Le Labourer Workwear Coats & Jackets

Based in the south of Burgundy, France, Le Laboureur have been manufacturing their traditional work wear since 1956.

Using traditional patterns and materials of the highest quality they work to create the classic work wear of the region and traditional French clothing in general. The chore jacket we stock is one of their first designs, originally intended as a jacket for use in the garden and field. This was taken up by other manual workers, with specific trades tending to a certain colour but the original blue became widely known as 'bleu de travail'. 

The fabric used evolved too, traditionally it was a cotton twill, lightweight and affording enough protection for general duties this is still used today. Over time and with the uptake of the jacket by various trades there came a need for an even more robust fabric. This arrived in the form of 'mole cotton', a tightly woven cotton which affords greater protection in heavier work. The tight weave gives the subtle sheen (which wears off quite quickly) and is a strong barrier against the heavy wear and sparks of metal common in the fabrication of heavy steel works. This tighter weave also means that it protects better against wind and rain in every day wear which lends it perfectly as a light weight over jacket for milder days.

In line with this ethos their clothing is not at all a 'fashion' fit, it is built to be worn in the field and factory and as such is generally larger. Our range features their classic work jacket (or gardeners over coat) in various fabrics, each one of the highest quality and made by hand in their factory. Every so often they will introduce a new colour in one of the three fabrics, but the core range always stays the same.