‘We are not designed, but engineered,’ goes the motto for New York-based brand Engineered Garments, which was founded by Japanese designer Daiki Suzuki in 1999. Such a maxim could equally apply to British label Baracuta, best known for its seminal G9 Harrington jacket, which was first crafted in England in 1937.
The two brands unite this month on a new collaborative collection, combining Suzuki’s unique ability to elevate the everyday – particularly traditional workwear garments – with Baracuta’s internationally recognised silhouettes (its Harrington jacket has been endlessly reinterpreted in the near-100 years since its advent).
‘Baracuta and Engineered Garments are equally dedicated to making garments that become more personal through the experiences had while wearing them,’ the brands say in a statement, noting that it is not the first time they have collaborated (in 2018, Engineered Garments reimagined the G9 and G4 jackets as part of an A/W 2018 collection). ‘[We] both value unique garment construction with attention to detail, meaning and hidden qualities behind each design.’
Baracuta x Engineered Garments campaign
They note that the collaboration is also about continuing to ‘create a bridge between England and America’, Baracuta’s designs first finding relevance in the midcentury United States as a symbol of rebellion and counterculture (famously James Dean wore a red copy of the Baracuta G9 in Rebel Without A Cause). ‘Baracuta has been presented in American culture throughout the years,’ says the brand. ‘And has since adopted distinctive traits from there.’
The G9 jacket remains central to this collaboration, seeing Suzuki merge the British classic with an icon of American design, the MA1 Aviator jacket (‘bringing an extra touch of American DNA to the collaboration’). The limited-edition design features the classic ‘dog-ear’ collar with double-button fastening, ribbed cuffs and raglan sleeves of the G9, here updated with a quilted nylon lining (instead of the usual tartan) which gives it the feel of a bomber jacket. As does a loose, oversized fit – ‘unusual for a Baracuta,’ as the notes describe.
Available from 7 October 2022, the jacket comes in three understated colourways – black, navy and beech.
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