Strike the right Cord

Given that there's a 70s-style revival in full swing, it's no surprise that corduroy is back in fashion. In autumnal shades and retro-inspired cuts, this new-look cord couldn't be further from your Geography teacher's wardrobe.

Truth be told, we may all be slightly guilty of geek-association when it comes to cord. It was one of those fabrics forced on us as kids and while we may have sworn to NEVER wear it again, that promise is suddenly becoming hard to keep, as corduroy trends hard for AW21.

The New Cord

What was once regarded as a poor man's velvet is now simply the new velvet and while corduroy dates as far back as Ancient Egypt, the woven material that we recognise today is from 19th century England, where its hard-working composition made it ideal factory-wear as well as part of military uniforms.

Cut It In Cords

Although its popularity since has waxed and waned, over the years, corduroy has never entirely fallen out of favour as a menswear staple. And more so this time of year as it chimes perfectly with conker-brown and mustard hues as well as complimenting a classic navy blue. Team cord chinos with a Sherpa check jacket, layered with a classic hoodie for the perfect retro-modern balance.

Cult Status Cloth

Wearing cords means you're in good company. Worn in the 1970s as a symbol of both working-class identity and political radicalism, it was favoured by musicians, artists and directors like Woody Allen, Bob Dylan, Pablo Picasso and Wes Anderson and then in the 90s Pulp singer Jarvis Cocker made it famous once more, albeit ironically, in his anti-cool corduroy suit..

Learn Your Cord

The ridges known as wales now define the look of corduroy and are created by weaving layers of threads into a base fabric, followed by various gluing, cutting and brushing treatments. Wales are measured in ridges per inch; the higher the wale, the finer the cord, with pin cord being considered the finest and elephant cord the thickest. But hey, let's not get too geeky, right?

For Corduroy and more visit www.originalpenguin.co.uk