Autumn cannot be seen yet, but it is on its way. Mornings grow cooler, evenings grow shorter, and we remember that winter will soon call for a garment that truly protects. Now, before the deep cold, is the time to think of the winter coat that will last the whole season. The Heritage Parka is one of them.
This parka carries a precise memory. It is inspired by the watch jacket the Maison supplied to the French armed forces, the garment worn on deck, exposed to wind, cold and sea spray. The watch is the vigil kept on board, by night as by day, whatever the weather. The garment of the one keeping it had first to hold up itself. This maritime lineage is not decoration: it tells where the piece comes from, and what it must protect.
The fabric does most of the work. The outer is a water-repellent, weatherproof cotton, made in France, that keeps the elements out without stiffening or adding weight. Inside, an extra-soft faux fur lining runs all the way to the ends of the sleeves, and a hidden rib knit at the cuffs holds in the warmth. Nothing scratches, nothing weighs: the material does its job without a second thought. The parka protects without confining.
Every detail has its reason. The high collar closes with a button tab that cuts out cold and wind. The hood, adjustable with a drawcord, is removable: keep it on rainy days, take it off when the sky clears. Two large outer pockets and a large closed inner pocket hold whatever the hands would rather not carry.
The Heritage Parka is designed for winter, in the city as in open country, as a men's parka as well as a women's parka. It slips over a sweater or a jacket, and carries you through cold days without weighing them down, from the first chill of autumn to the deep cold of winter. Made in France, it is repairable for life. The Maison plants a tree for every purchase, a discreet way of saying that longevity is also a matter of use.
Care reflects the piece itself: simple. A gentle wash at low temperature is enough to preserve the texture and the colours. A parka you keep is first of all a parka you know how to look after.
A parka is not chosen the way one chooses a seasonal garment. It is chosen for the winters to come, for days of bitter cold and driving rain, for those mornings when the wind bites. The Heritage Parka is one of those pieces kept year after year, because they last, because they protect, and because they carry a savoir-faire that is never spoken of lightly.