A Brief History of the Hunting Jacket

We’re proud to present the Hunter Jacket, our take on the classic cotton hunting jackets worn across the United States during the middle of the 20th century. Taking inspiration from some of our favourite vintage pieces, it’s a true slice of rugged luxury—combining tough cotton twill with a particularly classy corduroy collar and some super-comfortable fleece-lined pockets. 

Whilst it’s a new design for us, it follows a blueprint that’s been set in stone for not far off a hundred years. Here’s a quick potted history of where it came from…

Obviously hunting jackets, as in outerwear worn whilst hunting animals, stretch back thousands of years—but to cut to the chase a bit we’ll skip to the USA in the late 19th century. If there was ever a ‘hunting boom’, this was probably it. To explain why would probably take a while, but one of the main reasons was probably the age-old desire to get back to nature (even if it meant shooting at it). Industrialisation and urbanisation had brought both new luxuries and new anxieties—sparking instant nostalgia for the frontier age.

Even in the 1890s, people were pining for an imaginary simpler time, trying to battle the confusion of modern life with the romantic image of the self-reliant hunter. Although there was less need to hunt, ‘sport hunting’ was bigger than ever.

And as hunting evolved, so too did the way hunters bought their clothes. In the 19th century those who lived in rural areas relied on small shops to buy everything from food to overalls—essentially dressing at the whim of whatever the shopkeepers could manage to stock their stores with, but by the early 20th century catalogue companies like Sears Roebuck and LL Bean had cropped up, meaning that thanks to the wonders of the postal system, those who lived out in the sticks were suddenly offered a world of variation. These companies offered the full outfit for the hunter, fisherman and hiker at a time when specialist gear was hard to come by. 

Each brand had their own way of doing things, but generally the key details were thick canvas fabric, shoulder patches to withstand lugging a shotgun around all day and plenty of pocket space for all the assorted odds and ends that come with the hunting life. A cord collar provided comfort whilst an action back (that’s those pleats behind the shoulders) allowed a bit of extra reach.

Deer hunting jackets often featured orange patches too—allowing the wearer to be seen by their fellow hunters whilst still staying camouflage to their colourblind prey, whose eyes would mistake blaze orange for green (this is also why wool hunting jackets were often made of red buffalo plaid). 

In a bit of sartorial convergent evolution, the humble hunting jacket isn’t a million miles away from other hard-wearing pieces of outerwear like the barn jacket or the French chore coat—but unlike those other classic functional creations, they’ve always remained a slightly more left-field option. Ralph Lauren put his own spin on the design back in the 80s—but the hunting jacket has never really crossed over into the mainstream the same way the trucker jacket has. And maybe that’s one of the reasons we like ‘em so much? They’re the kind of wearable, everyday jacket you won’t see everyday… if that makes any sense?

Ours is particularly nice—if we may say so ourselves. Nice and thick cotton fabric… angled pockets… the perfect short-but-not-too-short shape… we’ve also done away with the rear poacher’s pocket… because let’s be honest, who actually uses them anyway? 

No shooting licence needed here—this is the kind of sharp do-it-all jacket that works just as well whether you’re chopping logs down by the lake as it does when you’re hunting down a table at your favourite restaurant.