Work Notes: The Evolution of The Telemark

One-upmanship is the art or practice of consistently outdoing, outsmarting, or staying one step ahead.


A phrase that was first gifted to me by a friend when talking about a man and his jacket; and all the nuances that come with it. This was the driving force behind the design of the Telemark. How do we create something you can throw on with ease and yet quietly collect a nod of approval, even from that older fella in the pub who thinks he’s seen it all. Healthy competition let’s call it.

White mountaineering smock jacket hung in factory
Image of man in studio beside clothing
Image of man in grey beanie wearing white mountaineering smock pulling the hood
Image of seamstress sewing Café Mountain label onto white ripstop fabric

The starting point was vintage military jackets and mountaineering gear that came out of 1960s Scandinavia. The crème de la crème, the 60s was a decade producing some of the most enduring outerwear in existence, a time where durability and function was at the heart of every garment. Largely because the people wearing them had no interest in how they looked and every interest in whether the jacket would keep them alive above the treeline. Well, the Telemark is designed to have you both looking good and not running into too much bother either - above or below the trees.

When our pattern maker, Sarah, looked at the first sample, cut from an off white Japanese cotton ripstop (which we’d later release in 2024 and named Raw Pulp), she exclaimed ‘The Heroes of Telemark!’. I looked at her a little bewildered at first, then the penny dropped. For those that don’t know, it’s a 1965 film about Norwegian resistance fighters on a mission to sabotage a Nazi heavy water plant… and it features some quality outerwear.

And there we had it.The name stuck, and it's been the Telemark ever since.

Flat-lay mens camo mountaineering smock jacket from Café Mountain
Close up of pocket detail on Café Mountain Telemark Smock in camo featuring Corozo nut buttons
Man looking happy wearing Café Mountain Telemark Smock
Girl in denim jacket holding Café Mountain Telemark Orange Smock
Man wearing Café Mountain Telemark Jacket in Vintage Orange, a military and mountaineering inspired jacket
Man wearing Café Mountain Telemark Smock in Navy, a military and mountaineering inspired jacket

That was four or five seasons ago. Since then we've changed the fabric, swapped the hardware, adjusted the fit, argued about pockets more times than any group of adults reasonably should and slowly turned a smock into a jacket.

And while we must admit ours is built more for the pastry run than sabotaging atomic bombs, the silhouette carried the same energy: purposeful, slightly oversized, ready for conditions that probably won’t come but with enough imagination and good will, just might.A beacon of light for all that is good in the world, you can be a hero in your own way, the local champion of good outerwear and heavyweight contender for most pockets.

SHOP THE TELEMARK