The One Thing: The Canvas Fireman Clasp Jacket by Abercrombie
There are few fashion comebacks quite as satisfying as Abercrombie & Fitch’s.
For anyone who remembers the brand in its early-2000s heyday, this might sound slightly improbable. Abercrombie was once shorthand for a very particular kind of American youth culture: shirtless models, heavily logoed T-shirts, impossibly crowded malls and a rather aggressive idea of who was — and wasn’t — invited to the party. Then, for a while, it seemed to disappear from the conversation altogether.
Now it is back. Properly back.
The difference is that today’s Abercrombie is considerably more interesting than the one we remember. The overt branding has gone, the clothes have grown up and the emphasis is increasingly on things that are genuinely useful: good denim, relaxed tailoring, knitwear, outerwear and the sort of uncomplicated American classics that can slot into an existing wardrobe rather than dictate an entire personality. The turnaround has been substantial — sales have surged, the brand has broadened its audience and fashion has taken notice.
And suddenly everyone seems to be talking about Abercrombie again.
That renewed attention is partly nostalgia, of course. Fashion has an almost pathological inability to leave the past alone, and the current appetite for 1990s and early-2000s references has certainly helped. But nostalgia only gets a brand so far. What makes the current Abercrombie interesting is that there is something worth discovering once you get past the name.
This jacket is a particularly good example.
The Canvas Fireman Clasp Jacket is, on paper, an exceptionally straightforward proposition: a relaxed-fit cotton canvas jacket with chest pockets, a corduroy fold-down collar, a zip front and those wonderfully chunky fireman clasp closures. It is lightly lined, machine washable and available in dark brown, olive and dark red. In other words, it is not trying very hard to be fashionable. Which is precisely why it works.
The appeal is in the details.
The fireman clasps give it a little bit of character without turning it into costume. The corduroy collar adds texture. The canvas has enough substance to make the jacket feel like outerwear rather than an oversized shirt, while the relaxed silhouette keeps it firmly on the casual side of the wardrobe.
Most importantly, it is incredibly easy to wear.
Throw it over a white Oxford shirt and jeans and it gives the combination some much-needed attitude. Wear it with a chunky knit and chinos when the temperature drops. Put it over a T-shirt with faded denim and trainers and it becomes the sort of weekend uniform that looks considered without appearing to have been considered at all.
That, ultimately, is what makes the Abercrombie resurgence worth paying attention to. The brand is no longer selling the idea of Abercrombie as much as it is selling clothes that happen to be very good. The best pieces don't demand that you buy into a particular look; they simply make the clothes you already own work a little better.
And that is a surprisingly grown-up proposition.
The jacket also taps into something broader happening in menswear right now: a renewed appreciation for practical, slightly rugged outerwear. Workwear, military references, vintage Americana and generous silhouettes have all returned to the conversation, but the smartest versions are the ones that retain the usefulness of the original garment. This feels like one of those.
It is easy to imagine owning it for years, wearing it hard and watching the canvas acquire the creases and marks that make a jacket increasingly personal. That is a far more compelling kind of fashion than something designed to look new for three months.
At £150, it is hardly a throwaway purchase, either — but that is part of the point. Abercrombie's current proposition sits in that increasingly useful space between disposable fast fashion and expensive designer clothing. The jacket looks considered, feels substantial and, crucially, doesn't require a second mortgage to own.
Perhaps that is why the comeback feels different this time.
Abercrombie has stopped trying to be the coolest person in the room. It has simply started making clothes that people want to wear.
Our pick this week:
Canvas Fireman Clasp Jacket in Dark Brown - £150
Also available in Olive and Dark Red.