Co-founder Mark Cho talks about developing this Armoury exclusive Cohérence model.
The Charles Coat is an exclusive design I worked on with Nakagomi-san of Cohérence. It came from my recent interest in shotguns and shooting. I don't have the heart to shoot animals but I do enjoy the challenge of shooting clays. When I first went shooting, I would wear a Barbour, which is a fine garment, but I wanted The Armoury to have its own take on it which resulted in the Charles Coat. As with all Cohérence garments, which are named after famous historical characters, we named the coat after Charles Mingus, the legendary jazz bassist and composer who famously once shot his shotgun indoors. Personally, I refer to the coat as the "Clay Hunter" as we already have a "City Hunter" jacket that has its own country origins but modernized for city use as well.
The Charles Coat is built for movement. The sleeves have been designed so you can lift arms your freely without disturbing the body of the coat. It features hand-warmer pockets and large patch pockets for you to keep shotgun shells or more likely, your smartphone, maybe even some cigars, a cutter and a lighter. The hood is a special new design, slightly closer fitting than usual and allows for superior visibility, especially when looking to the sky for your target. We've made it up in a high quality water resistant cotton gaberdine.
Of course, beyond its practicality for shooting, it is a superb coat for wearing both casually or over tailoring. The body is just long enough to cover jackets, and the waist can be cinched to give a little bit more shape. It has added room to be layered for Fall or worn on its own for Spring.
