70s, Worsted Wool, Terylene Blend, Military

If happiness weren’t subversive, they wouldn’t spend so much time trying to sell it back to you.

The Osuma blazer stands as a testament to Finnish tailoring, embodying the nation’s pragmatic ethos and mid-century Scandinavian approach to structured menswear. Produced by Kesto-Puku Oy in Turku, Finland, Osuma was known for crafting garments that prioritized durability, function, and a crisp, no-nonsense aesthetic. Finnish tailoring, unlike its more flamboyant Italian or British counterparts, steered away from excess, instead honing in on longevity, warmth, and utilitarian refinement. This blazer reflects that philosophy—its construction is deliberate, its materials robust, and its design rooted in practical elegance rather than fleeting trends. A single-breasted, two-button blazer in an austere black, this piece is tailored for both business and semi-formal settings. The design adheres to the mid-century Scandinavian suiting conventions: notched lapels, flap pockets, and a full lining, all reinforcing a structured, no-frills sensibility. The silhouette suggests a traditional European fit—somewhere in the 48-52 (EU) range—leaning towards a squared, commanding posture, with a notable absence of a center vent, opting instead for a boxier, rigid structure that ensures an unyielding presence. The medium-width lapels, reinforced with topstitching, echo the mid-century preference for pronounced yet functional detailing, while the three-button cuff design—though non-functional—adds a measured formality. The blazer’s construction method reveals an uncompromising approach to precision. The strong shoulder line hints at moderate padding, an architectural foundation that underscores its sturdy, upright profile. The lapels, wide with a deep notch, evoke classic mid-century tailoring, asserting their place in a world where structure was king. The patch pockets, featuring rounded corners, provide a stark contrast to the blazer’s otherwise sharp geometry, lending a subtle informality to the garment’s otherwise authoritative demeanor. The interior construction follows suit, with a fully lined finish and an interior welt pocket reinforced for longevity—every detail tailored for function, with little room for frivolity. Fabric selection further cements the blazer’s utilitarian purpose. Composed of a worsted wool-Terylene blend, the material exhibits the quintessential properties of mid-century Finnish suiting: resilience, crispness, and ease of maintenance. The tightly woven twill, likely a high-twist gabardine or cavalry twill, lends the fabric a refined drape while ensuring exceptional durability. The presence of Terylene—a synthetic polyester fiber—adds to the garment’s wrinkle resistance and structural integrity, reinforcing its place as a workhorse of professional attire. The textile bears the hallmarks of heritage suiting fabrics, aligning with high-end worsted wool twills such as Burberry-patented gabardine, the fine broken twill of barathea, or the military-grade smoothness of serge wool. These textiles, known for their sharp drape and anti-creasing properties, are often found in the collections of venerable mills like Vitale Barberis Canonico, Holland & Sherry, Fox Brothers, and Scabal—each a paragon of fine suiting production. The craftsmanship extends beyond fabric into the minutiae of construction. The lapel and collar are reinforced with double-row topstitching, ensuring they hold their shape over time—an essential feature for a blazer designed for long-term wear. The sleeve construction follows a classic set-in method, enhancing the garment’s tailored fit, while the cuffs, with their two-button finish, underscore the formality of the piece. The seams are machine-bound with a clean finish, ensuring structural integrity without sacrificing refinement. Notably, the blazer appears to be half-canvassed, as evidenced by its crisp yet pliable structure. The lapel roll, a subtle indicator of quality interfacing, suggests an industrial tailoring process that combines machine precision with careful hand-finishing techniques. Beyond construction, the blazer’s aesthetic choices reflect the understated power of Scandinavian tailoring. Finnish menswear during the mid-20th century was influenced by both military and workwear traditions, favoring clean lines, subtle detailing, and hard-wearing materials. The stark black coloration, combined with a structured twill texture, exudes professionalism and authority, leaving no room for unnecessary embellishment. The presence of synthetic fibers, a hallmark of 1970s European ready-to-wear, signals the era’s shift towards practical, easy-care tailoring—a move away from pure wool in favor of textiles that could endure daily wear with minimal maintenance. The three-panel back, along with the structured midsection seam, reinforces the garment’s upright stance, ensuring a fitted yet movement-friendly shape. The psychology of this blazer is one of restrained confidence. There is an implicit precision in every stitch, every fabric choice, every reinforced seam—this is not a garment that indulges in excess, but one that asserts itself through quiet strength. The rigid structure, the durable fabric, the no-nonsense fit—all hallmarks of a Scandinavian approach to menswear that prioritizes longevity over fleeting fashion cycles. It’s a piece built to last, to withstand boardroom debates and winter commutes alike, a steadfast companion for the wearer who values function and refinement in equal measure. In a modern context, this blazer stands as both a historical artifact and a testament to the enduring relevance of structured tailoring. Contemporary menswear has largely shifted towards softer, more relaxed constructions—unstructured blazers, deconstructed shoulders, lightweight fabrics. Yet, for those who appreciate the architectural rigor of mid-century suiting, this Osuma blazer offers a masterclass in durable, purpose-driven tailoring. It is a relic of an era when clothes were built not just to impress but to endure, a rare specimen of Finnish craftsmanship that remains as relevant today as it was in the heyday of Nordic menswear.

