Brief History of the 'Breton Stripe'

Why do sailors wear stripes? Stripes are associated with the coastal region of Brittany, in which there are many ports which stripe shirted sailors would depart from It is called the Breton Stripe as Bretons are the locals in Brittany and Brittany has a striped flag. The flag is made of 21 stripes, one for each of Napoleon Bonaparte's victories. The French navy adopted the uniform that included stripes in 1858 to also make it easier for sailors who had fallen overboard to be spotted from far away.

1917 - Coco Chanel introduced her famous stripe shirt that has now become a classic trend within the fashion world and especially British culture.

1960 - The Breton stripe was associated with the French New Wave Cinema, with many on screen film stars sporting the nautical stripe and trend on screen.

2009 - The Breton stripe and nautical trend was introduced in Balmain's Fall Collection and Coco Before Chanel was released documenting the life and career of Coco Chanel. Introducing her inspiration and reasoning for the 'Breton Stripe Shirt' she made so famous.

2013 - Jean Paul Gaultier adopted and became a ambassador for the 'Breton Stripe', featuring the stripe heavily in his brand identity, adverts, marketing and collections.

2014 - The nautical trend appeared heavily in street style in Paris and New York Fashion Week.

2018 - The nautical trend has again appeared in S/S fashion weeks to be in retail shops/high street for 2018.