The Wolves takes you to places far flung or near, travelled in reality or only in our dreams…
About The Wolves:
The Wolves is a slow fashion sustainable label, based in Brixton, South London.
Bringing new life to vintage French workwear “bleu de travail”, and other hand picked vintage clothing, each item is a carefully sourced piece, chosen for its unique character, history, and the story it tells. Their history is written through their imperfections, the mends and darns, their faded colour and softness to the touch.
Each piece is hand embroidered, layering new stories on old - inspired by adventures both real and imagined, to magical places we can sometimes only dream of.
The original wolf was inspired by a vintage Cub Scouts jacket - a treasure found in a vintage showroom. I imagine it was made by someone’s Mum, it includes an amazing collection of badges, and on the sleeves and front panels - four beautiful appliquéd wolves. It is tagged inside with the owner’s name, and the badges date from 1952.
It started a journey of producing hand-embroidered, vintage garments. Pieces to wear that have a story to tell. The “Original Wolves” ongoing collection honours this inspiration, using vintage Scouting memorabilia alongside appliquéd wolves.
About the Vintage:
The core of The Wolves offering is made up of vintage blue workwear or “bleu de travail”
The blue jacket was traditionally worn by manual workers all over Europe but most famously in France from the early 1900s.
Occasionally I find pieces in rarer colours: white, green, brown or red. And I also come across pieces that have been reworked or bleach washed to make gorgeous faded pastels: pale grey, lilac, pink.
I also use some very special pieces of vintage Military: 1950s and 60s USAF flight suits and OG 107 shirts.
Size and fit
The Wolves is a gender neutral brand made for everyone.
The vibe is slouchy and easy to wear - jackets are oversized for a casual fit and look great with sleeves rolled up.
Sizes are XS through to XXL, and the sizing is a generous easy fit.
The below measures indicate the measurements from pit-to-pit, ie. across the chest when laid flat. These measurements may not be exact as each item is unique.
XS – 20 or 21 inches
S – 22 inches
M – 23 inches
L – 24 inches
XL- 25 inches
XXL- 26-28 inches
Size indicators
An ‘S’ is great for a loose fit on a size 8 or 10. A tall size 8 looks great in a ‘L’, whereas a petite size would find it too large.
A ‘L/XL’ fits great up to a size 14-16 UK. I can sometimes source ‘XXL’ sizes, up to 28 inches across the chest, so please do enquire.
Each jacket will vary in measurements and fit, with the sleeves varying a lot in length from style to style.
Each listing has detailed measurements, so you can compare them your own clothing. However, please get in touch if you need help finding the perfect wolf for you. Models pictured will also have measurements given to show fit on different sizes.
If you are smaller or curvier, please let us know, we are happy to source something just right for your build. Very small sizes are rarer, much larger sizes are less difficult to source.
Custom orders
We would love to work on custom orders for you, combining just the right fit, wash, details and design, please get in touch so we can make your perfect wolf. I generally only work with my own designs though, except in exceptional circumstances.
Sustainability
All of our jackets are vintage or deadstock pieces. Repurposing vintage clothing is one of the ways that we can lessen the impact fashion has on the planet.
The embroidery threads are DMC and are Oeko-Tex 100 certified.
Clothing labels are recycled polyester.
Swing tags are made from recycled board where possible.
Packaging is 100% recycled.
Returns and exchanges
Because The Wolves is a small business using labour and time intensive techniques, we do not accept returns. Jackets may be exchanged for another in stock item of the same value, as long as they are returned within 14 days in unworn and undamaged condition. Items must be returned by tracked and insured postage. No responsibility will be taken for items lost whilst returning.
Custom orders
Payment is taken in full at the time of purchase. Items usually ship within 3 weeks. Custom orders may not be returned or exchanged.
Shipping
Please allow 3 working days for dispatch. Orders are shipped using Royal Mail, tracked and signed.
Prices for shipping to be paid on purchase are:
UK shipping: £10 | Europe shipping: £30 | Global shipping: £50
Please note that The Wolves is not responsible for import charges or delays incurred due to customs.