Cigars Apparel Collection

As a dedicated cigar smoker, each person is always looking for a way to carry cigars on them, but in an unencumbered and discreet manner. Traditionally most cigar aficionados wear the classic Cuban guayabera—the large pockets can accommodate a bounty of cigars. However, the guayabera doesn’t fall into some people's personal style preferences. They wanted something closer to a contemporary Italian camp collar shirt, but one with the ability to carry one’s precious Havanas or Dominican cigars. The field jacket and vest, as well as trousers and Bermuda shorts with the three-finger cigar shell pocket.

Cigars are a special indulgence, no matter the context. But for a deployed member of the armed forces, especially one in a combat zone, a fine smoke can be much more. No one knows this better than the team at Cigars for Warriors (CFW), a nonprofit that ships cigars directly to U.S. troops deployed across the globe. Boen thought that his cigar ritual was a novel idea, but to his surprise, he found he wasn’t alone. Many of his fellow vets had similar experiences, and found that cigars offered a much-needed reprieve and unforgettable memories in times of deployment. Boen and six of his friends decided they should do their part to help other members of the armed forces have similar experiences, so in 2012, they started Cigars for Warriors. 

Is there really a need for clothing that incorporates cigars?

The clastic guayabera is a Latin American (in Mexico, it is the “Mexican wedding shirt”), Caribbean (Cuban), South Florida, and Texas menswear staple, and has been since the mid-twentieth century. However, the basic design concept goes all the way back to the 18th century. By the late nineteenth century, according to, The Guayabera: A Shirts Story: “Archival records describe the guayabera as a shirt or jacket, which may have resembled the uniforms of Spanish and Cuban soldiers of the period. Unlike the contemporary guayabera, these military garments featured four pockets positioned along the hem.” Today the four pockets are positioned with two at the waist/hem and two breast pockets, with the top pockets exceedingly suitable for cigars. A Shirts Story continues, “Other sources describe its use in the countryside by Cuban landowners and field workers.” Regardless, typically, one of the breast pockets was reserved for cigars.

What inspired the design? Are there any historical elements related to cigar culture?

SIGARWEAR Core Collection is Italian-made, three-season apparel — that will take one from spring through the end of autumn — designed with the discerning cigar enthusiast in mind. Each traditionally tailored core-collection garment is made to order and constructed from high-quality fabrics for today’s casual and active lifestyle — all while maintaining a refined sartorial sensibility.

Again, the initial inspiration for the shirts was the classic Guayabera, and Italian camp collar shirts, the field jackets and are essentially just that, with the addition of the cigar shell pocket, of course.