Our partnership with Schott over the past five years has yielded some really special projects. Last year, we branched out from the 519 Perfecto to offer a second leather jacket option in the A-2 bomber. This fall, we are excited to debut the first of two collaborations with Schott for the season, and it’s our first non-leather jacket.

As we set out to conceptualize FW20, one glaring hole in our collection was a proper winter overcoat. We thought briefly about developing our own until we realized that our good friends at Schott make beautiful wool coats right across the river in their workshop, and have been doing so for 80 years. At the start of WWII, Schott was awarded US Naval contracts to produce heavy melton wool pea coats for servicemen; they’ve been in their core lineup ever since. A few years ago, Schott released a single-breasted trench coat that was a modernized version of a US Naval bridge coat called the “Officer Coat.” It ditched the epaulets and sleeve strap details, and the standard oversized notched lapels were replaced with a Prussian collar that can be buttoned all the way to the neck. Like much of what we design, this style spoke to us because it references a heritage style with modern updates. We decided to use this coat as the starting point for our FW20 collaboration.

The Schott for 3sixteen Officer Coat features a heavy 28oz black melton wool that is usually reserved for Schott’s cold weather pea coats; we wanted to ensure that it would hold up to an East Coast winter. Melton wool is a cloth that’s been woven into a twill - although you wouldn’t be able to guess by looking it. It’s a super dense weave with a felted hand, perfect for retaining heat, blocking wind and wicking moisture. It’s also quite hardy, resistant to pilling and fraying - making it one of the toughest woolens available. You often see it utilized on Naval coats, traditional English duffle coats, and varsity jackets. The jacket is finished with a leopard-print rayon from Japan for a subtle pop that can only be seen when the coat is in motion.

Only 50 units of the Schott for 3sixteen Officer’s Coat were produced and they are available exclusively via our NY and LA flagship stores and on 3sixteen.com starting Friday, October 30th at noon EDT.