#17 Cone Food Tray Workshirt

There are so many elements that make this fabric one-of-a-kind it's hard to know where to start. Cone Mills rarely makes canvas. Heavy, 10.25oz canvas like this style is almost unheard of. It's the perfect weight for a tough, rugged workshirt. Next comes the sheer beauty of the color. It's an incredibly deep navy with subtle black tints that come from a black fill yarn. The kicker is the material composition. Cone went experimental in a very very good way. The fill yarn is spun from recycled food trays . . . think TV dinners. It's such a cool concept with the added benefit of being environmentally conscious. We love when experimentation yields beauty in a fabric. The fact that it comes in All-American form and in such a rare form makes this a true collectors item. 

There are a number of construction details that define our workshirt. The first is ample triple needle work with a classic chain stitch runoff. Triple needle is a specialized stitch not found on a standard button downs and that serves as the heart of any good work shirt. Ours gets triple need flat felled yoke and side seams with chain stitched bottoms. We also allow the side seam chain stitch to “runoff” the end giving you three chain stitch ends on each side. We bar tack to ensure the runoff can’t compromise the security of the side seam. The second detail is double chest pockets. We keep ours a bit cleaner, without flaps, but use button closures and double bar tacks in each corner for added strength. The left chest pocket gets the addition of a small pen slot. The third detail is side hem gussets. It’s a small functional element and looks absolutely great. Finally, we love the chin strap. Ours is small enough to be tasteful while still reminding you of the work wear roots of the garment. We created new custom Corozo buttons specifically for our work shirts. They’re a deep navy shade with a slightly domed top and two holes for securing. Overall, this is one of our most intricately constructed garments and one of the most costly to produce.

For production on these, we're teaming up with a small shop that exclusively sews reproduction workwear for Japanese brands - always above $300 per shirt. Their work is immaculate, and we're excited to be partnering with them.