introduced in 1850 and soon adopted by
lumberjacks near the company’s wool mill
in Pennsylvania, and its ‘Arctic’ parka,
designed in 1972 for Alaskan pipeline workers,
alongside Griffin’s military motifs, functional
reversible forms and upcycled aesthetic.
Griffin started getting green-fingered
in 2001. That year, the designer decamped –
with his wife and creative partner, and their
three sons – from London’s bustling Ladbroke
Grove; first to a converted cowshed on the
edge of Salisbury Plain, Wiltshire, then to
Loveland Farm, six acres of remote sprawling
farmland in Hartland, Devon. Bordered by
oak and apple trees, it is not just a farm and
creative studio, but also an eco-retreat witha recycled woodchip biomass energy source
and Griffin-built domed eco-pods –high-end
huts, complete with composting toilets,
insulated floors and beds made up with cosy
Griffin x Woolrich quilts.
‘I used to cut our hedges in London with
nail clippers,’ Griffin laughs. His transition
from nature novice to countryside connoisseur
is one that really chimes with Canè. ‘This
collaboration encapsulates the real outdoors,’
he says. ‘A kind of Anglo-American product.’
Griffin concurs: ‘So often, active lifestyle
brands are housed inside massive buildings
in cities. We love the rawness of our location.’
Waterproof, windproof and breathable
pieces are made using sustainable materials,including Eco Ramar cloth, which contains
60 per cent organic cotton and 40 per cent
recycled nylon. Woolrich’s ‘Arctic’ parka has
been reimagined in this fabric and, in a water-
saving solution, it is printed, instead of dyed,
with the brand’s Buffalo check. A sleeping-
bag coat is made in recycled ripstop polyester,
produced by an Italian military fabric maker.
High-tech details abound, such as zips that
turn a parka into a poncho, smart reversibility,
and oversized pockets inspired by archive
Woolrich poacher’s coats. A series of ‘Second
Life’ coats, limited to 120 pieces, are made
from deadstock fabrics, including three-year-
old Woolrich wool and waxed cotton
Griffin found in a stockroom at Scottish
mill Halley Stevensons.
Loveland Farm is a hub of experimentation.
It’s where Griffin learnt to cultivate soil, rear
livestock and dam a stream. He channelled
his anger about the 2016 Brexit referendum
result into learning brickwork and building
an outdoor pizza oven. ‘Our sustainability
starts at the farm,’ he says. Griffin and
Woolrich’s collaboration too is a microcosmic
testing ground for sustainable manufacturing
approaches. In time, Canè hopes to apply
these to the brand as whole. ‘It’s a way to try
out new ideas,’ he says. In Jeff ’s vegetable
patch, cardboard Woolrich packaging is seen
composting into the soil, next to chilli plants,
pumpkins and courgettes. It’s a symbol of two
brands truly immersed in nature, cultivating
impressive outerwear results. ∂
woolrich.eu; griffin-studio.com; loveland.farm062 ∑
Fashion
ABOVE, ‘BEARSKIN’
REVERSIBLE PARKA,
£1,555, BY GRIFFIN X
WOOLRICH A/W19
LEFT, CANÈ AND
GRIFFIN STUDY FABRIC
SAMPLES AND ARCHIVE
WOOLRICH DESIGNS
AT LOVELAND FARM