There’s this concept in Japan known as Kaizen, which essentially translates to ‘change for the better’ or ‘continuous improvement’, normally through a gradual and methodical process. Without explicitly stating it, this collab between Iron Heart and Division Road is the sartorial definition of kaizen, taking the CPO Shirt and applying considered changes, resulting in a superior and nuanced CPO.
The Iron Heart x Division Road 434-ABC and 434-DTC shirts are among the cream of the CPO crop. Exclusive to Division Road, both shirts are constructed from fabrics sourced from the world-famous Fox Brothers®, a British wool and worsted cloth manufacturer that’s been up and running since 1772. To put how old that is into context, that was before the American Revolution. So, a long time.
The 434-ABC (charcoal) shirt is made in a limited bolt, medium weight 14 oz. Arsenic Grey Barleycorn ‘South West’ Flannel and the 434-DTC (brown) in a 14 oz. Devon Twill Check ‘South West’ Flannel, both of which are produced exclusively at the Fox Bros’ 200-year-old original Somerset mill located in Wellington in the southwest of England. Despite both shirts having an almost suit-like texture, the fabric — which has been made from the finest British lambswool around — has been engineered for the outdoors and is capable of handling some pretty dicey conditions.
Made in Japan, both shirts feature buttoned flap front patch chest pockets, chest pencil slots, military melamine buttons, felled seams, and chain stitch detailing throughout. If you’ve been in this game for a while, you’ll know that this stuff doesn’t come cheap. Seeing ‘Iron Heart’, ‘flannel’, and ‘exclusive’ all in the same sentence makes my wallet shudder, too. But this shirt is truly a one-off. So, if you’ve got half a band to drop on a new shirt these are a good bet.
Available for $550 from Division Road.
