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Meeting with Pieter Riedijk
If I had to define what makes me think of Lafont, it’s the juniper brandy for the traditional side that the brand inspires me.
If we go back to the origins, the overalls are the first work clothes used by professionals of any sector in the accomplishment of their job. As the design and manufacture of professional clothing has been our core business for over 170 years, we legitimately wondered about the origins of this equipment… Which raised many questions:
Lafont has investigated for you!
Work clothes are still widely associated with “blue overalls”. It was once dedicated to manual and industrial trades. Today, it is widely diversified and responds to the problems of many sectors of activity. While the use of the term “blue collar” may seem to be waning, it is still widely abused. So where does the name come from? Beyond the color, why was it called that?
The origin of the name “bleu de travail” comes from its color, the Prussian blue. (It is also called Berlin blue because of its city of origin).
The conditions of its discovery remain rather vague as 2 anecdotes are exposed:
Finally, from a simple mistake was drawn large profits. At the time, the use of dark blue was regulated by trade laws. Being difficult to produce and fix, its use was far from economical. The composition of Prussian blue, this very deep blue pigment, was jealously guarded for a long time because of its low manufacturing cost. It is this last reason that explains its massive use for the production of the first work clothes. The color blue has become the symbol of the workwear, even giving it its name.
NB: The color blue has given its name to other work clothes, such as the blouse (from the English blue).
The discovery of Prussian blue played a very important role in the popularity of blue. In the 18th century, this color quickly became universal and timeless. This color has become very fashionable and was already used in the maritime and military trades and by mail carriers. It had the advantage of being inexpensive to manufacture and easy to clean because of its dark appearance. When the workwear was developed in France, the objective of the manufacturers was to reduce the manufacturing costs charged to the companies. The “Prussian Blue” appeared as an obvious choice.
The primary role of overalls was to protect workers from the risks identified in their sector of activity. The reasons for wearing it were multiple and allowed to work in good conditions:
The overalls, the worker’s uniform, the work in the factory.
This work clothing very quickly became that of the workers. Sometimes unwelcome, because it was perceived as a social label: “blue overalls, the worker’s uniform, work in the factory”, it was eventually imposed by the unions. To distinguish themselves from the workers, the superiors often wore their clothes in a different color, either white or gray.
NB: The expressions “blue collar” and “white collar”, taken from this period, are still used today.
Today, millions of workers in dozens of sectors of activity have adopted the blue collar worker as their primary response to the industrial revolution. Flashback on the rise of this outfit!
1789, the industrial revolution is launched. Society is witnessing a boom in the production of consumer goods and the pooling of businesses and services. The advent of new machine tools is likely to generate many accidents. The apron, used in the exercise of many trades in the past, often made of leather or heavy cotton, was no longer sufficient to ensure the protection of workers. The end of the 19th century marks the end of the industrial revolution and the development of work clothes. With the compulsory wearing of traditional protective clothing, the beginnings of safety standards in the workplace can be seen.
Little by little, the overalls are abandoned for a more functional uniform composed of two pieces: a jacket and pants. Some workwear manufacturers designed pieces that would become emblematic: the “vareuse”, the “largeot” (carpenter’s pants), and the overalls with their metre pocket, invented by Lafont.
For a long time used in factories, the overalls came out of the ranks in 1968 to dress the students of the grandes écoles. It was then tamed by renowned designers, such as Dior.
Initially worn in industrial and general mechanical workshops, this workwear quickly became widespread. Initially, the overalls were acquired by each employee with his own means. About 8 million people in France were affected. The demonstrations led by the unions and the wage demands will change things. Afterwards, the company itself will supply its employees with work clothes.
Nowadays, the
professional clothing
and personal protective equipment still represent a major challenge, both in human and economic terms. Today, workwear manufacturers offer products that can be adapted to each sector of activity according to the specific constraints of each field and respecting the rules of comfort, resistance and design.
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If I had to define what makes me think of Lafont, it’s the juniper brandy for the traditional side that the brand inspires me.
When I met Lafont at Sirha Green with Pieter Riedijk, I discovered a French company that is several hundred years old, with a rich industrial history.
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