Breton Kaban Jacket Ladies

For centuries, the kaban has been the work jacket of Breton fishermen. However, it was not until the early 19th century that the originally white jacket (Breton: kap gwenn, white fabric) was dyed blue. In this form, the Kaban conquered the war and merchant fleets of Europe and became the maritime garment par excellence. Armor lux in Quimper still produces it exclusively for us in France and exclusively from natural materials: a medium-weight, densely woven cloth made of pure wool is used for the outer fabric and pure viscose for the lining, which is backed with a cotton fleece and quilted in a diamond shape. The slightly tailored kaban has a high lapel collar with a buttoned storm latch; it is fastened with three pairs of metal uniform buttons, as have always been used for this type of jacket. The front has a broadly stitched shoulder yoke. With two slanted, broadly stitched and piped slit pockets at the front and a buttoned inside pocket.

"Armor" is the Breton word for sea, and "lux" can only mean the light on the coast. A maritime style, in any case, is what characterises many of the garments produced by Armor lux. The company, set up by a Swiss man in the Breton town of Quimper at the end of the 1930s, manufactures sweaters, shirts, dresses, trousers, hats, caps and scarves. In the 1960s, Armor lux established its own dyeing workshop so that all manufacturing processes were gathered under one roof, from fabric production to quality controls. In the 1970s, they introduced their first major collection. Since then, the label stands for simple, comfortable cuts, classic colours and an uncompromising approach regarding quality in terms of material and workmanship. For the most part, the production takes place at the headquarters in France and to a small extent in factories in Madagascar and Tunisia.