U.K.-based menswear brand The Workers Club was built on a foundation of high quality pieces that can stand alone, but were designed to work better together.
So it may be a sort of metaphor that co-design directors Adam and Charlotte Cameron are married—they met as fashion students in college—and the brand’s aesthetic combines his heritage brand experience and her High Street background. Like “The Works,” the brand’s hero product that combines a number of different layers to make the perfect outerwear system, the duo is better together.
In fact, The Workers Club got its name from a 1920s Constructivist concept that encourages collaboration and productivity in the workplace. Working closely with suppliers and manufacturers they know they can rely on, they’re able to deliver exceptional pieces that last.
“We were adamant that we wanted to make the best products possible,” Adam told Rivet. “And rather than create a full collection, we wanted to build a wardrobe of timeless essential pieces with a focus on longevity as opposed to trend.”
The wardrobe includes layers like the men’s reversible down filled bomber jacket made of lightweight microfiber, 252 pounds ($306), and a 100 percent cotton shell jacket, 495 pounds ($601), that can attach to each other to create the ultimate outdoor apparel. Using only the most functional fabrics for the outdoors, the pieces were designed after discovering the best materials for the job—and never the other way around.
“Inspiration always starts with fabric research for us,” Adam said. “I think across the board, designers these days do not know about or fully understand fabric construction. We believe it’s an art in itself to know—or figure out—what the best end use for a fabric will be.”
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Though outerwear is the brand’s flagship product, it’s also known for its denim collection, which includes a slim straight leg and, come fall 2019, one that’s slightly wider. Currently, the bestselling wash is the rinse, a dark selvedge denim made of 100 percent authentic narrow loom Japanese selvedge denim.
“We strive to use the best possible fabrications throughout the range, and this takes us to mills around the world,” Adam said. “That means sourcing denim from Okayama and technical outerwear fabric from Italy.”
The designers also hone their vision from an archive of vintage military and workwear pieces that have been steadily accumulating in Adam’s closet since he first developed an interest in fashion. For inspiration, they often look to these pieces, as well as other vintage wear that they modernize and update by—unsurprisingly—upgrading the existing fabric.
The brand launched in 2015 and sold items exclusively on Mr Porter, an online retail destination for menswear brands around the world. Fast forward to 2019, and it’s sold on virtual destinations like The Rake and Thread, as well as stores around the U.K., Sweden and Asia.
In addition to denim and outerwear, the brand sells shirts, hats and scarves, and will offer other apparel items inspired by international cultures in Spring 2020.
“We have dabbled with other categories along the way, but the focus will always be outerwear and denim,” said Adam. “That being said, for Spring 2020, we have a great capsule of Made in India pieces—Madras, block print and Ikat shirts—to offer something different that can complement the rest of the collection.”
The Workers Club collections are available in men’s sizes XS-XXL and 28-38, with pricing starting at 15 pounds ($18).