Our new 40s Gunner Smock is currently in production.
Today, we’d like to share the 1940s vintage piece that inspired it.
During World War II, the U.S. Navy used various types of protective clothing for sailors working in hazardous conditions, including gunnery and salvage operations.
Among them were distinctive hooded smocks, now often described in the vintage market as Gunner Smocks or Salvage Parkas.
These names are sometimes used interchangeably, but their original classifications and specific uses are not always clear. Surviving examples also vary in their pocket arrangements, hood construction, and adjustable openings.
Rather than treating them all as the same garment, we find ourselves looking closely at the details of each piece.
This particular smock has an oversized hood that covers the head and neck, and two large flap pockets across the chest.
Drawstrings at the neck, cuffs, and hem allow the openings to be adjusted. These are functional details, shaped by the demands of the clothing rather than added simply as decoration.
What draws us to vintage clothing is the way a practical structure can also have a distinctive beauty.
This smock is one of those pieces.
For PREQUEL’s 40s Gunner Smock, we have taken inspiration from these details and reinterpreted them in soft sweatshirt fabric.
Keeping the character of the original, while making it comfortable to wear in everyday life.
Production is now underway.
We look forward to sharing the finished piece with you.
