[DEEP DIVE] TIBET SHIRT

Welcome back to "DEEP DIVE," where we look into the inspiration behind some of our favorite Engineered Garments pieces. In this installation, we are featuring the "Tibet Shirt," a shirt jacket with a unique closure system.

Before Engineered Garments' designer Daiki's Suzuki starts to make an item, he needs to find a cohesive vision. For the Spring Summer 2023 collection, Senegalese artist Issa Samb is the light guiding Daiki's hand. Samb's unique personal fashion sense and mixed-media artwork imbued a sense of openness to the season, opening the door to designs worldwide. The resulting collection combines silhouettes and fabrics that don't often feature in the Engineered Garments repertoire, providing a sense of brightness and freedom. 

The Tibet Shirt is among the new designs that take a bold step as members of the EG offering. As with many items of folk wear, the design is a crafty mix of function and form. The Chuba, the traditional Tibetan robe, inspires the silhouette. 

Sometimes called "the roof of the world," Tibet is famous for its high elevation, with an average height of 4,000 meters, with the Ngari Prefecture in the west climbing to over 5,000. With a continental climate, the country's summers are sweltering, and the winters are bitterly cold, and at such extreme altitudes, the temperature plummets at night, regardless of the season. The climate is harsh, and the nation is primarily an agrarian society with limited arable land making animal husbandry the most common occupation. 

The Chuba allows for efficient temperature regulation while facilitating hard labor, with long sleeves, a wide waist, and a long hem. The robe goes on over the head before being tied by a red, blue, or green belt around the waist. The hem, which falls just below the knee, creates a storage space to carry personal belongings. During the summer or when engaged in physical labor, some remove both sleeves and tie them around the waist. Tibetans don the Zhui Gui for ceremonial occasions, an undergarment often crafted from silk, featuring brocade printing and an asymmetrical sleeve. 

The Engineered Garments Tibet Shirt is inspired by the Zhui Gui, transforming the formal shirt into a casual jacket. The stand collar remains, while the asymmetrical opening is moved from the shoulder to the garment's body, creating a double-breasted drape. Daiki also exchanges the ornate fasteners of the original version for a string closure system, a military-inspired design that has become a signature EG motif. Finally, side vents and front pockets add a touch of traditional suiting details.  

The Tibet Shirt continues the Engineered Garments Spring Summer 2023 theme of worldwide folk wear. In addition to its rustic appearance, the item is available in various colorful fabrics, reflecting the vast array of textiles from the original version. 

The Tibet Shirt is available in the following fabrics:

Blue/Orange Ethno Dobby
Natural / Black LC Stripe
Navy Cotton Voile
Navy/Grey LC Stripe
Olive Small Seersucker Plaid

Available in-store and online at nepenthesny.com