A varsity jacket is a uniquely designed jacket with a long history. Initially, the jacket was created for Harvard University’s baseball team.
Back in 1865, the college team’s coach decided to reward the best players by giving them outerwear. The university ordered thick wool sweaters with a large letter “H” embroidered on them. Baseball players, who had the honor to wear the jacket, were called Lettermen.
Since the design of varsity (or letterman) outwear went through many changes. The designers added leather sleeves to turn them into jackets. These jackets became so popular that other teams adopted the tradition.
In the mid-1900s, many universities and high schools started creating varsity jackets to either distinguish the best players or simply improve the uniform. Custom varsity jackets become keepsakes for many people.
In fact, they played an important role in the courting process. A high school or college athlete would loan the jacket to a girl he liked. She would wear it in public to show that they were in a relationship.
As time went on, more and more people wanted to enjoy wearing such a jacket. So numerous companies started mass-producing this outwear to meet the demand.
Today, anyone can buy a varsity jacket in a brick-and-mortar store or online. They come in different colors with various designs. Some still resemble the good-old woolen sweaters with leather sleeves. Others appear drastically different.
The Modern Varsity Jacket
After varsity jackets became highly popular in high schools and colleges, professional sports leagues started paying attention to them as well. Companies that created fan merchandise took the opportunity to earned money by producing these jackets with embroidered or stamped teams’ logos and mascots.
Jackets created for sportsmen were made out of high-quality and expensive materials. However, fan apparel was created by using less expensive fabrics. Wool and leather turned into satin. This lowered the costs of these jackets, making them accessible to the public with any budget.
Varsity jackets made their way into mainstream pop culture as well. In the early 1980s, Michael Jackson sported a red varsity jacket in a music video. The jacket had a large letter “M” embroidered on the front. This jacket became a huge hit among Jackson’s fans. You can still buy a replica of this jacket in many online stores. The original was sold at an auction for $1.8 million.
Varsity Jackets in Other Sports
Pretty soon, a varsity jacket stopped being exclusive to the baseball community. Other sports, such as basketball and football adopted it as well. As soon as sportsmen started wearing these jackets, the fan merchandise manufacturers began creating them as well.
Over a decade, the jacket made its way into many sports traditions, becoming mainstream.
Many different brands started creating jackets, adding their special touches to the design. However, no matter how much the jacket changes, the basics stay the same.
Final Thoughts
The varsity jacket has become an integral part of American culture. Even though it’s about to celebrate its 155th birthday, the jacket hasn’t gone out of style. Most likely, it will stay popular for at least another century in a half.
