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Brief backstory.

In 1533 Henry VIII made it law for all farmers in England to grow a Rood of Hemp. He wanted the sustainable, strong & rot-resistant fibre to make rope and sails for his ships. Sea-folk would later cut up Hemp sails to make sturdy clothing fitFor Weather Fair or Fowl. Hemp has since become a persecuted plant, with its carbon killing, dirt loving, benefits largely overlooked. 

These stories inspired us to create this Jacket, a year-round piece made in England using one hundred percent European Hemp. A jacket that will last you a lifetime, and be one small step towards saving the world! 

The ‘Smacket'

After launching with Masks (remember those?) Tee shirts and Socks - Rood founders (Tom and Henry) wanted to expand the brand and try something a bit bigger. Back and forth-ing led us to the sea, where we cut up an old fisherman's smock into what we called a ‘Smacket’ (half smock half jacket). Then we met Melodie who has pattern making experience and her own line of sea- inspired clothing. She took our sliced up smock along with our mad scribbling and built the first Rood Jacket (The name 'Smacket' was eventually overruled)


The Fabric 

While our tee and sock textile was grown and produced with our friends at Hemp Fortex in China, we wanted to try and find fabric a little closer to home. Unfortunately there are still archaic laws in England that make textile (let alone hemp textile) production almost impossible at the time of writing. Rumors said Romania was the (current and closest) best producer of strong, sustainable hemp canvas-twill. After extensive research and budgetary checks we eventually found a supplier in Amsterdam that dealt in 12 oz 100% Romanian Hemp twill, the perfect match for our intended Jacket.


The Makers

With Melodies prototype, a dodgy tent, and a whole load of Socks and Tees we went to wilderness in the summer of 2022. Next door to us (in a very nice tent) was Iggy who ran a clothing company called Workhouse. He specialised in twisting traditions to create contemporary clothes tailored with enduring style, he also made all of his clothes in the UK. In exchange for a future jacket Iggy agreed to connect us with his maker (and to help us design the jackets trousers). Akbar runs a fourth generation factory in North London. It’s filled with antique machines and experts in their fields, the clothes they make range from high end costumes, to east end wool coats. Akbar agreed to help us out, and its been the beginning of many beautiful friendships. 

The Details

Our Buttons are made in England by Courtney & Co who employ traditional techniques and sustainable materials to preserve, promote and restore the button industry. The buttons are a Tueksby type made from Corzo, a sustainable tropical nut. 

The KrakenLabelwas designed by Tom Scotcher as he listened to us sing him ‘don’t forget your old shipmate’. The Octopus tentacle is not necessarily being aggressive. 

Thebrass sail eyelet is a nod to the sails that inspired the Jacket. It's also a good place to clip keys. 

Poachers' Pockets are designed to be big enough to  hold a reasonable sized fish or rabbit. They can also be used for wine, beer and thermos’ (will fit all three).

RoodColors were once always Red (Rood meaning Red in Dutch). Then we tried the Jekyll and Hyde principle. Then we thought about port and starboard. Now the hidden color in the cuffs is Red for black, amber for blue and green for natural. Maybe we’ll call it the traffic light principle?

Benefits

Read all about the benefits of hemp on our website inRood for You orRood for the World. As far as the jacket is concerned, it’s stylish, strong, sustainable, and has a good story behind it. The rest is in the wearing and we guarantee you’ll love it.

The Future

Along with expanding our Tee Shirt and sock collection. We are currently working on Trousers for the Jacket. An original fisherman's smock (not cut up) and an easy wearing apron.



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Sock It To Me
Sock It To Me

Hemp crew socks last longer and smell better than any other crew sock.
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Hemp: A Space Saving Crop
Hemp: A Space Saving Crop

More textile per mile is more land left wild.
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Rood Hemp Socks on the the beach
Fixing the earth with Hemp.

Dirt Luver indeed.
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