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.