Originating in Newfoundland, worn while hunting for food and doing dexterous tasks in the wild. Military issue for soldiers stationed in cold terrain, the separate index finger is referred to as the trigger finger due to it freeing the wearer to pull back on a gun’s trigger.

90s avant garde designers played with the concept. Margiela had their take referencing the Tabi style they populised (inspired by traditional japanese clothing). Carol Christian Poell created their ‘Disparate Gloves’ which joined two fingers into one.

The tech mitten came from the idea of a mitten like this that could be used with phones. The conductive yarns don’t bio-degrade and are awkward so it made sense to remove the tips and allow for direct contact.