THE NEEM ICONS pt 1
I find the history behind fashion fascinating, understanding the cultural context in which clothes were worn, and how they’ve been adopted in today's modern world offers a deeper understanding of our own consumer habits, as well helping to give meaning and reasoning as to why we choose to wear certain pieces. Or, perhaps, I'm a little bit of a history nerd. Either way if this sounds interesting then this blog has been written for, precisely, you!
Since Neem has many iterations of Overshirts in different weights, colours and styles I thought we should have a deeper look into the Overshirt; it’s what Neem began with and continues to advocate for, since it offers a breadth of versatility, but let me not get ahead of myself…
Where did Men’s Overshirts Begin?
The modern overshirt, shirt jacket (please never shacket) of today feels like a natural progression in menswear, embodying a combination of form and function. With all the pockets, men’s overshirts pay homage to their origins in facilitating workers’ practical needs during 19th century Europe, where the industrial revolution awakened a need for functional workwear.
Essentially, workers needed something more substantial than a shirt but less cumbersome than a jacket, a garment that could layer over their base clothing without restricting movement. These early overshirts, often crafted from heavy cotton twill or moleskin, featured large pockets for tools and personal possessions like tobacco or notebooks.
The ‘bleu de travail’ became the uniform of French labourers in the 1800s: unlined, blue cotton moleskin rounded shirt collar with no lapels, 4-5 front buttons, 2 large front pockets and one breast pocket. This style of overshirt followed suit for workers across Europe. Iterations existed in France, Britain and the US throughout the 19th/ 20th century, with brands like Carhartt and Dickies producing durable chore coats, but it was the functionality and necessity of the garment that unified them all.
French labourers wearing an earlier version of the overshirt called the “chore coat.”
The Military Connection
Here's where things get really interesting, the overshirt's journey from European workwear to global wardrobe staple gained momentum through military adoption. During World War II, various armed forces looked at these practical garments and thought, "we need some of that functionality." The U.S. Military's introduction of cotton twill utility shirts, with reinforced pockets and secure closures, wasn't revolutionary design thinking; rather, it was smart borrowing from what already worked.
These military versions kept all the fundamentals of its predecessors: the relaxed fit for movement, those essential chest pockets, and construction built to last. What's fascinating is how this military chapter inadvertently created the overshirt's next evolution. When the war ended, surplus stores became unexpected fashion destinations. Veterans who'd lived in these practical garments didn't want to give them up, and style-conscious young men discovered that military surplus offered authentic ruggedness. Suddenly, the overshirt wasn't just for workers or soldiers, it had broader social acceptance and genuine style potential.
An original P44 US Military Shirt Jacket via Ebay
From Military to style icon
This style potential was then skyrocketed by the icons who wore overshirts. The likes of Pablo Picasso and Jackson Pollock in the 1950s redefined the overshirt in an intellectual and artistic way; it became a signifier of creative authenticity and bohemian values. Whilst Paul Newman, rocking overshirts on and off-screen, cemented the garment as a staple - but a cool one. What I find particularly interesting about overshirts is they really are timeless. The fact that something relevant in the 50s (of course with modern adaptations) is still a wardrobe staple says a lot about the versatility of the garment.
Paul Newman in the 1967 film Cool Hand Luke
From Style Icon to Neem Icon
So, what’s Neem’s stance on the overshirt? Well, we viewed it from a slightly different angle. We saw the versatility and functionality of the overshirt as a sustainable way of dressing since it has the ability to transcend seasons, making it an all year piece that easily slots into a capsule wardrobe, more about capsule dressing here. Therefore, from a stylistic perspective, the overshirt offers modern solutions to the modern man - it isn’t fussy or hard to style, it offers plenty of function through the pockets and serves to be a timeless under or outer layer.
Now, from a material and fibre perspective we believe in layering which is why we often opt for high quality lightweight fabrics, that of course (fundamental to our ethos) we can trace back to farm. Take our Double pocket Regenerative cotton Navy overshirt, for example, not only does Regenerative farming methods protect the soil in which the cotton grows, but serves as a light layer to be worn solo or over a base top.
Double pocket Regenerative cotton Navy overshirt
This is the principle we follow in lots of our fabric, whether that be our blend of recycled cotton and organic cotton or our regenerative Cotton. Of course, there are some heavier weight overshirts such as the Recycled cross weave Spitafields Overshirt that are focused on super long lasting durability. Essentially, we believe in a casual elegance that our modern overshirts offer, but we offer this in a low-impact and transparently sustainable way. What we call the Neem way.
So there you have it, from workwear necessity to sustainable essential. The overshirt's story is far from over, but I'm sure it will remain a timeless staple for a long time to come.