A short history of ripstop
Ripstop, rings a bell? The name of this fabric with its very particular appearance comes, literally, from the English to rip - to tear - stop. During the Second World War, military equipment had to be extremely tear-resistant, in order to ensure the protection of soldiers in the extreme conditions of combat.
This is how ripstop appears. This fabric is born from a textile innovation that consists of integrating, at regular intervals and in the grid of the weave, thicker reinforcement threads. These threads prevent the propagation of snags created by external shocks, while allowing to keep a light fabric - no need to use a thick fabric, the reinforcement threads are enough to make the fabric particularly robust.
Ripstop fabrics are historically woven from cotton or silk and later from polyester or other synthetic fibers. The reinforcement threads are usually made of nylon. This is still the case today, for technical outdoor sportswear for example. Our overshirts are designed with 100% cotton ripstop woven in Japan. The reinforcement thread, which is thicker, is also made of cotton.
The specific grid of ripstop, and its resistance, has therefore made it a preferred fabric for the design of military jackets. This weave has also made it possible to replace expensive parachute fabrics, originally made of silk. Today, it is considered a technical fabric - for its breathable and waterproof aspect. In ready-to-wear, it is used on trousers or overshirts, and even as the main fabric for shoes, guaranteeing the robustness of the finished product.
A military past
To make our ripstop overshirt, we wanted to remain faithful to the military history so specific to this fabric. Several inspirations intersect, all taken from the military wardrobe: here are the - vintage - predecessors of our Le Goût du Sel overshirt.
The jacket's shape is distinctly inspired by two military jacket styles: the 1960s French military shirt, pictured center, and the U.S. Army's OG 107 jacket, a piece worn by Army infantrymen during the Vietnam War (1955-1975). Neither jacket was necessarily made with ripstop.
This is the jungle jacket, the jungle jacket, which is designed exclusively in ripstop , because it was intended to protect soldiers in the Vietnamese forest. The resistance of the canvas was a real asset in the field. The historic jungle jacket is the one on the left in the image.
A tiny resemblance to ours?
The ripstop look by Crafted
