Heavy canvas workwear, sewn in Newcastle and repaired free for life
4.9 from 3,441 reviews
- Sewn in Carrington since
- 2016
- Machinists on the floor
- 9
- Repairs done free
- 6,318
- From 3,441 reviews
- 4.9
The chore jacket half of Newcastle seems to own, and keeps sending back to be fixed.
The Coal River ReviewHeavier than it looks on the hanger, and softer than it has any right to be after a year.
Workshop MonthlyA factory that still repairs what it sold you in 2016, for nothing.
Made Here
Four pieces of workwear, cut and sewn in Carrington
Each in heavy cotton from one mill, built to the same rule: if it wears through, we fix it. Hover to see it at work; choose a colour to see it on the hanger.
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Double-knee trousers in 12 oz cotton duck
TobaccoWaist 28 to 40, leg 30 to 34
Every piece made in five steps, in one brick shed by the harbour
From a bolt of Geelong canvas to a jacket on the rail takes about 96 minutes of work, spread across four people.
01The canvas
Namoi Valley cotton, woven into 12 and 14 oz duck by the Hollis mill in Geelong.
02Cut
Kate Ferris cuts twenty garments at a time along paper patterns with a straight knife.
03Sewn
Main seams sewn three times on triple-needle machines, collars set by Linh Tran.
04Riveted
Solid copper rivets set by hand at every pocket corner, knee and strap.
05Checked
Every thread trimmed and every button pulled, then washed once and pressed.
How the Carrington chore jacket wears in over five years
The same jacket, in the same light, new, after a year and after five. Drag the slider to watch 14 oz duck soften, fade and crease to the shape of the person in it.
Straight from the box: stiff, crisp and deep tobacco. It stands up on its own for the first week.
- Canvas
- Stiff, with sharp fold lines
- Colour
- Even, deep tobacco
- Elbows
- Flat
- Pockets
- Square, crisp edges
Workwear built with 14 oz duck, triple stitching and riveted brass
Five details on the Carrington jacket, and the reason for each. Choose a number on the photograph, or a line in the list.
A collar and a stand, so it turns a clean point and stands up under a hood.
Antique brass, riveted through the placket rather than sewn, so they never work loose.
A dense block of 28 stitches at each pocket corner, where a pocket usually tears first.
Felled shoulder, arm and side seams sewn with three needles at 8 stitches to the inch.
475 grams a square metre of tight plain-woven cotton, about twice the weight of a pair of jeans.
- Canvas
- 14 oz 475 g/m²
- Stitches
- 8 to the inch
- Main seams
- 3 rows each
- Shrinkage
- <2% after our wash
Find your jacket size from your chest measurement
Two answers, and we match them against the jacket's own measurements. Free size exchanges for 60 days if we get it wrong.
M20 cm of room over a 98 cm chest, right over a shirt or a light jumper.
Cut and sewn by nine machinists in Carrington, Newcastle
Rhys Calder spent eighteen years as a boilermaker in the harbour shipyards, wearing out a pair of trousers every couple of months. Kate Ferris spent fifteen cutting uniforms for other people's labels. In 2016 they leased a brick shed on Elizabeth Street and made the workwear they could not buy.
- Pieces a week
- 420
- Minutes in a jacket
- 96
- Kilometres to the mill
- 1,040
The mill. The Hollis family has woven cotton in Geelong since 1949. Our duck comes off their shuttle looms in 100 metre bolts.
The shed. Lights on at six, machines running at seven, roller door open to the harbour all summer.
Free repairs for as long as you own your Graft
Wear through an elbow, blow out a knee, lose a button. Post it back and a machinist patches it with the same canvas, in the same colour, for nothing.
- Book it onlineTell us what needs fixing and we post you a paper satchel.
- Post it backFree, from any post office in Australia.
- Home in about 8 working daysPatched, darned or re-riveted, washed and posted back free.
6,318 repairs since 2016. What comes back:
Workwear worn by cabinetmakers, potters and fitters
Photographed at work around Newcastle, in pieces between a week and four years old.
Reviews from people who wear Graft to work
4.9 out of 5 from 3,441 reviews, each from a verified buyer, with the size they bought.
Stiff as a board for the first month, then it turned into the jacket I reach for every morning. Three years in and the elbows are just starting to go soft.
Mick D.Boilermaker, Mayfield, chore jacket
Bought LUsually L, 183 cmTrue to size
Verified buyer, September 2026
I spend half my day on my knees. The double knee with pads in it has saved them, and the hammer loop actually holds a hammer.
Alana R.Furniture maker, Islington, double-knee trousers
Bought 30 / 30Usually 30, 168 cmTrue to size
Verified buyer, September 2026
The cross-back straps are the reason I bought it. Eight hours at the wheel and no sore neck. Clay washes out of the canvas with a hose.
Hannah F.Potter, The Junction, shop apron
One size172 cm
Verified buyer, September 2026
Reviews, ratings and press on this concept store are written for the demonstration.
- Free repairs for life
- Tears, worn knees, lost buttons: post it back to Carrington and we fix it free, for as long as you own it.
- Free size exchanges
- Within 60 days, posted both ways, even if you have worn it on site.
- Free delivery over $150
- Anywhere in Australia, sent the same day if you order by 2 pm on a weekday.
- Made in Newcastle
- Cut and sewn in Carrington by nine machinists, from canvas woven in Geelong.
Questions about Graft workwear
How long does canvas take to soften?
Most people say four to six weeks of daily wear for the 14 oz jacket and apron, and two to three for the 12 oz trousers. Wash cold and hang dry and it softens faster.
What does free repairs for life cover?
Wear and tear for as long as you own it: worn elbows and knees, torn pockets, broken stitching, lost buttons and rivets. Burns and cuts are fixed free too. We post you a satchel and post it home again.
How do I choose my size?
Use the size finder on the jacket and shirt pages with your chest measurement, or the waist and leg finder on the trousers. If it is wrong, size exchanges are free for 60 days.
Will it shrink?
Very little. Everything is washed once at the factory before it is sold, so a cold wash at home shrinks it by less than 2%.
Where is it made?
Cut and sewn in our factory in Carrington, Newcastle. The canvas and flannel are woven in Geelong from cotton grown in the Namoi Valley.