Filson Cruiser questions

denisebrain

denisebrain

VFG Vice President
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VFG Past President
This is not my typical find and I've been doing research and am stuck on a point.

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It's a Filson Cruiser I believe. I found ads for Filson Cruisers dating from 1957 in the same 85% wool 15% Orlon blend.

From Eugene Guard, 9/5/57
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Orlon was introduced by Dupont in the early 1950s, yet this jacket has the ACWA label used prior to 1949 stitched into a pocket. Did unions ever use old labels?
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I can’t really make out the photo of the union label. Do you have a clearer photo?

But to answer your question, I think it’s totally possible that they had some leftover labels that were used into the following year.
Also as far as I know, Orlon was invented in the 1940s and trademarked in 1948 so perhaps there could have been something made of Orlon prior to 1950.
 
The label doesn't get any clearer I'm afraid, but it definitely doesn't show the sewing machine of the newer labels. I did hear from one person on Reddit that said that Filson used older union labels. I don't know his references. I just have to say that the union label predates the possibility of when the jacket was made. Orlon was only introduced publicly in the early 1950s.

In ILGWU history, I don't remember knowing anything about using labels that were outdated. The labels are so often used to date clothing, and I have never seen a reason to doubt that. Perhaps the AWCA was more flexible.
 
denisebrain said:
Orlon was only introduced publicly in the early 1950s.
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Interesting that some sources like Britannica say 1948 though I am sure you have done more research on this than me.



denisebrain said:
In ILGWU history, I don't remember knowing anything about using labels that were outdated.
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I wonder if it is for a relatively short period of time if anyone would have ever noticed until they ran out of stock
 

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Just a note to offer a chin up, Maggie - I find sportswear, menswear and particularly labels like Filson, to be really difficult to get precise dating. If you notice a lot of men don't change their styles much over many years, and neither do the makers of classic menswear, hunting, outdoorsman - until you get up to Patagonia and Goretex and "modern" fabrics that we can watch the degradation of the actual manmade products. The wool pieces, the classic outerwear shirts - they are still made the same. I see people misdating them all the time, and really the small clues are what tell me something is 80s, or there's a tag that is specific to recognize. The garments are often pretty solid. I try to be comfortable giving a wider range of years to encompass that. Filson is one of the super tough ones, though!

And, the union label, like any other label, cannot stand alone as the dating tool - three solid characteristics hold more weight than a tag that the factory may be running the last roll on. It's helpful when things all match a timeline, though.
 
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