Some of the best flannels I've owned over the years happen to be vintage ones. But if you're shopping for a new flannel, depending on your taste or what you're looking for, it's either really daunting or really disappointing.
Shopping for flannel fabric is a similar experience. When looking for patterned fabric that'll later be washed and faded, you have to see beyond what's in front of you and take into account texture, weight, color after processing. Even after these calculated decisions, it doesn't turn out the way you want and it misses the mark. But sometimes all it really takes is to take a chance on something and hope for the best.
Case in point: I was digging for one-off pieces for references one day and came across a roll of fabric that at first glance was a generic black and grey flannel. It felt weighted but not thick, and the pattern was slightly different than the other plaids I've seen around.
So here we go. I didn't even take a swatch, I took what they had. From there, worked with our patternmaker to alter our existing shirt silhouette and created a sample. Because of the weight and knit, it ended up being a blend of a shirt and overshirt that lays flat and doesn't wrinkle easily.
The wash test is really what solidified it for me. That's the moment when our Baynham Flannel came to life. The black and grey plaid now had a subtle warm brown tint – similar to what you'd see from exposing it out to full sun for days or weeks on end.
In terms of detail, we needed a shirt that was updated but not some generic heritage flannel and not a thrifty workwear plaid shirt. This is how we decided to set ours apart:
Antique 1930s mixed metal buttons were handpicked to complement the unique character of every shirt, so no two shirts are the same.
We loved our original Japanese flannel shirt with bone buttons but this one has its own individual character for each and every person that decides that's the kind of flannel shirt they want. It's a heavy flannel but due to the processing and wash, it has a slightly worn in texture and soft hand feel. While we want to admit that immense attention and detail went into every single ATH design, this one for us truly embodies that.