THE HERZOG RUGBY SHIRT
"If I abandon this project, I would be a man without dreams and I don't want to live like that" and that "Everyday life is only an illusion, behind which lies the reality of dreams"
- Werner Herzog (1982)
The Rugby Shirt is a quintessential piece of British kit with collegiate origins, and a staple of flexible leisurewear - able to stand in for an Oxford shirt under a sports coat or in place of a sweatshirt on a chilly evening.
In 1979, German filmmaker Werner Herzog began work on what would be his most ambitious and difficult project to date, Fitzgerraldo, a retelling of the story of a 19th century rubber baron and his attempt to construct an Opera House in the heart of the Peruvian jungle, dragging a steamship overland and mountain to achieve this. The filming was beset by tragedy and difficulty, a fraught operation for Herzog, his muse and 'frenemy' Klaus Kink, the cast and crew and the local tribespeople who had been enlisted to work on the doomed affair.
The whole sorry saga was catalogued by 1982's award winning documentary "The Burden Of Dreams" which finds Herzog decked out in a series of practical rugby shirts as protection against the extreme conditions he placed himself in.
Here is our tribute to the man's troubled genius - a stone coloured rugby shirt hooped in black and crimson.
For manufacturers, we utilise the makers who supply the Oxbridge university teams and British Armed Forces, and employ their traditional baggy block. The body is a soft heavy gauge "Sportphlex' cotton mix cloth - an early performance fabric developed in the 1950s, finished with white herringbone cotton twill placket, split side hems, knitted cuffs and rubber buttons.
The first 20 orders placed ship immediately, the remainder on week of October 28th.
- Made In England
- Traditional baggy fit
- "Sportphlex" cotton mix performance fabric
- Herringbone twill placket
- Knitted cuffs
- Rubber buttons
- 2" split side hems
- Machine wash cold and line dry
SIZE SMALL (34-36) Chest: 49cm / Length: 66cm / Sleeve: 59cm
SIZE MEDIUM (38-40) Chest: 53cm / Length: 71cm / Sleeve: 62cm
SIZE LARGE (42-44) Chest: 59cm / Length: 74cm/ Sleeve: 65cm
SIZE XL (46-48) Chest: 63cm / Length: 76cm / Sleeve: 66cm
SIZE XXL (50-52) Chest: 68cm / Length: 79cm / Sleeve: 67cm