Who are these men in sailor sweaters?

A trip to a Parisian restaurant on Sunday. It’s brunch time at this hot spot, decorated in flea market style. The scene may be strange, but a clothing event is taking place before our eyes. several men, some coming with family, others with friends, are wearing navy sweaters. Most are in their forties, have three-day beards and prefer navy blue knitwear. One silhouette even manages to stand out from the crowd with its lines that clearly resemble a sailor’s shirt. Here we come to eat organic egg mayo, brieche with Kalamata olives, poached pear, all washed down with homemade apple juice, spiced with ginger. We are far from the sea spray of the Breton coast.

So what motivates our city dwellers today to love this wool garment so strong it makes it waterproof? “I have two, they’re one of my staples that I wear on the weekend. It’s a bit of an easy fix. It’s warm, goes well with jeans and sports shoes, allows me not to think about what I’m going to wear,” answered one of them, the head of a startup, surprised that we were interested in his sweater. Michael, a 39-year-old IT architect from Paris, talks about it with more impact and passion in his voice. “The row of buttons on the collar opening refers to the sailor or soldier, this image of the adventurous man. It says I’m not just a geek behind my computer. Paradoxically, you will never see me at work with it, it will give the impression that I want to escape from my meetings. And to remind the lonely and free-spirited character of the sailor Corto Malta, the hero of these comics, who saw the light of day in the late 1960s under the name Hugo Pratt. From a pea coat and sailor sweater clad adventurer to a symbol of masculinity and confidence, there’s only one step for Michael. “I wish I could be him in life, but no. So I steal a bit of her virginal aura by wearing sailor sweaters.”

I wear it on sea trips, I wouldn’t think of wearing it outside of this setting. I find that in the city, it doesn’t give much

Guillaume, investment bank analyst

A style that divides

More than one hundred and seventy years after its creation, this garment, originally worn by Breton fishermen and then by sailors of the French navy, has retained all its qualities (simple and functional design: a series of three buttons designed to facilitate transition. hood, insulating fiber, dark color chart, French production and fair prices) to reach new male fans. And a new stylistic cycle. The 1970s were about this renewal. With the rise of tertiary employment, the virgin wool sweater (which is scratched at the collar) has abandoned its image of military navy, becoming associated with the style of the seventies, more artistic and urban. And a slightly relaxed air as a result.

Because if the sailor sweater has left the beach, it’s only to return there in the wardrobe of vacationers and boaters. “I started sailing five years ago,” says Guillaume, an investment bank analyst in Paris. My partner and I bought a boat in Brittany where we spend most of our family holidays. As a joke, he gave me a sailor sweater and I wear it on sea trips for the functional side and maybe a little authenticity too. And then I find the buttons very practical for venting in the mess, but I wouldn’t think of putting it outside of this frame. I find that it doesn’t show much in the city, I associate it with a personal look, a little more purposeful,” confides this forty-year-old, who describes himself as a “sensitive to elegance” man. Unlike Guillaume, this sober and multi-functional side of clothing is attracting a large number of fans today. By relying on this sweater every day, they free themselves from choices they consider futile while offering them timeless style consistency.

If the sailor sweater’s stylistic aura is not always unanimous, opinions nevertheless agree on its status as a symbol of national identity. The first to claim President of the Republic. It’s hard to argue that clothes are a must in your wardrobe, no photo or video proves it. However, it is indeed a navy blue Cancale sweater from Tricots Saint James (pronounced “saint jam”) that Emmanuel Macron chose to present to US President Joe Biden during his state visit to Washington in November 2022. And for good reason, the brand established in centuries-old Normandy exports very well. It appeals to Americans, the third market after the Japanese and Koreans, for whom the clothes embody a certain idea of ​​excellence and French know-how in terms of ready-to-wear. And the French style…