Jean Jackets Are Back, But Never Really Left

A Voice from the Market

Flipping through fashion magazines for the coming summer and spring trends you’ll see an interesting reoccurring theme for both men and women: the jean jacket is the fashion accessory for the warm seasons of 2011. Fashion groups Gucci and Givenchy are spear heading this trend with denim jackets for women cut a few inches above the belly button while favoring more rugged full coats for men.

The jean jacket is not a new thing though. Major fashion retailers like Abercrombie and Fitch and, not surprisingly, jean retailer Express Jeans have been selling popular variations of it. But the 2011 spring and summer seasons are favoring a more high fashion version of this classic piece of clothing. Silver three button cuffs and regency inspired double-breasted short coats are also big on the run way, giving an air of elegance to a jacket usually associated with rough and tumble lifestyle. The new styles seen on runways recently include sophisticated embroidery of swirling Spanish patterns, reminiscent of the jackets worn by matadors. These old world European references add a much needed bit of class and sophistication to the original denim jacket making it more suitable to the consumers of this century. The current trend for women also includes longer jackets with belts that are not only attractive but have the added ability of hiding bellies and pronouncing bust lines.

In 1847 Levi Strauss emigrated with his family from Buttenheim, Germany to New York City where they opened a wholesale dry goods business. Upon moving to San Francisco, California he opened up a west coast branch of his family’s business due to the business boom provided there by the California Gold Rush. He would meet Nevada tailor Jacob Davis and together invent a type of men’s pants better suited for work. These pants used copper rivets to make a stronger fabric called denim and used to make stronger workman’s trousers: the first jeans. The pants quickly became extremely popular among workers and much later as clothing worn by youth due to their casual appearance and ability to take abuse. Levi Jeans are still extremely popular and fashionable to this day. The fabric also became quite popular being both attractive and durable. Denim jackets first began appearing in the early 1900′s as work clothes, much like their pant predecessor. In the 1960′s and 70′s denim jackets had their first major fashion hit. Young hippies liked the casual look, the inexpensiveness, as well as the ability to personalize a denim jacket with patches and dyes. They were also associated with bikers who were popular icons of American freedom during that time. Denim jackets were also popular among the punk subculture in the United Kingdom and the United States, proving a less expensive alternative to the leather jacket.

Many denim and general fashion wholesalers offer denim jackets among their selection. The prices tend to linger around $7.50 a unit in boxes containing twelve units. A good denim wholesaler can be located in GetThatWholesale’s Clothing section. Though it should be advised to avoid fur edged jackets as these are considerably less popular than purely denim or cotton edged versions. Fully lined winter denim jackets are also somewhat out of style at the moment. It should be noted that while the classic blue denim jacket is the most popular color that black is quickly gaining popularity. This is due to the easiness of the color to wear. The black also appeals to men due to it more easily suiting a man’s wardrobe as men are less inclined towards bright colors than women are. Plus it can be warn on both casual and business-casual occasions when dressed up with a button down shirt and tie.