WORKING clothing is a collaborative brand founded by William Kroll of Tender Co and Robert Newman of Middle Distance, Massimo Osti Studio, Stone Island and CP Company.

Each operating from their separate studios in Glasgow, Scotland and Phoenixville, Pennsylvania, the lads combine their distinct approaches to design and production; exploring each other’s perspectives on fabrics, art and design history, uniform construction, and an expanded interpretation of workwear.

WORKING garments are crafted in limited quantities in England and Japan. They are a true testament to quality and Nubes is a very proud stockist of WORKING since its inception.

The role of dyeing in WORKING garments

In Book 1, WORKING placed a huge emphasis on garment dyeing - processes that are central to both William’s work on Tender and various Massimo Osti projects involving Robert.

For them, garment dyeing marks the true beginning of a garment’s life: thread is absorbed into cloth, the fabric begins to soften and evolve, and all components are brought together in a shared dye bath. This process of alchemy is what gives the garment its distinct character. This first collection focused on three really interesting, unique and wearable colours: nantucket, sage smudge and beach tar.

Nantucket

A strong pink colour associated with preppy seaside resorts on the US East Coast. It is commonly seen on coastal homes as well as men’s trousers and shirts. When overdyed onto the Italian Majocchi olive green fabric, it produces a deep, mottled brown. Just look how beautifully executed it is in the Working Clothing Loft Jacket Nantucket.

Sage smudge

This soft green grey is from the dried leaves of the sage plant. Traditionally it was used in European witchcraft and folklore to cleanse a space of negative spirits and invite positive energy. A bundle of dried sage leaves, known as a smudge, is lit and waved through a room in a ritual called smudging. You can find sage smudge showcased on the long-sleeve Trap shirt.

Beach tar

A purplish-black colour inspired by the lumps of sand and tar found on beaches caused by oil spills out at sea. Despite the unfortunate origins, this is an incredible colour that you can wear with everything, replacing your khaki-army green bomber or plain black workwear jacket with more nuanced and flattering hues. See it here on the WORKING Drone Jacket Beach Tar.

Majocchi fabric made in Italy

Organic cotton mesh interior

Peach cotton oxford

WORKING fabrics

Simply writing about these fabrics really doesn’t give justice to the impeccable workmanship and durability of the WORKING clothing brand. You can feel it when you touch and wear the garment - the first time we tried on the Loft Jacket and Drone Jacket felt seriously special. These jackets are designed in a way that they mould to the body over time. Each garment is built to last, with the wearer in mind, using breathable and hard-wearing yet soft textures. Every detail is carefully chosen and never an afterthought, from the buttons of the Trap shirt (made of cellulose acetate derived from recycled cigarette butts), down to the triple-layered sandwich structure of both the Drone and Loft jackets. WORKING clothing is a brand deeply committed to considered and unconventional material use. For Book 1, there are three notable fabrics that William and Robert got experimental with when constructing these long-lasting shirts and jackets.

Majocchi polyester-cotton gabardine
65% polyester; 35% cotton intimate blend (blended fibre not blended yarn) with technical finishing made in Italy.
Organic cotton mesh
100% cotton ecru loomstate that shrinks in dyeing to give the garment texture. It is used in the middle layer of the Drone and Loft jackets.
Peached cotton oxford
100% cotton with a lightly brushed peach.