The Sukajan, or known otherwise as the Souvenir Jacket, is a garment that has essentially created it's own category in menswear and men's fashion. You've seen them in Japanese Yakuza movies, you've seen them in gangster films, you've seen renditions of them in other men's high fashion collections, and you've also seen them in Japanese runway shows, yet you've probably never heard the name "sukajan," or ever heard the name "souvenir jacket" either. These jackets have quite the interesting history that blends together both Japanese men's fashion culture with American style clothing, possibly even better than raw selvedge denim jeans in my opinion.
The sukajan has a long history that roots all the way back to the days of World War II. After the war had concluded, US soldiers that occupied the Yokosuka Naval Base and surrounding areas began gathering souvenirs for their loved ones to remember their time in Japan as they readied for their return back to their home country. These soldiers eventually conceived the idea to take the leftover silk from their unused parachutes, as parachutes during this time were commonly made of silk, to create American style baseball jackets which they commissioned from Japanese tailors, and had these garments embroidered with Japanese style imagery, effectively blending the two cultures together into one gorgeous garment. As these garments began growing increasingly popular around Yokosuka, namely Dobuita St, many military shops began selling these jackets ready-to-wear. The original brand to do this was Kosho & Co.
Kosho &. Co made and embroidered these jackets under their label, until Kosho &. Co eventually evolved into Toyo Enterprise in 1965. However, Toyo Enterprise kept the sukajan alive by manufacturing them under the newfound Tailor Toyo label! And even to this day, Tailor Toyo still makes sukajan that are available for purchase across many stores in Japan, and even in some stores along Dobuita Street. These jackets are made to be reversible, much like many of the original vintage sukajan were, while also remaining faithful to the many original designs of sukajan as they often reference souvenir jackets from archival pieces to recreate this imagery as accurately as possible. There simply is no other garment, not even raw selvedge denim, that truly captures the intimacy between American Style and Japanese Spirit quite like the sukajan.
In modern times, you can still purchase your own ready-made Sukajan or Souvenir Jackets in various menswear shops all across Japan.
