Shirts straight off the spice rack
Exclusive sumac- and bark-dyed summer slappers from James Coward, plus slept-on trail sneakers, CAPACIOUS new pants and more
Blackbird Spyplane — by your side, now & forever. In today’s sletter we’ve got
Sick slept-on trail sneakers spotted on a sauced-out East Bay GORP grandpa coppable at “high-swag, zero-hype” prices
Fire pants with a uniquely CAPACIOUS fit from a small new UK line
A euphoric deep-cut disco banger to send u BUZZIN’ into the weekend
BUT FIRST —
Spy Nation, true story: As I type this sentence I’m looking like the f**king man in a Japan-made typewriter-cotton Ganz jacket from the excellent Vancouver line James Coward. I got it last year in an “unbeatable barter” with a homie, it’s been in my rotation ever since, and it’s just one of many top-notch slappers James Coward makes. Their olive mohair Replica jackets? Their moleskin and flax-linen Workshop shirts? Their black twill Straightforward Stitch trousers? Mach 5+ clothes-rockers know that James Coward — a.k.a the design trio Patrick Bull, Dan Garrod and Aaron Gray — are wizards with these understated, unf**kwithable, small-run unisex pieces!!
Today we’re psyched to link with them on an exclusive early-access drop for their latest release. It’s a 3-shirt capsule that happens to include their first-ever natural-dye clothes: snap-front short-sleeve Sundown shirts, cut from Belgian linen, rumpled just so, and garment-dyed 🌳botanically🌳!
“The jumping off point for this project was our love of Arbutus trees — Madrone, if you’re south of the 49th,” Patrick explains, “which thrive here on the craggy, weatherbeaten shores of ‘the Canadian Riviera.’ Dan collected a bunch of Arbutus bark over the past year on Galiano Island, which is a location close to all of our hearts — Dionisio Park and Pilgrimme restaurant are must-visits if you ever find yourself there.
“We had some surplus shirting-weight Belgian linen, and decided it would be fun to try our hands at botanical dyeing. When we exhausted our store of bark, we turned to some local experts at Maiwa Supply, who steered us to a combination of Sumac and Iron to achieve a deep grey with purple undertones — commensurate with the rocky faces the Arbutus trees cling to.
“Finally, we left some of the shirts undyed, with an optical white finish, because, honestly, they sewed up real nicely as is.”
Belgian linen given a DEEP GOLDEN GLOW with Arbutus bark… ??
Or treated to a sumac bath that confers an EARTHY PURPLE upon the flax ??
This is true “Yes ma the fit is plant based” excellence ! The natural-dye Sundowns are about $250 USD. The undyed version is about $210. All are made in Vancouver, with snap-button closures and flat-felled seams throughout, because the craftsmanship is high, lover.
From now until Tuesday May 23, our Cla$$ified-Tier Spyfriends are the only people on earth who can cop, via the SECRET LINKS down below.
James Coward pieces tend to sell out, so don’t sleep!
MEANWHILE —
Peep these big poppin’ pants from a new under-the-radar UK line: