The Jacket is an exploration of that particular garment as a symbol of youth identity and culture though the ages. From letterman jackets to embroidered denim vests, studded leather jackets to airbrushed hoodies, customizing articles of outerwear clothing as a way to align oneself with a team, a club, a band, a movement, and/or a way of life goes back decades to at least the 1960s in the case of motorcycle “colors” and even further if we consider the earliest varsity jackets or “letter sweaters.” Far from frivolous, the clothes we wear and the unique modifications we do to them express both a personal identity and a connection to ideas bigger than and outside of ourselves; this is particularly true in the case of jackets. They are our second skin that make a first impression, keeping us warm while providing other kinds of protection as well, as street photographer Bill Cunningham suggests: “Fashion is the armor to survive the reality of everyday life.”
