The DOUBLE DIAMOND BAND COLLAR SHIRT, affectionately known as the grandad collar shirt, is crafted in Japan from cotton pique cloth. Featuring a full Takase shell button closure, it is designed with a classic curved hem.

The standing collar shirt has an alluring history, with styles similar to the band collar shirt worn by French nobility as far back as the 15th century. In the 19th Century, Hannah Lord Montague of Troy, New York, invented the first detachable collar. Tired of cleaning her blacksmith husband's shirts, she began cutting off the soiled collars, binding the edges and tacking the collars in place, making them more efficient to clean and replace. The innovation spread through the community and several manufacturers in Troy began marketing collars and cuffs alongside the new band collar shirts to attach them to, spawning an industry in the city, where collars were sold door to door. By the early 20th century, 15,000 people worked in the collar industry in Troy and it became known as ‘Collar City’. Innovation in the collar market inspired a number of sartorial developments, like the pairing of differently coloured collars and shirts in formal wear, new collar designs or the absence of a collar altogether.

These blue — collarless shirts became a practical choice for industrial workers. They reduced the risk of collars or ties getting caught in machinery, offering greater safety and comfort to workers engaged in physically demanding tasks and they appealed to union workers who wanted to defy the formality of the management class.

Our DOUBLE DIAMOND BAND COLLAR SHIRT appropriately considers these historical influences and is crafted from versatile cotton pique cloth known for its breathability and comfort.

Originating in late 18th-century Lancashire, pique cloth is distinguished by its textured surface, created from raised parallel cords or fine ribbing.