Home (all) Welcome to DENHAM the Jeanmaker´s website. Each card reveals a story which represents one facet of Denham´s vision. Categorised by the collection, garment library, studio & stores, to press reports & the birth of the Cutter´s Council. Designed in time with no beginning nor end, through resourceful innovation and fearless experimentation. It´s a decorated blog. A tailor-made homepage. We hope to fascinate but are equally prepared to frustrate.
THE FLEMING HYBRID FIELD JACKET Contrary to common sense, when you combine an M41 with an M42 you don't get an M&M83. If you do it in a spring-weight oil cotton you end up with the FLEMING.
OIL COTTON The look and a bit of the feel reminds of us of heritage waxed-canvas on old hunting and motor-touring styles. -But we wanted something light enough for spring (although it's cut to layer for 3-season wear). We've done a light softner wash on our end, and from there it should take on even more character with regular wear. Sorta like a pair of jeans.
BEDFORD LINING To make extra shirt this style would feel like a spring piece once it was thrown on we lined it in bedford cotton. The naturally occuring cords in the bedford weave act to channel air away from your body, sorta like pique knit does for classic tennis shirts. Think of it as a corduroy without the "roy". No fuzz to create heat, just airstreams to keep you cool.
M41 The overall shape, high buttoning with a slightly asymetrical appearance to the front closure, was borrowed from a military M41 jacket. From there we adjusted a few things to dial-in some of our favorite practical features, taking cues from some other iconic field jackets.
IN-BETWEEN LENGTH The service slang for the M41 was "bum-freezer" because it didn't go down as far as later models which better characterize the idea of a "field jacket". You don't have to worry about freezing your bum during the spring, so we split the difference focusing more on how it hangs with a pair of jeans.
LUCKY EIGHT The pocket shapes are loosely based on the angled-flap cargo construction of a WW2 jump jacket but we also equipped the FLEMING with 3 traditional interior breast pockets, a full-across game pocket and this wierd center-back stash pocket we had seen used on a random piece at an army-navy shop in Berlin.
WORSHIP TRADITION
We've got a contemporary made-in-Japan reproduction M42 jacket (one year later than the M41 and a whole lot more bum-coverage) in the Denham Garment Library which helped inspire pocket shape and angle for the Flemming.
RING & EYE BUTTONS Button attachements were upgraded enhancing historic military split-ring or cotter-pin "stitchless" button systems by casting solid ring-back buttons and securing them between double sided stainless grommets reinforced with fullgrain leather saddles like we use on our jeans' rivets. You see the photos, now close your eyes and imagine one falling off. Ever.
A TRADITION OF DURABILITY Not there was anything lacking in the original assemblies. We've learned how to do it from military and workwear specimens in our DENHAM GARMENT LIBRARY. We just wanted to push things a little further, creating something cleaner and even more durable.