Wednesday, June 22, 2011

Lofgren Denims and the Sailor Mokus.







Years ago John Lofgren and I were in discussions over the collaboration to produce the Papa Nui Marines T-shirt and our conversation eventually turned to all the wonderful possibilities there were to produce great products once you had the right connections and contacts in place. Since then the Lofgren brand has expanded, each time with a new and inspiring take on vintage reproductions. At the time of this dialog John and I talked about the golden years in Hawaii and about the period styling of wearing Sailor Mokus with Aloha shirts. Downtown Honolulu was awash with bright bolts of Japanese fabrics or traditional Hawaiian palaka patterns and the resident genius of a few reknown tailors created a casual shirt that reflected the essence of islands and their relaxed lifestyle. Worn with these shirts was the local flavour of the Sailor Mokus. The nautical trend was the hottest thing in Honolulu in the 1930s and '40s. These nautical-inspired denims were called Mokus a term derived from the Hawaiian word meaning a ship or schooner.
To the market then comes John Lofgrens' denim chino. Unlike most workwear which utilises a midweight 9-10 oz fabric, Lofgren uses a premium 14oz selvege denim in a full cut World War II chino style. In a time of hipster vintage and heritage branding which has sent many companies scrambling to re-invent themselves as the lastest thing unfortunately at the cost of integrity, quality and authenticity, Lofgren has remained stoic and solid, producing garments that are the 'bomb'. This attentiveness to detail and a deep appreciation of the importance of fabrication and manufacture has established John Lofgren at the forefront of the market and way ahead of the pack. John is in for the long haul, so Mokus or Chinos, call them what you will, support John in his efforts and make a purchase through his ebay site or contact him with his seller ID 'shopatspeedway'.

1 comment:

  1. You lucky devil! Still waiting on mine to arrive...hopefully in a day or two.

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