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In 1974 Seattle’s Ann Michelson quit her job at Eddie Bauer (inventor of the first down quilted jacket) to launch her own outerwear enterprise, Crescent Down Works. Sewing custom-order down vests by hand, she carved out a niche in the demanding Northwest. Now nearly a half-century later, Crescent Down Works offers a handful of classic styles, made to order of time tested and sustainably sourced materials—and the business is still entirely family-owned and run by a team of dynamic women.
As a son of the Northwest myself, I’ve long sought the original North by Northwest Vest, and dreamed of owning a Down Shirt or Classico Down Parka. Each an absolute classic made in exactly the same fashion for decades. Think Twin Peaks vibes. The brand’s newly relaunched website proves there’s still much to covet yet.
Crescent Down works is known best for rarely, if ever, deviating from its tried and true formula of combining instantly recognizable silhouettes with legendary water resistant 60/40 fabric, the original technical fabric first introduced in the early 1970s.
The new Hooded Pullover hints at a future in which CDW experiments more. (Though past collaborations with brands like Stüssy and Todd Snyder, Euro fashion retailers Très Bien and Garbstore, and Alex Olson’s avant-garde skate brand Bianca Chandôn, prove the old-fashioned brand has always been forward looking when it comes to cultural alignment.)
Swapping the usual matte color palette for a more modern (and shiny) ripstop nylon, the 700 fill white goose down Hooded Pullover features a traditional half-zip anorak design with insulated kangaroo pocket. Plus it’s highly. packable. And as always, all down used by CDW is sustainable and ethically sourced.
Long story short, if it ain’t broke, don’t fix it. But feel free to add to it.
Published 01-07-2020
