July 23 2023
The development journey of our Fall/Winter jacket: it’s all about details
It’s sunny and warm outside… Yet, our mind is all busy with a varsity jacket made out of wool felt! We want to embark you on our journey and explain why details matter, why the development process is so dear to us - and how much work, love and analysis are going into a slow fashion piece that will be handmade in Europe.
Product development is all about attention to details! — Brenda & Daniel, APPOLINE founders
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Fabric choice
We love the idea of using overstock fabric. The visit in the showroom of NONA Source in Paris was a blast! We enjoyed to look and touch a wide choice of fabric, all leftover fabric from luxury brands that come with very decent quality and design. We fell in love with the fabric we were looking for: a warm, cosy, wool-cashmere felt. Not so many meters are left of it – but we could get those in order to produce a small series of our made-to-order pieces. Our chosen wool-cashmere felt is a water repellent, high quality fabric made in Italy - soft in touch - perfect for our fall varsity jacket!
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The perfect fit
Our producer, Monika and her team, took on the challenge to transform our raglan-sleeve bomber jacket (extra comfy!) into a varsity version. The fit is aimed to be still be comfortable but to allow for some extra layers under the jacket, so the jacket serves you in Fall and Winter. We also added some length to it – to have some extra fabric on the back helps in cold temperatures! We love the new fit and are now working on the sizing.
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Functionality
With a new fabric to work, new challenges come into play. We kept our known robust inner layer, so the jacket will be long lasting and not show wear and tear after a short time. However, Monika, who has a lot of experience, noted that for pockets on outdoor jackets, they require reinforcement, so keys & more will not damage them. She found the perfect extra layer to reinforce the pockets, and we are currently testing robust but nice looking studs, for functional but nice looking buttoning.
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Details, details, details
Two topics are keeping us and mostly Monika, our producer, up at night. The wool felt is a very nice fabric, but hard to sew as it is loose and thick at the same time. How to sew the corners perfectly shaped? That is the challenge Monika is currently taking on with her team and experimenting with the fabric. The second detail: finding the exact matching piping. It should match the style, but also come with the good mix of flexibility and support. Moreover, the touch on the skin should be nice and soft. We are on experimenting to find the perfect piping and will be excited to present the final jacket in early Fall!
Stay tuned on our winter jacket journey!
