William Ellery's Love Birds Collection Is Military Vintage at Its Best

Author

Ellen Eberhardt

Photographer

Courtesy William Ellery

William Ellery's Love Birds Collection Is Military Vintage at Its Best

Hand-painted chore coats and wool parachutes patched together from vintage military blankets round out the latest collection by the Brooklyn designer

Published: 11-21-2022

About the author

Ellen Eberhardt

Ellen is an New York City-based writer, designer, former architectural worker bee, and current reporter for Dezeen.

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Brooklyn-based experimental fashion-slash-outdoor apparel brand William Ellery continues to impress with its most recent collection, dubbed 'Love Birds,' which was released over the weekend. As is custom with William Ellery, each piece is made in limited numbers with an emphasis on storytelling and a fine attention to detail. For Love Birds, we see a modest set of vintage outerwear and caps reinvented in the brand's unique and spirited vision as a love letter to restoration.

The fast-selling Lovebird Jackets—corduroy and canvas hunting jackets featuring miniature waterfowl patches and hand-painted vignettes—may be the centerpiece of the collection, but the made-to-order Wool Parachute Blanket is possibly the most eye-catching—it's certainly caught our attention.

Lovebird Jacket 2243

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Lovebird Jacket 2239

A patchwork creation spanning 8.5 feet in diameter, the Wool Parachute is sewn together in William Ellery's Brooklyn studio from a mixture of standard and merino wools sourced from vintage Pendleton, U.S. Army, U.S. Navy, and Swiss Army blankets.

Designed to resemble the C-9 U.S. Military rescue parachute, the blanket features the same arrangements of orange, tan, olive, and white segments that were used to visibly distinguish the canopy across a variety of environments. Original markings, embroidery, and printing from the blanket's previous service still remain, meaning no two blankets will be identical.

Wool Parachute Blanket

The Wool Parachute was equally inspired by the restoration work of the Historical Aircraft Restoration Project (H.A.R.P), an initiative located in Hangar B of New York City's Floyd Bennett Field. Largely volunteer-run by aviation enthusiasts of all ages, the group restores and preserves old aircrafts and allows visitors to come and check them out in person.

The blanket comes equipped with a strap carrier made of nylon, brass, leather, and paracord, assuring it will look as good stowed away as it does fully deployed on your couch. The Wool Parachute is now available to order for $1,100, although a two-week production time is to be expected. Consider it not just a functional accessory for your home but also a repurposed historical artifact (it might help you stomach the investment).

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