The jacket presents a commanding fusion of architectural tailoring and subversive design, embodying an aesthetic that straddles the avant-garde and the precision of classic menswear. The sharply structured peak lapels assert an almost sculptural presence, a detail that immediately recalls the work of Yohji Yamamoto, whose mastery of elongated, dramatic silhouettes reshapes the fundamentals of traditional suiting. The bold, geometric articulation of the lapel and its interplay with the jacket’s rigid shoulder line speak to an aesthetic vocabulary shared by Ann Demeulemeester and Haider Ackermann—designers whose approach to tailoring merges gothic undertones with an acute understanding of proportion and structure. The jacket’s stark black palette enhances this dialogue, reinforcing a visual language that values controlled exaggeration over mere ornamentation. The textile composition, a calculated blend of wool and Terylene, is emblematic of a utilitarian ethos embraced by designers such as Rick Owens and Poeme Bohemien, both of whom incorporate technical fibers into their collections to optimize durability and drape. This structured-yet-fluid material selection also resonates with Damir Doma and A.F. Vandevorst, whose work frequently explores the tension between rigidity and movement, producing garments that retain a disciplined silhouette while accommodating fluidity in wear. The strategic use of topstitching, emphasizing architectural lines, situates the piece within a lineage of designers like Noir Kei Ninomiya, who manipulate surface detailing to elevate tailoring beyond its conventional framework. The jacket’s three-button closure, coupled with a sharp waist suppression, aligns with the deconstructed elegance pioneered by Maison Margiela, where traditional forms are subtly recontextualized through precise modifications in proportion and fastening. The pocket detailing, featuring flap pockets with a subtly rounded cut, suggests an affinity with Junya Watanabe and Sacai—both known for injecting conventional tailoring with unexpected distortions that subvert classic menswear codes. Meanwhile, the slightly extended shoulder and controlled volume evoke the structured, almost armor-like approach of Gareth Pugh, whose mastery of silhouette manipulation transforms fabric into a medium of expressive power. Historically, this piece positions itself within a broader discourse of avant-garde tailoring, one that dismantles and reimagines the rigidity of traditional suiting. The controlled structure and stark minimalism suggest ties to the pioneering work of Comme des Garçons and The Viridi-Anne, brands that continually interrogate the balance between formality and experimentation. The jacket’s sharp lines and rigid posture also bear the imprint of the 1980s and 1990s Japanese avant-garde movement, where designers like Limi Feu and Yang Li challenged the boundaries of proportion and drape, producing garments that functioned as both wearable fashion and sculptural composition. This jacket ultimately exists within an aesthetic that wields precision as a tool of defiance, challenging conventional expressions of femininity and masculinity through a disciplined approach to structure. The selected designers share a commitment to redefining classic tailoring, infusing it with an intellectual and sometimes austere sensibility that prioritizes form over excess. With its controlled aggression, meticulous detailing, and deep black palette, this garment stands as an artifact of avant-garde tailoring at its most refined—disruptive, architectural, and undeniably assertive.

Measurements (cm)

Chest: 51

Length: 76

Shoulder: 45

Sleeve: 63

SKU: 005027