Grenfell AW17: Made in London Outerwear with Heritage

I've a lot of time for Grenfell and own (and wear) vintage and modern pieces of their British-made outerwear. Grenfell's links to exploration and the great outdoors started in 1923 with the production of a closely woven cotton that was wind and water proof. It was used to clothe many mountaineering and polar expeditions and was adopted by country and motoring sports enthusiasts. Today Grenfell makes its products in London and has collaborated with many other brands to market its particularly British style of outdoorwear.

Vintage Grenfell

With autumn nearly on us, you may be needing something from their AW17 (autumn/winter '17) collection. It follows their heritage/archive inspired approach and is available online and from Harrods. I've been able to wear a coat from the collection, the Tourer jacket (pictured below). 

The Grenfell Tourer is a beautifully made coat that is part biker and part country/combat jacket. The details are striking, with poppers, pockets and flaps that are well-designed and practical, closing with a mechanical perfection that makes the jacket shout style and quality. Lined with a colourful tartan and made from water and wind proof Grenfell cloth, it has all the makings of a modern classic. I'd love to see it in a country brown and olive, but for the moment it's only available in black, no doubt to echo the biking heritage. It's also slim cut, so I suggest you go a size up to wear with thick knitwear.

Another favourite of mine is the Shooter jacket (above). It's already been around for a year or two and was a revival of an archive design. I own both vintage and modern versions. The differences are few, but the coat represents a stylish alternative to the now commonly seen waxed jacket, or the nylon waterproofs that are fine on mountaineers but less necessary for more stylish outdoor activities. I've worn it in drenching rain and it hasn't failed me yet.

The Walker jacket (above), another revival from the Grenfell archive, is one I hope to try in anger soon. Worn by mountaineers and walkers in the mid-twentieth century, it would be interesting to see how this shapes up against the modern Gore-Tex equivalent. It's unashamedly traditional and simple design makes it a piece that will, like most of Grenfell's products, last a lifetime without ageing or wearing out.

Here are images of some of the collection:

Grenfell Tourer

Campbell Gabardine Beige

The Rake x Grenfell Despatch Rider's Coat

Grenfell Harrington

For more information and products and to buy, go to Harrods or Grenfell's website. 

This is an unsponsored feature. I received a Tourer jacket for review. All views are mine alone.

Outdoor clothes - a very British heritage

Traditional weatherproofs are made from natural materials; closely-woven cotton such as Ventile and Grenfell or the oiled cotton used or made by Barbour, Belstaff and British Millerain. British-made, they have recently had a significant revival and been much copied. With winter fast approaching, over the next few weeks I'll look at what is available to the man of style wishing to recreate an outdoor heritage from British-made or designed garments.

Their origins lie in sailors' oilskins, canvas proofed with linseed oil, and also with the British love of outdoor activities - field sports, mountaineering, exploring, motor sport - in all weathers.

Closely woven cotton, Ventile or Grenfell, is wind and water-proof

They offer much in the way of comfort over modern fabrics such as Gore-Tex or SympaTex. While admittedly less water resistant than hi-tec materials, a cotton-based jacket is softer, more robust and quieter when worn. Its design owes less to mountaineering or rambling, so it's as wearable on city streets as on the grouse moor. I remember some twenty years ago I would wear a Barbour waxed jacket (I have it still) with my city pinstripes and highly-polished brogues. There has been a revival of this, led by Barbour's recent massive reincarnation.

As with most clothing classics there is an interesting heritage recorded in old photographs - find what inspiration you can here.

The oldest jacket in the Barbour archive - 1910

Royalty and waxed jackets

Steve McQueen in Barbour

Barbour and the Royal Navy

Che Guevara in Belstaff

Staying dry naturally and stylishly - Barbour, Ventile, British Millerain, Grenfell

Spending a few days in the wild and woolly north disclosed a few gaps in the Grey Fox outdoors wardrobe. I have plenty of clothing suitable for climbing mountains and rambling along country footpaths, but these are mainly made artificial materials such as Gore-Tex. I have no problem with that, they are the best materials for extremes of weather. However, if the going is not so tough, they are rarely as comfortable as natural materials such as wool and cotton which are softer and more breathable. Furthermore, I don't really want to rustle like a paper bag as I walk a country path. It scares off the wildlife and makes me feel like a jolly anorak-clad rambler on a Sunday outing.

So, as autumn approaches, what is available that is stylish, breathable, quiet and made from natural materials to keep off the worst of the weather? Many of the traditional rainproof garments, made from fabrics such as cotton, were first developed here in the UK by Barbour, Belstaff, Ventile, British Millerain and Grenfell among others (many still going strong in the UK). Could this have been something to do with the British weather and our love of being outdoors walking, climbing, shooting, fishing or sport? This long practical heritage has appealed to British explorers and mountaineers, royalty and the quintessentially cool (i.e. Steve McQueen).

Here are a few examples of outdoor clothing made from natural materials (cotton or wool based) that offer stylish alternatives to more technical artificial fabrics.

[Edit: 2016 - I'm pleased to say that the Grenfell shooting jacket, a vintage example of which is shown below, has been recreated by a revived Grenfell, see here].

Barbour Sapper wax jacket

Hilltrek Ventile windshirt

Joe Caseley-Heyford at John Lewis Ventile mac

Orvis Everest Jacket - Ventile and Scottish tweed

Grenfell original Harrington jacket 

A vintage Grenfell outdoor/shooting jacket - no longer available!

Boden Biker, British Millerain waxed fabric

Boden Reefer, British Millerain waxed jacket