The Cava Jacket

Ever since selling out of what was then just called ‘Utility Jacket’ a few years back, there have been messages coming in to ask when it will be restocked. I’d always wanted to keep things fresh by working on something new and that’s great and all, but when you invest so much time and money into a piece and one that was so popular even early on, it made sense to have a rethink on it and upgrade it for a new release. I’m constantly working on new samples so when I started to look again at the now named ‘Cava Jacket’ I had a few new fabrics in mind and also revised the fit and some finer details. 

Starting by looking at the fabric. The nylon used for the first version was nice for where the brand was back then and I was hyped to be using something like that. It was however fabric supplied by the factory at the time. I’ve since started souring some really nice fabrics from Japan and it’s been a game changer. I really feel that when I started to source these fabrics myself the brand went up a few levels and became a genuine competitor in this space. So, the new fabric was there and purchased. It’s a beautiful dusty pink nylon micro rispstop that almost has a rubberised feel to it. (I’ll show that in a later post).  A problem I’d had before as a small brand was deciding on a fabric, doing the samples and then finding out the fabric was no longer available or having to wait months to get some made and then it becomes big out of season. This all comes down to cash flow and needing to see the piece before committing to a bulk order. Also because of cash flow this could be a real pain and take time. I wasn’t letting this one slip through the net as it was the end of production for the fabric. They kindly produced a few rolls for me which I purchased on a credit card to secure and it’s safe at the factory ready for production. 

Next up I looked at the fit. The first version was really fitted and it did garner great feedback for fit. I did decide however to increase the chest size and bicep to give it a slightly looser boxy fit that hangs nicely off the shoulder. It looked miles better and felt so too. I also decided to get rid of the lining on this one. 

Last up were the finer details. I changed up the hood for the Bailey hood which has a bonnet style double wired peak. I changed the placket slightly for the style of the Finnegan with only the top button showing and also the zip pull. The cuffs were simplified and the pocket proportions changed slightly. I also upgraded all the hardware which is the cherry on the cake. The result is nothing short of stunning. This piece is earmarked for a Spring 26 release and will be extremely limited. When ordering the fabric I underestimated the usage per piece and ordered as much as I could at the time. It’s looking like it will only make around 40 pieces. 40 pieces to mark the 4 year ish anniversary? 

I’ll show you the piece on the next post and go over a few other things. 

Cheers for reading, Andrew