We are back with Hit Replay! Moving away from the 8-bit music and pixel fun of the last few issues, we return this week with something a little more tangible. In this week’s issue we’re going to talk about one trendy item that has endured everything from the Wild West, back-alley punk bars, and even today’s indie coffee scenes. If there is one thing that could survive being worn by Elvis Presley, be featured in Marlboro commercials, and now be sported by countless hipsters, it’s the denim jacket or jean jacket.
Not surprisingly, the denim jacket has been around almost as long as jeans have been. The origins of the denim jacket have often been attributed to the Father of jeans himself, Levi Strauss. For those who don’t know, Levi Strauss was a German-American businessman and founder of the Levi Strauss & Co. His company, better known as Levi’s (which exists until today) was the first company to manufacture and distribute the infamous blue jeans.
The denim jacket appeared sometime around the late 19th century, originally advertised as a working blouse, or working jacket. Levi’s “Type I”, “Type II”, and “Type III” jackets featured pleated fronts, a variance of single or double pockets, leather patches, and cinched backs; a style very similar to what we know today as trucker jackets. These early versions would find their way to through the turn of the century. The jacket became synonymous to the working class man being a staple item on the ranges and ranches of the mid-west. Shortly after the turn of the century and the introduction of the silver screen, western “cowboy” films solidified the image of the jean jackets and the Wild West. This same cultural image became the basis for countless Marlboro cigarette commercials and ads decades later.
It was in the 50s the jacket gained popularity beyond the working class and entered the world of pop culture. Its pop-culture transition was largely caused by the popularity that followed jeans after James Dean wore a ton of denim in Rebel Without a Cause. It was further propelled into stardom when Elvis Presley sported a black variant of the denim jacket in his all too famous Jailhouse Rock performance. This rebel-attitude look would forever stamped on the image of the denim jacket. The jacket had continued appearances with popular cult icons such as John Lennon, Robert Plant, Eddie Van Halen, and the Ramones to name a few.
Sometime around the 1980s the jean jacket found its home in a completely different market. The denim jacket caught the attention of major designer label brands, with the likes of Calvin Klein, Diesel, and Guess producing their own versions of the jacket. The 80s saw a revival of the cool-factor that Elvis originally brought to the jean jacket. Pre-washed and pre-faded versions of the jean jacket worked their way into Calvin Klein ads and designer fashion runways. The denim jacket now catered to a wide variety of people.
Today, we see a revival of the denim jacket, bringing endless possibilities. The 2000s saw a return of retro work wear, and new-found interest in the original “Type I” and “Type II”jackets of the early 20th century. Running simultaneously with the revival trend, is the re-invention of the denim jacket with avant-garde brands that push it to new heights and designs. Nonetheless, it’s not hard to argue that the denim jacket has found itself back from time!
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