Le Laboureur: how to wear the French work jacket, and which one to choose
Made in Digoin since 1956, the Le Laboureur work jacket comes in moleskin, cotton, linen and wool. Which one to choose, how it fits, how to wear it: the Aura guide.
Le Laboureur has been making workwear in Digoin, Saône-et-Loire, since 1956. Its work jacket, known as the veston or coltin, is the one worn by the Compagnons, France's guild of carpenters and roofers: straight cut, four pockets, engraved buttons, a cloth that takes anything. Today it is one of the best French workwear jackets to wear in the city, precisely because it was never designed for that.
In short: if you only buy one, the black moleskin work jacket is the reference version. For lighter everyday wear, the navy cotton work jacket. For winter, the pure wool work jacket. Here is how to choose between the fabrics, how it fits, and how to wear it today.
Contents
What is Le Laboureur?
Why the work jacket is iconic
Moleskin, cotton, linen or wool: which fabric should you choose?
Which Le Laboureur jacket for which use
How does Le Laboureur fit?
How to wear a work jacket today
Which colour should you choose?
Three outfits with a Le Laboureur jacket
Why Aura stocks Le Laboureur
Frequently asked questions
What is Le Laboureur?
Le Laboureur is a clothing manufacturer based in Digoin, Saône-et-Loire, in Burgundy. It has been making workwear for more than seventy years, first for craftsmen, labourers and the Compagnons, and today also for people looking for an honest jacket rather than a fashionable one.
Two pieces sum up the house: the largeot, the carpenter's trousers with a semi-balloon cut, and the work jacket, also called the coltin. The company holds the Entreprise du Patrimoine Vivant label (Living Heritage Company), the French state's distinction for outstanding craftsmanship, and has its cloth woven specifically for its workshop. Even the engraved buttons are made in France, by the Kocher company.
This is not a fashion brand doing workwear. It is a workwear brand that fashion eventually caught up with.
Why the Le Laboureur work jacket is iconic
The work jacket is the working man's garment par excellence. It took hold during the first industrial revolution, in workshops and on building sites, before becoming a symbol of the European working world. At Le Laboureur, it has accompanied the largeot of the Compagnons carpenters and roofers since the house's early days.
What makes it recognisable: a straight cut, with no waist shaping, which leaves movement free; four pockets, two at the bottom, one on the chest and one inside; a small collar and buttoned cuffs; strong seams and buttons engraved with the brand's name.
Nothing is decorative. That is exactly why the work jacket works in the city: it has the simplicity of an American chore jacket, with a slightly shorter, cleaner cut, and French manufacturing.
Moleskin, cotton, linen or wool: which fabric should you choose?
At Aura, the Le Laboureur work jacket comes in four fabrics. Each one changes the weight, the season and the way the jacket ages.
Moleskin: the fabric of French workwear
Moleskin is a very tightly woven cotton cloth with a satin weave, which gives it a smooth, almost shiny surface when new, and far greater abrasion resistance than standard cotton. Historically, it is the fabric of the French bleu de travail.
The black moleskin work jacket is made of 100% cotton moleskin. Stiff at first, it softens with washing and develops a patina at the elbow creases and the pockets. It is the reference version, the one associated with the Compagnons' coltin.
For its trousers, Le Laboureur uses a heavy 420 g/m² moleskin (67% cotton, 33% polyester), even denser. It is the one used for the black belt-loop largeot.
Cotton: the easiest for everyday wear
The navy cotton work jacket and the bugatti cotton work jacket are 100% cotton, softer and lighter than moleskin. They can be worn from day one with no breaking-in period, from March to November. The navy is the classic French work blue; bugatti, a warm, slightly vintage beige, is a signature colour of the house.
Linen: the summer version
The ecru linen work jacket and the black linen work jacket keep the coltin's cut in a breathable cloth. They are worn like an overshirt, over a T-shirt, when it is hot. Linen creases, which is normal; it is even what gives it its drape.
Wool: the winter jacket
In pure wool, the work jacket becomes a real transitional and winter jacket, warm and structured. Aura offers it in ecru, navy, grey and black.
The brown Burel wool version deserves an explanation. Burel is a felted wool cloth developed by Le Laboureur with an entirely French supply chain: 50% recycled wool (including offcuts from the workshop) and 50% naturally brown virgin wool from sheep raised in France, spun and woven in France. The fabric is dense, warm, and designed to withstand machine washing.
Which Le Laboureur jacket should you choose for your use?
For a first work jacket, to wear all year round: the black moleskin work jacket (€135). The sturdiest, the most faithful to the original, and black goes with everything.
For every day, with no breaking in: the navy cotton work jacket or bugatti (€130). Lighter, softer, easy to slip on over a shirt.
For summer: the linen work jacket (€145), in ecru or black, worn open like an overshirt.
For winter, or to replace a blazer: the pure wool work jacket (€190 to €200). The grey is the most versatile, from jeans to smart trousers. The brown Burel is the warmest and the most rustic.
For the full set: a work jacket and a largeot in the same colour. It is the Compagnons' outfit, and it is also the strongest silhouette.
How does Le Laboureur fit?
The work jacket fits straight and slightly loose, like workwear: it is designed to go over a jumper. At Aura, it comes in S, M and L. Here are the equivalents from the brand's official guide, by chest measurement:
S: 80 to 88 cm
M: 88 to 96 cm
L: 96 to 104 cm
The ranges overlap on purpose. If you are on the border between two sizes, take the smaller one for a close fit, the larger one to layer over a camionneur jumper. Our advice: your usual size, without going up. The jacket is already cut with room.
