Vareuse marin : Rediscover the history of the vareuse
Like all great discoveries, the birth of the jacket is accidental! Let's dive into the history of this garment whose origin is still unclear.
Jacket: made from sail
After their boat sank on a desert island, three Breton fishermen, caught in a storm, decided to use the boat's sails to hastily make a garment to protect them from rain and cold. Back to the port, but without sails, our shipwrecked fishermen create the amazement of the inhabitants around who then baptize this blouse "vareuse". The etymology of the vareuse comes from the word varer, which means "to protect" in Norman.
The idea met with great success and the fishermen made their own vareuses out of scraps of boat sails.
Manufacturing secrets
The real jacket is a minimalist, resistant and functional garment. Favoring practicality over aesthetics has contributed to the incredible destiny of the jacket. This unique manufacturing process has evolved very little since then, except to adapt the blouse to the marine fashion market.
It is in the details that one recognizes the jacket at first glance. Its loose fit, its wide slit collar, its tight cotton weave and its inner button (to avoid getting caught in the nets or ropes on board) are the main characteristics of the sailor's blouse. Folded seams for a solid assembly, stitches to prevent the pockets from tearing during use, and a back yoke to reinforce the shoulders, all made of an extremely resistant cotton fabric.
It also has a large inside breast pocket, accessible through the neckline, so as not to hinder maneuvers when sailing. A marine garment in the purest Breton tradition, that the Breton fisherman wore on the back once back to the port to proudly display the less worn side in society (especially on weekends).
From yesterday to today
The success of the jacket extends to the military. It was then integrated into the uniforms of the national navy, notably worn as a blouse by the petty officers and sailors over their marinière.-over their marinière.
Historically, the jacket was available in four different colors. Each of the colors was used for a specific purpose, in order to ensure the respect of navigation areas and fishing activities:
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yellow jacket: fishing on foot (shellfish and other crustaceans)
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blue jacket: offshore fishermen and national navy
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red jacket: oyster farmers
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rust-colored jacket: trap fishing
Today, the jacket is no longer necessarily associated with the sea. Marine fashion has transformed a simple fisherman's blouse into an iconic and timeless garment. The creativity of the brands that have revisited it have given it all the modernity and elegance necessary to make it a must-have in your wardrobe. The Erquy jacket from Le Glazik, a historic manufacturer, is available at , or the are worthy representatives of it.
The jacket, a timeless garment
Like the sailor jacket, the historical background of the jacket has allowed it to become part of our daily life and to acquire the popularity we know today. It has known how to cross time before being revisited to adapt to all trends.
If you haven't read our article on the history of the sailor's hat, you can access it by clicking here!
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