TCB Jeans_Sing Sing Cabaret Jacket

What TCB got their hands on this time was a prison uniform estimated to be from the 40s.
The moment I saw the large stencil on the back, what jumped out at me was the word "SING SING" along with the inmate number.

At first, I thought it meant "singing," but upon researching, I found out it refers to the real **Sing Sing Prison** in New York State.
If the name sounded familiar, it was from the beginning of Audrey Hepburn's "Breakfast at Tiffany's."

"I've always thought it was a funny name for a prison. Sing Sing. It sounds like an opera house."
In English, she says "opera house," but the Japanese subtitles translate it as
"Sing Sing sounds like a cabaret."
This translation of "sounds like a cabaret" left a strangely strong impression on me.

When I was talking to RYO-kun about it,
"Then, how about 'SING SING CABARET'?"
After the war, American-made sewing machines were imported to Japan, and domestic jeans began to be produced. Around that time, this movie was translated into Japanese, and in the context of the times, it might have been translated as "cabaret" because it was unfamiliar to Japanese people.
At TCB, which pursues traditional craftsmanship, this jacket with the "SING SING CABARET" stencil, which we were able to incorporate precisely because we are a Japanese brand. Before I knew it, I was drawn to those words.

Cabaret = a place of expression.
On the other hand, prison uniform = a symbol of restrictions and rules.
I thought this combination of conflicting images was very much like TCB.

When I actually observed the vintage prison uniform I got, it was truly interesting. The world of workwear is constantly plagued by "efficiency for sales" and "the battle against cost," but this prison uniform was originally **"clothing not intended for sale."**

The seams were neither felled seams nor overlocked.
They were simply joined from the back with only plain seams.
I pondered how to make it at TCB, but this time, I dared to use only plain seams with fraying allowances, just like the original. We've preserved a realistic "roughness" that allows you to feel the atmosphere of the time.

The same goes for the design.
There are no pockets at all, so nothing can be hidden.
I thought it would be a bit inconvenient outside the prison walls in modern times, so TCB added pockets.

The cuffs are also very wide, about 19cm.
Is this also to "prevent hidden items"? I hesitated whether to leave this as is, but prioritizing silhouette and everyday wearability, I adjusted the width so it wouldn't get dirty while eating.

And another impressive thing was the "pattern matching."
Despite the overall rough construction, the front placket and stripes were strangely perfectly aligned. Thinking, "Only this part is carefully done," I observed it more closely──
Actually, the body panels were all connected front and back in a one-piece specification.
It was natural that the pattern matched (laughs).

As a result,
A jacket made with a surprisingly simple construction: one body panel, two sleeves, and one collar. Yes, clothing "to be worn, not to be sold."

For TCB, with customers all over the world, this project is not just a reproduction. It is an attempt to re-interpret universal themes such as freedom, responsibility, and identity as fashion, through the subject of "prison uniforms."

Just like denim, "the proof of a person's life" resides in uniforms.
TCB believes that.
That's why we want to send this garment out to the world, not as a negative symbol,
but as a positive message that symbolizes "the strength to seek freedom."

□ Fabric
This fabric was specially ordered and custom-made for the SING SING Cabaret Jacket.
Actually, it's used horizontally. In its roll state, it's originally a vertical stripe fabric. By deliberately cutting it horizontally, it's made to finish as a border pattern.

This usage doesn't feel out of place precisely because the fabric's structure is **duck (plain weave)**.
10 count warp × 16 count weft, approximately 10 ounces.
It has a firm weave yet a soft texture.

Although we use high-grade Zimbabwe cotton for the raw material,
our aim was not "quality" but the rough texture of the uniforms provided to prisoners at the time.
Therefore, we adopted slub yarn with strong irregularities, which we normally don't use for TCB jeans. The wild yet warm expression faithfully reproduces the realism of that era.

Regarding the vintage border part (navy), I initially thought,
"Maybe it's indigo dyed?"
However, if it were indigo, there would have been color transfer to the ecru parts.
Therefore, this time, we recreated the navy using **reactive dyeing (cheese dyeing)**.

Above information reprinted from TCB official website

A rather unique item has appeared.

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

Since the sleeves are quite wide, you could roll them up and use them as an accent for layering, which I think would be interesting.

Actual size chart: Unit cm