John Löfgren & Co - Beach Jacket

If you know a little about vintage clothing and particular vintage American clothing, you may know that the Brown's Beach Jacket is one of the most collectible items out there and it keeps fetching solid prices on eBay. If you know a little about buying from some of the most shops in the world, you may know that most of them are located in Japan and you may know, that it's often a hassle communicating with them and you will often have to resort to using an expensive proxy. However there is one exception and that exception is Speedway Shop (or their Rakuten shop), which is run by a very friendly American named John Lofgren (he is actually of Swedish descent).

John Lofgren is not only running a very good shop with a lot of other good brands, but he is also producing some very fine goods in his own name. Their all made in Japan of excellent materials and their all meticulously made with nice historical details.

One of the most recent pieces that has been added to the collection is John's interpretation of the iconic Beach Jacket. It's not a historical reproduction by any means, but it's a plausible remake with a nice updated fit. The fit is also something that makes Lofgren stand out, as they're much more suited for the Western consumer, as many of the Japanese makers tend to make their garbs very small and short.

Factory Visit - Leiftur / Sp/f. Sjóklæðir

A couple of days ago, I stopped by Sp/f. Sjóklæðir to make a surprise visit, hoping to get a look of the production, sewing machines and have a chat about the company. I was greeted by a sincerely friendly lady, Bjørg Nólsoy, who was happy to show me around.

This morning there was very little activity in the white painted, rather anonymous looking house, which serves both as Sjóklæðir's storage and workshop. This was due to the fact because the shipment with new supplies from Belgium unfortunately had taken a detour to Latvia and therefore was expected to arrive later that day.

The company is situated up a hill in the biggest fishing community of the Faroe Islands, Klaksvík. The past 50 years It has been providing Faroese fishermen, farmers and the fish industry ashore with work wear the.

Initially the garments were branded 'Mammut', but it was renamed 'Leiftur' meaning baby whale, because a factory in Denmark, more or less similar to Sjóklæðir, also called itself Mammut.

In its early days the factory also manufactured a range of everyday apparel including jeans and jackets. Today the company is run by Bjørg, who is the daughter of the founders. Nowadays the company employs six people. In the golden days as many as 40 people worked at Sjóklæðir.

Very little has changed in the production. The customers are the same people wanting exactly the same things when the previous are worn out.

Sometimes small adjustments are being made, when a number of fishermen have proclaimed that a hood or sleeve is too wide or narrow for instance.

This is also why Bjørg has no website and why she doesn't advertise. ”People know we're here and what we're about”.

All words and photos by Fríðgerð á Hálvmørk