Last week we visited our atelier in North London to witness the final stages of the Classic Car Coat being made. Watch our short video to experience the incredible craftsmanship involved in each coat.

The Design Process

One source of inspiration for Collection 05 is Japanese film maker Yasujirō Ozu. Our designer Jenna was drawn to the warm, autumnal tones of his sets and interesting costume details such as large rectangular blazer flap pockets, which became a feature of our Car Coat. In particular, the interiors on Ozu’s films have frequently included warm toned checked fabric which became the inspiration for our Check Classic Car Coat.

Everything we design at Riley Studio is designed for life, not just a season and as this was our first venture into outerwear, we wanted to make sure our Car Coat had all the classic design elements including a button close vent flap.

The Development Stage

The development of our Classic Car Coat took over a year from initial design to production. A lot of this time was spent sourcing the perfect fabric. Developing the inspiration of the Ozu check interiors the team looked to source a sustainable check when they came across a beautiful end of roll checked organic cotton from one of our established mills, Olmetex. We also found another fabric with Olmetex called EVO® by Fulgar, a yarn made from castor oil - a totally renewable resource that does not require high amounts of water nor subtracts arable land for food use.

When developing such a timeless piece, we wanted to make sure the fit of the coat was perfect, which is always a challenge when designing gender-neutral pieces. We spent many fit sessions with the team perfecting elements including the arm length and the position of the pockets.

Once we had the fit perfected, it was about making sure we had all the Riley Studio details that make it unique to us. This included a detachable hood to make a more versatile piece, and our favourite milk waste protein buttons.

Production

We are proud to have our Classic Car Coat made here in London at Tower Garments. As a result we have been able to follow every stage of the process and see the craftsmanship first hand.

Why We Love Our Classic Car Coat

The Classic Car Coat has so many small thoughtful details added in to make it both practical and timeless.

The interiors are fully bound in a contrast organic cotton tape (something that is very hard to source!) and the pockets are large and have top opening flaps for a visual statement - but they also have hidden side openings for comfort.