TCB Jeans_Sing Sing Cabaret Jacket

What TCB has acquired this time is a prison uniform estimated to be from the 1940s.
The moment I saw the large stencil on the back, the first thing that caught my eye was the words "SING SING" written along with my prisoner number.

At first I thought it meant "to sing," but when I looked it up I found out it referred to Sing Sing Prison, a real prison in New York State.
I thought I'd heard that name somewhere before, and it was the opening scene of "Breakfast at Tiffany's" starring Audrey Hepburn.

"I've always thought that prisons have strange names. Sing Sing. It sounds like an opera house."
In English it's called an opera house, but the Japanese subtitles translate it as "Shinshin is like a cabaret."
The translation "like a cabaret" made a strange impression on me.

When I was talking about this with RYO,
"So, how about "SING SING CABARET"?
After the war, American sewing machines were imported to Japan, and domestic jeans production began. Around that time, this film was translated into Japanese, and given the historical context of the time, it may have been unfamiliar to Japanese people, so it was translated as "Cabaret."
TCB is committed to traditional manufacturing, and this jacket features the words "SING SING CABARET" stencil, which we were able to put on because we are a Japanese brand. Before I knew it, I was drawn to the words.

Cabaret = a place of expression.
On the other hand, prison uniforms are a symbol of restrictions and rules.
I thought this combination of opposing images was very TCB-like.

It's really interesting to look closely at the vintage prison uniforms that I actually got my hands on. In the world of workwear, there is always the need to "improve efficiency for sales" and "battle against costs," but the prison uniforms in this collection are "clothes that were never intended for sale."

The seams are neither rolled nor overlocked.
It was simply sewn together from the back with just a plain stitch.
I was worried about how to make it with TCB, but I decided to use the same plain stitching method this time too, with the seam allowance fringed. It retains a realistic "roughness" that allows you to feel the atmosphere of the time.

The same is true in terms of design.
There are no pockets to hide anything.
We thought that this might be a little inconvenient outside of modern walls, so TCB added a pocket.

The cuffs are also very wide, about 19cm.
This is probably also to prevent people from hiding things. I wondered whether to leave this part as it was, but I decided to prioritize the silhouette and ease of everyday wear, and adjusted the width so that it wouldn't get dirty when eating.

Another thing that was impressive was the pattern matching.
Although the overall design is rough, the front and borders are strangely neatly aligned. "This is the only detail they've put effort into," I thought, and when I looked closely...
In fact, the bodice parts are all connected in the front and back, making it a one-piece dress.
It was only natural that the patterns matched (laughs).

As a result,
This jacket is made with a surprisingly simple structure: one body, two sleeves, and one collar. It is clothing that is "made to be worn, not to be sold."

For TCB, which has customers all over the world, this project is not just a reproduction. It is an attempt to reinterpret universal themes such as freedom, responsibility, and identity through the subject of prison uniforms.

Like denim, uniforms also contain proof that people have lived.
TCB believes so.
That's why this clothing isn't a negative symbol,
Rather, I would like to send a positive message to the world that symbolizes the strength of the pursuit of freedom.

□Fabric: This is an original fabric specially ordered for the SING SING Cabaret Jacket.
Actually, this is used horizontally. When it is rolled, the fabric is originally vertically striped. By deliberately cutting it horizontally, it is finished as a border pattern.

The reason why this usage doesn't feel strange is because the fabric is duck (plain weave).
Warp count 10 x weft count 16, approximately 10 oz.
It has a firm weave yet a soft texture.

The raw cotton used is high-quality Zimbabwe cotton,
The aim was not to achieve "high quality" but to achieve the rough texture that was issued to prisoners at the time.
For this reason, we used slub yarn with a strong unevenness that is not usually used in TCB jeans. The rough yet warm look reproduces the realism of the time.

Regarding the vintage navy border, at first I thought, "Maybe it's indigo dyed?"
I also thought that.
However, if it was indigo, the dye would have transferred to the off-white part.
Therefore, this time we have reproduced the navy color using **reactive dyeing (cheese dyeing)**.

The above is reprinted from the TCB official website

This is a very unique item.

It's an item that takes a lot of courage to wear, but please give it a try.

The sleeves are quite thick, so I think it would be fun to roll them up and use them as an accent when layering.

Actual size chart: Unit: cm