Sukajan Jackets

Sukajan are retro Japanese bomber jackets made of silky fabrics like rayon, satin, and velveteen. Some sukajan are reversible, in which case they often sport a quilted side that both keeps the padding in place and serves as a design accent. Sukajan are inspired by letterman jackets and baseball jackets, and feature quintessentially Japanese designs, a distinctive silhouette, and contrasting color sleeves. They can be recognized by the use of bold colors and carefully crafted, eye-catching embroidery typically placed on the back of the jacket, but sometimes stitched on both sides.

These iconic Japanese jackets are also known as “souvenir jackets” as they were brought back as souvenirs by American soldiers after the post-war occupation of Japan.

The name “sukajan” itself is a hint about the jacket's origins, as it combines “suka” from the naval base city of Yokosuka and “jan” which is the Japanese contraction of the English word “jumper.” Even now, you can find sukajan shops along Yokosuka’s Dobuita Street which leads to the main gate of the U.S. Navy Base. According to another theory, the word “sukajan” derives from the English “sky dragon jumpers,” as flying dragons were a very common design chosen for the embroidery of these jackets.

History

Sukajan originated in the postwar period. American soldiers returning home from Japan started turning bomber jackets, flight jackets, or even jackets fashioned from old parachute material into keepsakes by getting traditional Japanese designs hand-stitched on them. Each sukajan's design contained the soldier’s experiences and memories of their time in Japan, making them one-of-a-kind pieces. Motifs included dragons, cherry blossoms, geisha, Japanese artworks, and even decorations representing the soldiers’ naval bases or hometowns. Some of the first designs such as tigers, hawks, and eagles are also thought to derive from the emblems of the units the soldiers belonged to.

During the 1960s, American trends and styles were massively assimilated into Japanese culture in what was called the "Ametora effect," or the love of all things American. This eventually resulted in the rise of a subculture of young Japanese people who didn't want to conform to this trend and ironically used the sukajan to show their defiance. Over time, this changed into general cultural nonconformism, and the sukajan began to be heavily associated with gangs and juvenile delinquency. It was not uncommon to see sukajan as the choice attire for the yakuza and other criminals in films, which only further pushed its negative connotation.

Only in recent times has sukajan experienced a huge revival, becoming an iconic part of Japanese fashion culture. Sukajan’s spike in popularity started in the 2010s, supported by the popular movie “Drive” where Ryan Gosling wears an eye-catching, white sukajan. Adopted by celebrities and pop culture icons around the globe, the Japanese souvenir jacket was brought back in vogue and reinterpreted by top designers and streetwear brands such as Louis Vuitton, Saint Laurent, Gucci, and Adidas.