STA-PREST

A cross between chinos and suit trousers, the ‘sta prest’ is a product of its time.
It meets a daily need: being able to wear one’s clothes without losing their shape. The name ‘sta prest’ marks this aim: ‘stay pressed.’

‘Sta press’ names a process before a pair of trousers. The Californian manufacturer Koret patents the permanent crease in 1961. Ironed and coated with resin, the trousers were then put through an oven which ensured the resin and fabric’s bond.

It is in Tennessee that the technology spread first, finding its name and its first commercial success. ‘Sta prest’ garments were originally made of cotton - a twill or cotton-satin weave. But the creases did not hold: synthetic materials were needed to ensure their permanence.

‘Polycotton’, a blend of polyester and cotton, was now the chosen fabric. A classic: white trousers, half cotton and half polyester. Success came to Levi’s, then Lee, then Wrangler. The ‘sta prest’ means the 1960s, the 1960s meant ‘sta prest.’

Part folk tale, part sales pitch, it is said that a sales manager once took off his trousers and threw them into a customer’s washing machine to demonstrate the longevity of the crease.

Equally convincing methods gave rise to active commerce and expansion: new shapes and new colors, jackets and shirts, white, brown, ‘bottle green’ or ‘electric blue.’

Its synthetic component ensures the ‘sta prest’ is durable. Almost dressy, almost workwear, it fell into the Ivy League’s wardrobe: for dance, for work (for study).

On the other side of the Atlantic, it was also its sturdiness that made its appeal. Skinheads of the late 1960s made it central to their uniform: braces, ‘sta prest’ trousers, boots. The Chelsea Shed Boys, mostly supporters of Chelsea, made a new counterculture from music and sport. In the photographs that survive, all wear ‘sta prest’.