Double Protection – Style

Most often, men’s fashion borrows its trends from two worlds – army or work uniforms. Military style has given us more basics (for example, most of the classic silhouettes of jackets and coats come from the army), but work style has been increasingly giving us new trends lately. Boots, tough jackets, overalls, and jeans all came from the style of American hard workers. One of the main trends of this summer is double knee trousers. We understand where they came from and what they are.

The name double knee speaks for itself – these are trousers or jeans, on the front of which another layer of fabric is superimposed. On some models, there is even an additional seal in the knee area – a kind of knee pads. It is easy to guess that this was done for greater endurance of trousers and jeans. As a rule, they were worn by farmers and auto mechanics. It is difficult to say exactly when trousers with an additional layer of fabric were born. Most experts trace the history of this silhouette to the world’s most famous workwear brand, Carhartt. The company was founded by Hamilton Carhart in 1889, in the 1890s the brand was already known for its strong and durable clothing – mostly railway workers wore Carhartt clothes (the brand worked closely with them to create reliable things). In addition to working things, Carhartt was quickly appropriated by farmers – in general, the brand created clothes for ordinary American hard workers who choose functionality. In this regard, the history of Carhartt echoes another well-known brand – Levi`s.

For most of the 20th century, work clothing remained the prerogative of workers. Only in the 1990s this style began to appear on the streets of big cities. Carhartt clothing has moved beyond factories, farms and railroads to be worn by fashionistas around the world paying tribute to the American style. Double knee trousers have become part of this style, although less visible than, say, a work jacket or even overalls. Rappers, skaters, punks and street fashion enthusiasts have all built their wardrobe around durable workwear. This style has survived to this day – for example, Timberland or Red Wing work boots are still in high demand, and durable cotton and denim jackets are no less popular than heavy raw denim jeans.

American style never completely leaves the catwalks and streets – rather, there is a shift in focus to specific things. Last season it was a cowboy aesthetic, a little earlier it was fleece shirts, even earlier it was lambskin denim jackets. This summer, the main “hello” from the working past is double knee trousers. The main advantage of these trousers is that they will suit almost any casual look. If you want to wear them with Converse sneakers and a gray hoodie, great. If you prefer a button-down oxford shirt, loafers and a baseball cap, they will work here too. Of course, in the summer it will be hard to walk in jeans with a double layer of fabric, so many brands have gone in the direction of lighter models of cotton trousers. Repairing a motorcycle in such, perhaps, is not worth it. It’s better to wear them to the city, knowing exactly why your pair of trousers has two layers of fabric.

Ilya Petruk