No one on Earth loved vintage workwear more than Nigel Caborn. The famed British designer, who died last Thursday at the age of 77, was known for painstakingly replicating the rugged clothing worn by RAF pilots, polar explorers and others, which you can see in sepia-tinted photographs from the first half of the 20th century. If you’re in the market for the bright orange parka worn by Sir Edmund Hillary during his 1953 climb of Mount Everest or a World War II overshirt in archival camo print, Kaboren is your go-to.
Caborn’s brand has stockists around the world, but since the mid-1980s, the company has grown particularly large in Japan, where it operates about a dozen standalone boutiques – including three in Tokyo alone. With a body of work spanning four decades, multiple sub-brands, dozens of collections, and countless collaborations with brands ranging from Unimatic to Stone Island, anyone new to the Caboran universe will find much to love in both existing collections and the archives. However, the best place to start any Nigel Cabourn journey is with the designer himself. Easily the finest model of his own creations, Cabern’s signature aesthetic – oversized, layered and a little bohemian – remains one of his most timeless creations. Here, we take a closer look at some of the essential elements of the designer’s unique look.
overalls
Despite what Justin Bieber and Andre Benjamin may lead you to believe, bib overalls remain a difficult problem for most of us. However, in Nigel Caburn’s world, they are a basic, all-occasion garment that can be paired with sweats, tees, parkas, and almost any other staple of 20th century workwear. Kaboren created dungarees in a host of styles and fabrics, from hickory-striped canvas to raw Japanese denim, and pulled them all off with ease herself, usually paired with colorful trainers and always tied with loose cuffs above the ankle.