FOR MOST OF THE LAST CENTURY, WE WEREN'T TRYING TO BE FAMOUS. WE JUST HAD A JOB TO DO: OUTFIT AMERICAN WORKERS WITH QUALITY CLOTHING.
LOST
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FOUND
How a 100-year-old company found its way home
Universal Overall began in Chicago in 1924. The original purpose was straightforward: make clothing that could hold up to real work. Back then, companies didn't spend much time talking about themselves. Product either worked or it didn't.
Over time, Universal Overall found its way onto factory floors, farms, construction yards, workshops, and job sites across the country. We earned our reputation the old-fashioned way: by making pants, shirts, and overalls that people could count on.
By the late 1970s, we had moved away from traditional workwear and became focused primarily on uniforms for factories, facilities, service industries, and more. The work continued, but the visibility changed. For decades, Universal Overall was something you were more likely to find in a uniform catalog than on a store shelf.
About fifteen years ago, a Japanese collector of vintage American workwear came across old Universal Overall pieces and was fascinated by them. He appreciated the clean, utilitarian designs and how well the originals had held up over time. After tracking down the family behind Universal Overall and earning their support, he gained access to the archives and began recreating many of the classic pieces that first caught his attention.
What began as a small project continued to grow. Today, Universal
Overall is larger in Japan than it ever was in the United States.
Which brings us here.
After seeing the response in Japan, it felt like the right time to bring Universal Overall back to the country where it started.
As development got underway, one thing became clear: people still need clothing that works. Not just on job sites or farms, but in gardens, workshops, barns, studios, kitchens, and garages.
The details may change, but the need hasn't.
Conversations with ranchers, farmers, builders, horsemen, winemakers, artists, makers, and others helped shape the collection. People who know what works, what lasts, and what gets in the way.
The goal wasn't to make clothing that simply looked the part. It was to make clothing people would actually use.
Rather than build a huge collection, we started with a handful of pieces we thought people would wear often. The result is a focused collection made in the United States. Durable fabrics with useful details—and nothing added that doesn't need to be there.
A hundred years later, we're still showing up to do the work.
