The Evergreen Corps Creed
The Pacific Northwest has a unique, rich blend of history, geography, demographics, and lifestyle. There were many factors that lead us to station DR command in Seattle, and one key ingredient was that the Northwest region afforded us the ability to work closely with some of the best one-roof manufacturing brands in the heritage market. The region has an industrious foundation from our industrial past in logging, manufacturing, and maritime enterprises that match our varied seasonal climate and conditions of the mountains, forests, and nautical passageways within. These dynamics inspired the production and design of goods that would perform under an assault of labor and life environs, from the tool heavy workshop to trekking in the outdoors, represented in our region’s counterculture for decades. Paired with an underground motor enthusiast community and military stations scattered throughout the area, there is a deep cultural narrative to the PNW that we’ve combined via these inspirational elements into a single uniform style that is signature to our Division Road Army.
The Japanese connection to the heritage sphere is undeniable. From the vintage denim boom in the 60’s-70’s and the ingenious purchasing of old US machinery and hardware left useless from the Great American Outsourcing of the 70’s-80’s, to reinventing those looms and production equipment that, when paired with precise Japanese production techniques, has reinvented what was done in the US up to a century ago. Interestingly, Seattle has a substantial Japanese community that goes back to the early 1900’s, at one point having one of the largest Nihonmachi in the world. We reflect this cultural blend with the brands we carry, and most crucially by staying true to an approach of honoring the past while looking to the future. The most collectable pieces from the archives of Division Road collaborations use this formula of taking historical style inspirations, re-designed with specialized material developments, and leveraging the best of our maker’s traditional construction techniques to create pieces for a classically based next-level wardrobe, which is decidedly the Japanese way.
Our annual capsule collection projects are always designed around a conceptual theme, and for our fifth installment we wanted to create a triad union of makers that epitomized the context, craftsmanship, and stylistic method of our Northwest heritage niche that are equally at home in the outskirts of Mount Fuji or Rainier. Along with a cohesion of region and position, this capsule pays tribute to our core customers, whether they be veteran patrons or newly enlisted to the DRA, who have fully embraced our Evergreen style profile and up-production method that blends workwear influences with an outdoor utilitarianism and a city-life leaning disposition. This project commemorates those collectors from around the globe who have embraced our presentation, approach, and the risks we’ve taken by having goods that are distinct in design and fabrication, nevertheless certain to find alliance in any wardrobe procured from Division Road with our cohesive curatorial mix and collaborations.
Hence, we drafted the Army Work Club in a camouflage palette symbolic of the army in which this collection is created to serve, infused by military, workwear, and moto club inspirations, materials, and builds to create new pieces unified and evolved for our Division Road Army corp. Working closely with those brands that best represent these influences and specialize in goods favored by our cult army-work-club community, we present this year’s capsule collection produced in cross-collaboration with Wesco, Iron Heart, and Dehen 1920. For heritage collectors from around the world, these three manufacturing brands are novel, notable, and iconic; and, to represent both the user and the maker, we’ve created a triangle badge inspired from militaria that represents the brand and the DRA, included with each piece.
Wesco
Always starting with footwear as the foundation, we went with our keystone Wesco lace-to-toe Jobmaster collaboration that’s tricked out with double Rapid E stitchdown construction, contrasting heavyweight upper thread centered on the triple stitched upper pattern pieces, along with the use of our specialty sourced US made Vibram 4014 Christy Soles, exclusive to this make-up formula with Wesco. The AWC Foreman takes these components to a higher rank with a two-tone pairing of Horween’s CXL Horsehide in Black and Brown, tanned with a natural core that will reveal its grain and patina to a tonal ebony and bronze boot over years of dutiful use. With our strategic approach to create pieces that will evolve in all the right ways, the signature white thread details will accent the dark foundation of this style’s Black CXL Horsehide vamp and counter that rolls into the Black leather midsole and Vibram Christy sole. Matched with the Brown CXL Horsehide quarter and tongue that is tonally consistent to the weathered Nordic brass eyelets, the AWC Foreman becomes a collectable boot for the Western enthusiast that might be regarded as being more at home in Japan. Representing the cross collaboration of this piece, the WxIHxDR logo takes the iconic Iron Heart winged bell and vintage Wesco lettering encircled by the rings of Division Road and is appropriately stamped in the high quarter to signify this foundational project piece for the cult community it’s designed for.
Iron Heart
Going bottom-up, we’re pleased to introduce our first of what will be many collaborations with Iron Heart in two custom patterns sharing a completely new fit development. Haraki-san is a designer-craftsman who works best with a measured amount of direction and inspiration. The operation was to create new Double Front and Cargo pant designs informed by patterns within the Iron Heart archives, in a Classic Tapered fit based on the 888 for non-denim trousers with roomy and tapered silhouettes that allow for function and styling versatility. This was the only premise Haraki needed, and he went on to the drafting table and sample production. With small tweaks and adaptations, the final Tradesman Double Front in an 11 oz. Black Selvedge Twill and Serviceman Cargo in a perfectly appropriate 11 oz. Olive Drab Whipcord are both trousers ready for any mission. Entirely evident upon first wearing, these are perfectly balanced with an over-built nature and refined details. This is conveyed from the knee panel placements, proper allocation of brass and copper hardware, well-conceived pocketing, and most importantly the roomy yet sleek-legged fit that all allow for dutiful assignments and varied ensembles. Each individual is as important as the unit, but as a testament to these Iron Heart x Division Road project pieces, we predict many collectors (including ourselves) will end up getting both of these classic Army Work Club trousers to wear to patina glory for years to come.
Dehen 1920
As both a final word and a final piece to unite the concept and inspirations, we worked with Dehen 1920 to create an outerwear masterpiece that would be a wild collectable signature of our Northwest wilderness. Looking to balance and fuse the collection, we took the woodland camouflage palette that runs throughout the assembly and broke it into a completely color blocked and consistent athletic-meets-moto club piece, symbolic to Dehen’s history infused with the military aspects of the AWC capsule collection. Using the body pattern of the Flight Jacket combined with the new 4-end Knit Club Jacket design, we came up with the AWC Letterman Club Knit Jacket. This piece comes perfectly appointed in the complicated camouflage color scheme with a Bark body and Goldmine sleeves that are framed with Black and Loden striped ribbing to create a standout epic that’s made to blend in for battle. The jacket is finished off with antique brass snaps and a chainstitched Division Road monogram letter hidden in plain sight to signify the captain collector status of the wearer. As a central style to the AWC this is the final mark needed to command the full Army Work Club collection badge assembly to convey your core craft collector rank within the Division Road Army.
The Mission
On a journey from the barracks to the battlefield, we’re calling up the Division Road Army to commemorate our Anniversary with the 2020 annual capsule collection project, Army Work Club, where we honor the union of military and workwear in the cult heritage community. From Japan to the Pacific Northwest, we’ve created a capsule that infuses army, workwear, and motorcycle club inspirations in a woodland camouflage palette in tribute to the core company of the DRA that has been stalwart in their support of our mission. Produced in collaboration with Dehen 1920, Iron Heart, and Wesco the AWC capsule collection is designed for collecting comrades who demand utilitarian goods with an over-engineered heritage backbone, and prefer to earn their stripes by venturing from the road into the wild with poise and purpose.
The Deployment: 08.21.20 at 10:00 PDT