For the largeot, the size is read as a waist measurement: 38 corresponds to 76 to 78 cm, 42 to 83 to 86 cm, with 40 and 44 in between. The largeot sits low on the waist, loose through the thighs and narrow at the ankles: do not look for a slim trouser, because it is not one.
How to wear a work jacket today
A work jacket is worn as a third piece: neither a coat nor a shirt, it gives structure to a simple outfit. Three rules are enough.
Keep the bottom half simple. Raw denim, chinos, wide trousers. The work jacket already has character through its fabric; it does not need trousers that speak just as loudly. At Aura, nanamica selvedge jeans or a Le Laboureur largeot do the job.
Play with fabrics. Moleskin over denim, wool over corduroy, linen over cotton. The contrast of textures makes the outfit, not the colours.
Don't dress up as a worker. A work jacket with a largeot, a striped shirt and a cap is a costume. A work jacket with a white T-shirt and trainers is an outfit.
Which shoes?
The work jacket goes with almost anything. G.H. Bass Weejuns loafers for an Ivy, slightly American reading. Diemme boots to stay in the workshop spirit. Understated trainers, Veja or Merrell 1TRL, to break up the vintage feel. Avoid shoes that are too formal, which contradict the jacket.
What to wear underneath?
A heavy cotton T-shirt, a buttoned-up oxford shirt, or the most consistent option: the Le Laboureur camionneur jumper in pure wool, the house's working knit. The work jacket was cut to go over it.
Which colour should you choose?
At Le Laboureur, colours have a meaning. On building sites, they indicated the trade: black for carpenters and roofers, ecru for stonemasons and sculptors, brown for cabinetmakers and joiners.
Black: the easiest, the most urban, the one that develops the best patina. First choice.
Navy: the French work blue, warm with ecru denim or beige.
Ecru: the brightest, and the quickest to show dirt. Superb in linen in summer, in wool in winter.
Grey: only in wool at Aura, and probably the most versatile in the wardrobe.
Bugatti and brown: the warm tones, for those who already wear khaki, camel and light denim.
Three outfits with a Le Laboureur jacket
The workshop, city version. Black moleskin work jacket, ecru crew neck jumper in wool, black corduroy largeot, leather boots. All Le Laboureur, but two fabrics and two colours so it does not turn into a uniform.
The working week. Grey wool work jacket, white oxford shirt, straight raw denim, loafers. The work jacket plays the role of the blazer, in a more relaxed way.
Summer. Ecru linen work jacket worn open, white heavy cotton T-shirt, ecru linen largeot or shorts, white trainers. Tone on tone, light, effortless.
Why Aura stocks Le Laboureur
Because it is the real thing. Le Laboureur does not tell the story of workwear, it still makes it, in the same place, with the same patterns. The jacket you buy at Aura is the same one a carpenter buys from his trade supplier.
Because the price is fair: between €130 and €200 for a jacket made in France, in a cloth woven for it, that will last ten years.
And because it speaks to the rest of our selection. Alongside Mont Saint Michel, the other French work jacket, born in Pontorson at the foot of Mont-Saint-Michel, and the jeans woven in Nîmes by Ateliers de Nîmes, Le Laboureur completes a French workwear wardrobe that we want to offer in full, not in bits and pieces.
Le Laboureur: the details
Brand: Le Laboureur, a manufacturer founded in 1956 in Digoin, Saône-et-Loire. Entreprise du Patrimoine Vivant.
Piece: the work jacket, or coltin. Straight cut, four pockets, engraved buttons.
Fabrics at Aura: 100% cotton moleskin, cotton, linen, pure wool, Burel wool (50% recycled, French supply chain).
Sizes: S, M, L for the work jackets; 38 to 44 for the largeots.
Prices: from €130 (cotton) to €200 (black wool). Largeots from €120 to €170.
Made in: France, except for the shorts (Tunisia).
Discover Le Laboureur at Aura
Aura Store stocks Le Laboureur in Rennes. The brand's work jackets, largeots and jumpers are available in our store at 2 rue Châteaurenault and on the e-store, with delivery across France and Europe.
See the full Le Laboureur selection at Aura →
Brown Burel wool work jacket →
Black moleskin belt-loop largeot →
See all men's jackets and coats at Aura →
For French work jackets, see which Le Mont Saint Michel work jacket to choose. For knitwear and Parisian workwear, see our Museum Garments guide. For one-size fits and Korean volume, see our Kappy Design guide.
Frequently asked questions about the Le Laboureur jacket
Where is the Le Laboureur jacket made?
In Digoin, Saône-et-Loire, in the brand's workshop. Le Laboureur holds the Entreprise du Patrimoine Vivant label and has its cloth woven specifically for its production. The work jackets sold at Aura are made in France.
What is the difference between a veston and a coltin?
None: they are two names for the same straight, four-pocket work jacket. “Coltin” is the Compagnons' historical term, “veston” is the brand's.
How does the Le Laboureur jacket fit?
Straight, with enough room to go over a jumper. Take your usual size. According to the brand's guide, S corresponds to a chest of 80 to 88 cm, M to 88 to 96 cm, L to 96 to 104 cm.
What is moleskin?
A very tightly woven cotton cloth with a satin weave, smooth and highly resistant to wear. It is the historical fabric of French workwear. Stiff at first, it softens and develops a patina with washing.
Can a Le Laboureur jacket be machine washed?
The moleskin, cotton and linen work jackets can be machine washed cold or at 30°C, following the care label. Burel wool was developed to withstand machine washing. For the other wools, follow the instructions on the product's care label.
Where can I buy Le Laboureur in France?
At Aura Store, in Rennes, at 2 rue Châteaurenault, and online at aura-estore.com. Work jackets, largeots and jumpers in stock, with delivery across France and Europe.
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