Pointer Brand Hickory Stripe Chore Coat: American Workwear Since 1913

Unknowndivide may earn a commission from purchases made through links in this post.

The chore coat is one of the great pieces of American workwear, and few companies have a stronger claim to it than Pointer Brand. Its hickory stripe chore coat is built the old fashioned way, from rigid cotton and heavy stitching, in a factory that has been making work clothes for more than a century. It is the kind of jacket that starts stiff and gets better every time you wear it.

Who makes it

Pointer Brand is the original clothing line of the L.C. King Manufacturing Company in Bristol, Tennessee. According to the company, Landon Clayton King was raising champion bird dogs in the foothills of the Appalachian Mountains at the start of the 20th century. He saw a need for tough workwear that could handle tracking quail or a long day on the farm, and he founded the company in January 1913. Inspired by the ruggedness and character of his dogs, he named the first line of clothing Pointer Brand.

The factory in downtown Bristol has stayed in the King family for four generations. Today Jack King, the founder's great grandson, runs the company and continues to make its classic overalls, jackets and jeans.

What it is

The Hickory Stripe Chore Coat is a classic work jacket with a boxy cut and plenty of pockets. Pointer Brand notes that hickory stripe was made famous by train engineers and railroad workers and remains an enduring symbol of American workwear. The fabric comes from Mount Vernon Mills in Trion, Georgia, which the brand calls America's oldest surviving denim mill and which has been operating since 1847.

Here are the details from Pointer Brand:

• Fabric: 100 percent cotton, rigid 10 ounce hickory stripe denim
• Construction: heavy thread stitching and bar tacking throughout
• Seams: double needle felled shoulder cap, center back and sleeve, with clean finished inside seams and riveted sleeve seams
• Pockets: upper left patch pocket, upper right flap pocket, oversize lower pockets inspired by the brand's overalls and an inside patch pocket in contrasting indigo denim
• Hardware: signature 1913 L.C. King pewter shank buttons, with an angled sleeve buttonhole
• Finish: unwashed, ready to shrink to fit
• Made in: Bristol, Tennessee

Why it is cool

This is a chore coat with real roots. The pattern, the pockets and the stitching all come from a company that has been making work clothes since 1913, not a brand borrowing the look. Details like the riveted sleeve seams and the oversize lower pockets lifted from the company's own overalls make it clear this jacket was built to work.

The fabric is the other big draw. Hickory stripe has a crisp, graphic look that stands out from plain denim or canvas, and it ties the coat to the railroad workers who made it famous. Because the coat is sold raw, it starts stiff and slowly softens and molds to you as you wear it.

If stripes are not your thing, Pointer Brand also makes the coat in other fabrics, including an 11.5 ounce rigid indigo denim from the same Georgia mill, as well as duck canvas.

How to wear it

The chore coat is one of the most versatile jackets you can own. Wear it over a T shirt and work pants for a classic workwear look, or layer it over a flannel shirt or a sweater when the weather cools. In warmer months it works as a light overshirt. The big pockets hold a phone, a notebook, gloves and keys without the need for a bag.

Fit is the key decision. Because the coat is unwashed, it will shrink when you wash it. L.C. King explains that raw garments still have all their shrinkage ahead of them, so if you plan to wash the coat, factor that into your sizing. If you plan to keep it raw, you can size by the fit you see on day one.

Care

L.C. King's own care advice is to think about raw versus prewashed before anything else. A raw garment has been cut and sewn straight from the mill fabric without being washed, rinsed or pressed. The company notes that all fabrics shrink and that washing a raw garment can affect not only the length and chest but the whole silhouette. Wash in cold water and hang dry if you want to limit shrinkage, and expect the hickory stripe to soften and develop its own character over time.

Who it is for

The Pointer Brand chore coat is for people who love workwear with a real history. It suits anyone who wants a durable, practical jacket made in the United States, made by a company that still runs its own factory. If you like the idea of a coat that you break in yourself and keep for years, this is a perfect pick.

More workwear reading: our explainer on the chore coat, Carhartt vs Carhartt Work in Progress, the Levi's 501 and Pendleton Woolen Mills. For more, visit our sneakers and style hub.