TRiCKsuit Jacket
Paulie Velour

This whole project started when I couldn’t find a single, unbranded off-duty suit when searching the entire of New York and New Jersey. Once upon a time (the late ’90s and early 00s) local tailors and sports stores sold luxurious tracksuits that you could wear around the house, to go for a jog, to do some light errands, hang out with your mates or wear to pick up lunch. However, nowadays these suits are few and far between with slim fit, polyester nightmares being the suit of choice, so after ringing a few shops, doing some online research and still coming up with nothing, I made my own.

The first thing to get right was the shape, I wanted something that was a little looser, but by no means oversized or sloppy. I was also conscious that all the best jackets from the ’70s and ’80s had a collar that didn’t zip all the way to to top, which lends itself to a little formality and you don’t nick your skin/beard on the top of the zip track. However, the most important thing was that it needed to be made from 100% cotton velour, so I did all of that and then some.

Down the arms is a light grey stripe, piped in white as a knowing nod to sportswear from the golden era and to add a little bit of contrast. The sleeve cuffs and hem are made from the same fabric so that you can feel the premium fabric against your skin and to keep the chill out. The two pockets at the waist are zipped for extra security and care-free storage.

The fabric is a beautiful mid-weight cotton velour which is made just for us in Portugal, it has a wonderful handle, drape and seems to suit all body types perfectly. There is just something reassuringly soft and sturdy about the fabric that modern tracksuits just don’t seem to provide anymore. To the front is a premium colour-matched zip which looks just as good open as it does closed. Now, onto what makes our suit just that little more premium.

Because we want you to feel like you can conduct business in your jacket, we have fully lined it. No loose threads, no visible stitching, a jacket that is built exactly like you would expect your best suit to be made. It helps to give it a touch more formality and means that you can wear it separate from the trousers with jeans or chinos. However, what that lining does provide is a secret zipped pocket on the seam for storage of objects that you would prefer to keep safe. Whether that be your phone, wallet, money clip or sausage casserole recipes.

Of course, what is a suit without the matching trousers? So, be sure to buy the trousers and the jacket together and get the full set for £150. The modern replicas are far more expensive (if you can get them) and don’t supply anywhere near the same level of comfort and durability. So don’t mess about, get one ordered, get the coffee on, get the gabagool from the store and prepare for people to ask where you got your suit from… but you’ll never tell them.

100% cotton.