George Harrison may be best remembered as a Beatle, but away from the stage and recording studio, he found another creative outlet in the garden. His historic Friar Park estate in Henley-on-Thames became a lifelong labor of love, with its sprawling grounds offering a retreat from the outside world.
For Harrison, gardening was more than a hobby: it was a way of finding peace, getting his hands dirty and nurturing something over time. That passion is now inspiring a new wave of garden-inspired design, thanks to a collaboration between the Friar Park estate and Japanese gardening brand Niwaki, developed with Harrison’s son, Dhani.
The collection brings together gardening tools and accessories, but it’s the jacket that’s catching everyone’s eye… and for good reason! It’s taken things well beyond the normal realm of gardening clothes, in the best possible way.
George Harrison’s Gardening Jacket
The Friar Park and Niwaki Meditation Jacket (as seen above) is just stunning, isn’t it? With its Japanese silhouette, chic denim material, oversized hood, relaxed cloak-like shape and thoughtful detailing, it’s the sort of jacket that makes pottering among the plants feel a lot more stylish.
Think practical workwear with a distinctly design-conscious twist – and it’s easy to imagine wearing it well beyond the garden, too.
There’s just one catch: it costs $875, which is a substantial investment for a jacket you might wear to prune roses, turn the compost or nip out to check on your seedlings. Thankfully, you don’t have to spend nearly a thousand dollars to capture some of that same style, as these alternatives offer different takes on the trend, from a traditional Japanese-style jacket to an everyday barn coat and a practical hooded layer.
Shop 3 Cost-Friendly Alternatives:
A hanten is a traditional Japanese jacket style, and this one offers a more traditional silhouette rather than a direct copy of the long Niwaki design. Consider it a relaxed layer for pottering around the garden or throwing on over everyday clothes.
Practical, easy to layer and rooted in classic workwear, this longline style offers the utilitarian feel of the Harrison-inspired jacket, while the contrast collar and color-blocked details give it a slightly more fashion-led finish.
If the oversized hood and practical pockets are what caught your eye, this hooded cargo jacket is worth considering. It won’t replicate the original’s cloak-like shape, but it brings some of the same functional details into a more casual category.
If you love the George Harrison-inspired Meditation Jacket but can’t quite justify spending $875, Niwaki’s Engei Lightweight Garden Jacket is worth a look. It has the same garden-minded, Japanese-inspired sensibility, though at $320, it’s hardly an impulse buy either.
The beauty of the original Friar Park x Niwaki jacket is that it doesn’t look like conventional gardening gear. It’s practical, yes, but it also has a distinctive shape and enough style to wear well beyond the garden gate.
Of course, you don’t need to spend hundreds of dollars to give your gardening wardrobe a little more personality. Whether you go for a Japanese-inspired hanten, a classic barn jacket or a relaxed denim layer, there are plenty of ways to borrow the look without breaking the bank.
And as the Beatles once sang, money can’t buy you love – but it might just buy you a rather good gardening jacket.
