Reading Between the Lines
Some workwear fabrics became iconic because they looked good.
Hickory stripe became iconic because it worked.
Long before it became a staple of heritage clothing, hickory stripe was worn by railroad engineers, mechanics, and factory workers who needed garments that could stand up to hard use. The vertical stripes weren’t just distinctive, they helped disguise dirt, grease, and wear, making them a practical choice for workers spending long days around steam engines, machinery, and coal-fired locomotives.
By the 1920s, hickory stripe had become so common that the U.S. government published specifications covering everything from stripe spacing to fabric construction, treating it as a recognized category of workwear fabric rather than simply a pattern. The standards page shown below comes from a 1924 Bureau of Standards publication and specifies exactly how hickory stripe cloth was to be woven.
The Selvedge Hickory takes that same workwear staple and reproduces it in a Japanese shuttle-loom fabric built with the same straightforward purpose: durability, utility, and character earned through wear.
The Fabric
Woven in Japan from 100% cotton, the Selvedge Hickory uses bold indigo stripes against a natural ground, creating the classic railroad pattern that became synonymous with American workwear throughout the first half of the twentieth century. Railroad workers, engineers, and shop crews wore hickory stripe overalls, jackets, and caps for decades, helping turn the pattern into one of the most recognizable fabrics in workwear history.
The fabric is woven on traditional shuttle looms at 10oz, producing a firm, structured hand that will gradually soften with wear while maintaining the crisp definition of the stripes. Unlike printed patterns, the stripes are woven directly into the fabric, a point manufacturers proudly advertised more than a century ago as a mark of quality and durability.
The clean white selvedge edge further reinforces the traditional construction, pairing historic workwear styling with classic selvedge craftsmanship.
The Details
To keep the focus on the fabric, the Selvedge Hickory is finished with natural low-contrast stitching, allowing the stripes to remain the visual centerpiece.
Tin hardware provides an authentic workwear finish, while a 5oz natural vegetable-tanned leather patch will darken and develop character alongside the fabric as it ages.
Specifications
10oz Japanese selvedge fabric
100% cotton
Indigo hickory stripe
Traditional shuttle-loom construction
White selvedge edge
Tin hardware
5oz natural vegetable-tanned leather patch
Made in Canada
Release
Thursday, June 4 at 11am ET, in Weird Guy, Easy Guy, True Guy, Strong Guy, and Chore Coat.
Available through Naked & Famous Denim, Naked & Famous Denim NYC, and select retailers worldwide.
