A craze was started in the early 1900s by a man with the last name of Brown creating a product he called Brown's Beach Cloth Jacket. He originally made the jacket for the intense Northeastern Winters, but pretty soon many different customers throughout the USA wrote in to ask to buy his jackets. Before long he was making vests, hats, and many other items out of his famous fabric. It was knit tightly on the outside, and brushed on the inside for warmth. It could get wet and still block the wind and keep you warm - it was a pretty miraculous fabric. The craze lasted well into the 1930s and 40s where it wasn't uncommon to even see the vests and jackets with the signifiable pocket styles on surfers on California beaches.
This fabric is knit in the same way as the original Beach Cloth fabric, however as the original looms and machines don't exist in the USA this fabric now comes from Japan (not surprisingly, as many mills in Japan have learned to make older American cloth in even more new and interesting ways).
The Wythe Beachcloth Vest is now offered in the original marled brown as well as an exclusive evergreen color, with a few fun new details like Antiqued Steer Snaps and a more modern and refined cut. We kept the traditional pocket ideas and removed the back belt in favor of some snaps to keep the sides in shape.
- Japanese fabric
- 32% cotton, 68% Wool
- Custom Steer snap closures
- Dry Clean Only
- Made in China
XS | S | M | L | XL | XXL | |
CHEST | 18.5 | 20 | 21 | 21.25 | 22 | 23 |
BACK LENGTH | 22.5 | 23 | 23.25 | 24 | 25 | 25.5 |
SHOULDER WIDTH | 12 | 13 | 13.5 | 14 | 14.5 | 15.5 |