Anyone know anything about this vintage japanese leather jacket?

[ziadqattan]

I recently found this beautiful leather jacket at a market in London. It has no label, but it has several distinguishing features. I would appreciate anyone's expertise or thoughts on this piece.

 

[Silver Surfer]

sure that ya have enough pix,z? just dropping by, or ya gonna stay a while?

 

[Micawber]

Garments with washing labels that include modern symbols are not vintage. Vintage means old, not modern.

 

[ziadqattan]

Garments with washing labels that include modern symbols are not vintage. Vintage means old, not modern.

Hey Micawber, isn't the term 'vintage' relative? Wash labels date back at least to the 1960s, and clothes from that era I would define as vintage, wouldn't you? I suppose you're right though, feel like this item can't be older than the 1980s, what do you think?

 

[Southoftheborder]

Vintage seems to mean anything more than a few years old now. I'm sometimes incorrigible enough to still search for vintage jackets on eBay and all that turns up are seventies and eighties high street monstrosities. Vintage used to mean the best of a period like vintage cars meant originally. But words are slippery things and they change their meanings when your back is turned.

 

[London Cabbie]

Harajuku Market special.

 

[robrinay]

Hey Silver Surfer,

Oops I think I uploaded each picture twice... I'm a fashion student and very interested in this design, but I am not a leather jacket enthusiast per se. I love this page, you have a great community here, I think I will stick around.

Z

Let me first say that the following is meant to be helpful and not patronising - so please don’t take offence.
In that case might I suggest that you do some research into A1 A2 and G1 flight jackets their origins and their influence on modern jacket styles These were the (in common parlance) ‘bomber jackets’ which led to the term and lots of spin off generic leather jackets of which yours is a Japanese example. Your jacket is commonly referred to here as an example of a ‘mall’ jacket (derived from shopping mall), or ‘fashion jacket’.
Of course similar styles to yours existed before the Second World War but I think yours is more likely to be a modern design. I’m pretty sure others will chip in and disagree with me - it’s that sort of a place.

 

[Micawber]

Hey Micawber, isn't the term 'vintage' relative? Wash labels date back at least to the 1960s, and clothes from that era I would define as vintage, wouldn't you? I suppose you're right though, feel like this item can't be older than the 1980s, what do you think?

Seek and ye shall find. Take a look at this and see what you think.

 

[MikeyB-17]

I hesitate to get involved in threads like this after a chap got terribly upset a few years ago, when I (and several other forum members) tried to tell him that, despite his asking the same question over and over on various sub-forums, we didn’t know much about his 80’s ‘Mall jacket’. He got the idea that we were looking down our noses at his jacket because we don’t really have much to do with such things. Same applies here-this is, as you say, probably a 1980’s fashion jacket, not really a classic design, nothing intrinsically wrong with it, but of a type that is turned out in the hundreds of thousands by companies all over the World. This forum tends to be more about designs from the 20’s, 30’s and 40’s, possibly 60’s/70’s, military jackets in particular, and also utility and motorcycle jackets, made for a purpose, and not just to look cool-although they do. It’s a bit like asking about a modern Kawasaki on a forum dedicated to 1930’s Harleys-just not our area of expertise.
Welcome to the forum, and I hope you do stick around, there’s a lot to be learned here-and maybe we can learn from you!

 

[ziadqattan]

Let me first say that the following is meant to be helpful and not patronising - so please don’t take offence.
In that case might I suggest that you do some research into A1 A2 and G1 flight jackets their origins and their influence on modern jacket styles These were the (in common parlance) ‘bomber jackets’ which led to the term and lots of spin off generic leather jackets of which yours is a Japanese example. Your jacket is commonly referred to here as an example of a ‘mall’ jacket (derived from shopping mall), or ‘fashion jacket’.
Of course similar styles to yours existed before the Second World War but I think yours is more likely to be a modern design. I’m pretty sure others will chip in and disagree with me - it’s that sort of a place.

Thanks, not patronising at all, will look into that certainly.

 

[ziadqattan]

I hesitate to get involved in threads like this after a chap got terribly upset a few years ago, when I (and several other forum members) tried to tell him that, despite his asking the same question over and over on various sub-forums, we didn’t know much about his 80’s ‘Mall jacket’. He got the idea that we were looking down our noses at his jacket because we don’t really have much to do with such things. Same applies here-this is, as you say, probably a 1980’s fashion jacket, not really a classic design, nothing intrinsically wrong with it, but of a type that is turned out in the hundreds of thousands by companies all over the World. This forum tends to be more about designs from the 20’s, 30’s and 40’s, possibly 60’s/70’s, military jackets in particular, and also utility and motorcycle jackets, made for a purpose, and not just to look cool-although they do. It’s a bit like asking about a modern Kawasaki on a forum dedicated to 1930’s Harleys-just not our area of expertise.
Welcome to the forum, and I hope you do stick around, there’s a lot to be learned here-and maybe we can learn from you!

Thanks MikeyB-17, I appreciate you taking the time to explain what this forum is really about. I understand it must be tedious having to answer these misplaced and amateurish questions. Apologies for my intrusion!

 

[MikeyB-17]

Oh heck, not again. I wasn’t trying to imply that it was at all a tedious question, nor an intrusion of any kind, just that it wasn’t the kind of jacket we have much to do with. I did try to be welcoming.

 

[robrinay]

Oh heck, not again. I wasn’t trying to imply that it was at all a tedious question, nor an intrusion of any kind, just that it wasn’t the kind of jacket we have much to do with. I did try to be welcoming.

That’s the problem with text - no tone of voice or friendly body language to reassure the receiver that you’re being nice it’s so easy to be misunderstood- empathy mate.

 

[MikeyB-17]

Thanks mate. I'm staying out of threads like this in future, it's the second time I've tried to explain that although we'd like to help we're not really the people to ask, but I don't seem to be able to get the message across without upsetting people. As you say, the perils of the written word.