sashiko fabric — a Japanese stitching technique that became a fabric, dating back centuries — meets the chore coat, a silhouette born in 19th century France and worn by laborers on both sides of the Atlantic ever since.

The result is a 16oz coat built to last decades, rinsed once to remove shrinkage but preserves the deep indigo color that will fade beautifully with time and wear. Real horn buttons. Triple-stitched seams. Hidden interior pockets. Made at 108 Bayard Street, Williamsburg, Brooklyn — a couple miles from the Navy Yard.

The chore coat begins in France, around 1844. A garment for railway workers, farmers, and factory laborers — built from cotton drill or moleskin, dyed with a benzoate-based blue that would hide the stains of manual labor. They called it the bleu de travail. "Blue work." The term "blue collar" follows from the same cloth.

By the 1920s, Carhartt had brought it to America with triple-stitched seams, riveted pockets, and a corduroy collar. Paul Newman wore one in Cool Hand Luke. Tupac wore one to the Soul Train Awards in 1993. Bill Cunningham rode his bike around New York City in one well into his 80s. It has appeared on the runways of Valentino, Balenciaga, and Prada without ever fundamentally changing what it is: a boxy cut, patch pockets, a button front, and cloth tough enough to outlast the person wearing it.

In Japan, a parallel tradition was developing — the noragi, a loose indigo jacket worn by farmers and artisans, reinforced with sashiko stitching to extend the life of the garment through hard use. The techniques are different. The philosophy is identical.

DETAILS

16oz Japanese sashiko fabric
100% cotton
Once washed — deep indigo, soft hand from day one
Real horn buttons
Triple-stitched seams
Handcrafted in Brooklyn, NY

MEASUREMENTS

H ow to measure

INDIGO TRANSFER
Indigo transfer can occur with sashiko fabric and will decrease and stop with wear. Avoid white surfaces while breaking in.

CARE
Wash as infrequently as loved ones permit. Rinse or machine wash in cool water. Always hang dry.

RETURN & EXCHANGE
Jackets must be returned or exchanged within 15 days of date of receipt in new condition. Products that have been washed, altered or creased from wear are not eligible for return or exchange.