We received a quick preview of a letterman jacket from a new sportswear line of 50’s inspired looks – Whitesville. There is not much information we can give on the line at this time, but they are coming from a well known Japanese denim house and should be available outside of Japan. More to come. We promise.
A few quick looks from Whitesville Letterman Jacket after the jump.
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Junya Wantanabe Letterman Jacket»
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Skookum Letterman’s Jacket»
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Ace Hotel Letterman’s Jacket by Centralia Knit Mills
They’re available online several places, including amazon.com. And for the low,low price of $1,250 & $1,350.
Japan screws up again. This is a fascistic Halloween costume, not a jacket.
Am I over reacting or is this Buzz Rickson /Sugar Cane jacket a wee bit racist? I mean everyone knows the German eagle and iron cross motif is synonymous with the white supremacist skin head culture. I would be insane to wear this around my \’hood. Then they go and call it \
……Then they go and call it “Whitesville.” It’s as if they used a 1955 Alabama edition of Motorcycle Magazine for inspiration.
The iron cross originated in 1813 when prussia was at war with napoleon, nothing racist about it. The only reason it ended up on the Germans is because it was already there to begin with, so stating that it represents racism is the same as saying the american flag supports slavery because, at one point, it did.
DIY,
True, the history of the iron cross is well documented. The history of the swastika is too but you don\’t see it emblazoned on clothing. I know a number of re-formed skin heads from the Milwaukee area. They all had the iron cross motif on everything. Sure, it is a lesser known white supremacist motif but it still is used quite readily in their recruiting materials, on clothing, jack boots and tattoos.
The eagle is not a “Nazi” eagle nor does it symbolize the NSDAP
or the 3rd Reich as it has no swastika device in its talons. It is
true to say that the eagle in this specific application is meant to
duplicate its use by biker clubs of the 1950’s -1970’s, the likes of
which often employed other symbols that did directly relate to Nazi
Germany’s 3rd Reich, such as a swastika. The eagle has been a proud
symbol of Germany and its military through many centuries of
governments, including the 3rd Reich and it’s armed forces and also
the present German government and its Bundeswehr. Furthermore, the
cross in the talons of the eagle is a Maltese Cross, which also has
lineage to other nations aside from 3rd Reich Germany and was in use
by the German military for some 100-plus years prior to the 3rd
Reich. The actual use of the Maltese Cross as a symbol of military
identification by Germany is by far more associated to that of
Imperial Germany, particularly in WWI where it was applied to
aircraft and vehicles, while the employment of the Maltese Cross in
3rd Reich Germany’s military applications was limited to their Iron
Cross military medals that, other than having the addition of a
swastika device added in 1939, were the same type cross as had been
used by the Imperial German military dating back to 1815. The eagle
and Maltese Cross on the WV jacket are not “Nazified” in any way and
Toyo would not have made the jacket w/ any such “Nazi” devices.
So ends the history lesson for today …
That was put very well Kiya.
One only has to do a quick Google search to see scores of white supremacist skinheads with the iron cross/Maltese cross and swastikas tattooed all over their bodies. In the end is all about opinion and perception. Perhaps Sugar Cane are oblivious to these very current sensitive references. Much like the confederate flag can get people in an uproar there are people who could easily associate this jacket with a Nazi sympathiser or a skinhead group. The name Whitesville doesnt help their cause either.
I guarantee you that if you were to walk into a bar wearing this jacket near my neighborhood you would have wished you didnt. Easily 10%-20% of their patrons have down time and all of them who did time saw the Maltese cross/iron cross daily on the skin head groups. Bed-Sty, Brownsville, Baltimore, Detroit…..Sorry but I dont know what rock you have been under but this symbol has racist connotations. So ends the LIFE lesson for today…..
So it’s way overpriced AND racist.
Kiya, if what you said matters at all why does the current German army not use this proud and not racists or fascistic symbol? Could it be that they understand that history is about context, narrative and memory, not merely a succession of unrelated facts drawn from corporatist apologists?
Anyway in this case the real problem is not the Nazis, or post war WP bikers – they are happily dead. The problem is that large section of Japanese artists and designers mind boggling inability to handle race and racism with any thing like class or understanding.
I kind of have to agree with s: on the subject. In the end of the day it does not matter if the designer really meant to say anything racist with the design, but you should invest enough research into your collection and understand what can be used and what should maybe rather be left behind.
I agree with S, CT and Admin on this one. It was simply a dumbheaded design idea. I am sure no mal-intent was in play here but it does illustrate the importance of research.
“The use of the Iron Cross by neo-Nazis.
Sadly continuing the sinister dimension of the Iron Cross is that this symbol is often displayed by neo-Nazi groups, especially as pendants. The Iron Cross without the swastika is also frequently used as a hate symbol in the same manner as the Nazi-era Iron Cross.
It is sometimes used for shock effect as it conjures up images of Nazi Germany and its military without being explicitly Nazi itself. In this guise, it is often displayed on clothing and accessories. This is the present sinister connotations of the so-called \’Maltese Cross\’ – which in fact is an Iron Cross as used by the Nazis and the present day neo-nazis.”