Right when you thought the bomber jacket had been blasted into ubiquitousness, an elaborate counterpart raises a decorative head. The souvenir jacket – all tigers and fish, delicate flowers, bright colours and minute embroidery details, in a mixture of East and West – was once a potent off-duty military symbol. It has now been subsumed into fashion, is adored by street-style stars and has been the centrepiece of runway collections from Gucci and Stella McCartney to Alexander McQueen.
The history of this garment is short but complicated. It was first dreamed up by American troops stationed in Japan after the second World War, throughout the 1950s in Korea and in Vietnam during the war there in the 1960s and 1970s. The souvenir jacket is as much an American tradition as an Asian one. The jackets – also known as sukajan – borrow liberally from both cultures to make a sartorial mishmash that probably shouldn’t work but does.
Souvenir jackets were once just that: souvenirs. In the mid to late 1940s, American soldiers flooded occupied Japan en masse. For most of them, it was their first time in another continent. Enter the jackets: repurposed military duds or remade in cheap silks and embroidered by hand with Asian symbols or maps of a soldier’s tour of duty.
Luminous and elaborate
The jackets have become more elaborate over the years, due to technological advances: hand stitching is nothing compared with the power of the machine. The best sukajan are weighty with thread,and luminous due to the density and design of the embroidery. Although designers have been quick to cotton on to the seductive qualities of these jackets, you can still buy the real thing – but you will have to go to Japan, where they are made in small, exclusive runs by tailors and designer labels. Failing that, there is a liberal supply of embroidered bombers running the gamut from high-end to high street.
In an age of cultural appropriation, where western fashion houses are quick to latch on to aspects of other cultures for a quick style buck, the sukajan is different: the jackets are still as popular in parts of Asia as they are in Europe. Instead of appropriation, it’s a cultural exchange.
Because of their relaxed shape and intricate detailing, a souvenir jacket can be worn both informally or semi-formally. They might not go with ball gowns, but they are deceptively versatile and make excellent transitional all-rounders for spring, summer and approaching autumnal weather.
In terms of texture, the light-catching material of the sukajan will look great against matte fabrics, so dial back the shine if you want to make your jacket the star of the show. Wool, untreated cotton and even a bit of tweed will be your best friends.
For a casual look, ramp up the American aspect with jeans – inflexible indigo Japanese denim is, aptly, a good bet; roll the cuffs up above the ankle for a seasonal update – and high-top sneakers. Pair with a plain T-shirt – white or an overcast grey is probably best – to play up the jacket’s strengths. Wear a fluidly refined, silk jacket with an all-black ensemble; think skinny jeans, ankle boots and a silhouette-skimming rollneck. Conversely, they also add a bit of edge to a pencil skirt and heels. Wear your jacket shrunken and your skirt with a side split, and go as high as you dare.
