An icon of American clothing and one of the last stalwarts of the textile industry, Woolrich Inc. made its name manufacturing rugged clothes for rugged professionals. The company, founded by John Rich in 1830, pioneered clothing made from high-quality wool built to accommodate the frontier lifestyle of loggers, hunters, railroad workers, and the like. By the 1900s, Woolrich, Pennsylvania was the home of one of the country’s foremost textile mills and clothiers. In the 1960s, the company expanded to four-season apparel and cotton. Still based in Woolrich, PA, today, the company is generally geared more toward the recreational outdoorsman than workmen.

The Woolrich Woolen Mills Collection was created with this very development in mind. The company wanted a collection that harked back to the the company’s formative years– a shout-out to the American manufacturing tradition and the “working community.” The Collection debuted in Fall/Winter of 2006, and recently released its Spring/Summer 2008 collection. The project is a collaboration with Japanese-born designer Daiki Suzuki. The choice seems odd but actually makes perfect sense. Suzuki got his start in the early ’90s as a buyer of American outdoor wear for top stores in Japan, giving the nation its first taste of hand-knitted sweaters, ivy league shirts, and authentic hunting wear. Founded in 1999, Suzuki’s own line, Engineered Garments, serves as an outlet for brilliant obsession with and genuine admiration for American workwear. With the Woolen Mills Collection, he applies his signature unconstructed yet highly tailored aesthetic, while managing to keep the structural integrity that made the original pieces effective as work clothes. The fabrics are left untreated to emphasize the function and durability of the original Woolrich materials.

Class-romanticizing Hipsters have been appropriating classic American workwear for some time now. But, the Woolen Mills line is more about history than revivalism. The collection embodies the mantra responsible for America’s most timeless menswear: utility before beauty. Daiki Suzuki and Woolrich remind us that American menswear is at its most stylish when its not trying to be stylish at all. Below are my top ten picks from the collection, in no particular order.

Continue reading for our piece-by-piece review of the Woolrich Spring/Summer line…

*Available in the U.S. at Bergdorf Goodman and Jeffrey New York.

Cardigan /cotton/
Gray and tan is a super underrated color combo. Elbow patches, peekaboo pocket half-moons, snap closure– all reasons to purchase immediately.

Hoody Shirt /madras/
You love plaid. I love snaps. We all appreciate hoods. Canadian indie-band-approved.

Knit Shirt /pique/
You always need more knit polo shirts. There are many to choose from, but this one only needs one button to stay closed. That’s rugged.

Maine Guide Jacket /denim/
Inspired by the American railroad, sported by the communist vanguard. Unconstructed. Effortless. Even your dad could wear this.

Sport Jacket /linen/
Your dad should wear this jacket. So should you.

Ragland Shirt /chambray/
chambray
n. A fine lightweight fabric woven with white threads across a colored warp.

Blue Khaki Pant /cotton/
StyleCrave Fun “Fact”: Legend has it that Woolrich was the first to use zippers in men’s trousers.

Trail Shirt Linen
Designed specifically to help you keep your new year’s resolution to never run out of pockets, ever.

Field Blazer /maxima poplin/
StyleCrave Fun Fact: Woolrich outfitted the 1939 Admiral Byrd Expedition to Antarctica

Trail Parka /poplin/

Probably my favorite jacket in existence at the moment. Comes in Navy, but this Paprika color is invading my dreams.