Eight-ball jacket: Difference between revisions
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{{Short description|Style of leather jacket}}The '''eight-ball''' or '''8-ball jacket''' is a style of [[leather jacket]] created by [[San Francisco]]–based designer Michael Hoban in 1990. The style is characterized by bright [[color-blocking]] and large black and white decals on the back and sleeves, made to look like the [[Glossary of cue sports terms#8 ball|eight ball]] used in some [[cue sports]]. The distinctive design became trendy in [[1990s in fashion|1990s fashion]] after being worn by athletes and hip-hop stars. The many symbolic associations of the eight ball, combined with the jacket's high retail price and celebrity associations quickly made it a [[status symbol]] for young people in the city's [[East Coast hip hop]] scene. Its popularity among youth led to robberies, some of which were fatal. Hoban's colorful designs were often [[Counterfeit consumer goods|counterfeited]]; he successfully sued a number of leather shops making knockoffs of his work. Eventually, he created a licensed [[diffusion line]] that sold lower-end versions of his jackets. |
{{Short description|Style of leather jacket}}The '''eight-ball''' or '''8-ball jacket''' is a style of [[leather jacket]] created by [[San Francisco]]–based designer Michael Hoban in 1990. The style is characterized by bright [[color-blocking]] and large black and white decals on the back and sleeves, made to look like the [[Glossary of cue sports terms#8 ball|eight ball]] used in some [[cue sports]]. The distinctive design became trendy in [[1990s in fashion|1990s fashion]] after being worn by athletes and hip-hop stars. The many symbolic associations of the eight ball, combined with the jacket's high retail price and celebrity associations quickly made it a [[status symbol]] for young people in the city's [[East Coast hip hop]] scene. Its popularity among youth led to robberies, some of which were fatal. Hoban's colorful designs were often [[Counterfeit consumer goods|counterfeited]]; he successfully sued a number of leather shops making knockoffs of his work. Eventually, he created a licensed [[diffusion line]] that sold lower-end versions of his jackets. |
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The initial trend for the jackets quickly faded, and they were soon regarded with disdain. Screenwriter [[Spike Feresten]] wrote one into the ''[[Seinfeld]]'' episode "[[The Reverse Peephole]]" (1998) in an attempt to make them seem uncool. The jackets have occasionally resurfaced in [[Street style|street fashion]] as a [[Retro style|retro]] style, generally with some degree of [[irony]]. The jackets remain iconic in [[ |
The initial trend for the jackets quickly faded, and they were soon regarded with disdain. Screenwriter [[Spike Feresten]] wrote one into the ''[[Seinfeld]]'' episode "[[The Reverse Peephole]]" (1998) in an attempt to make them seem uncool. The jackets have occasionally resurfaced in [[Street style|street fashion]] as a [[Retro style|retro]] style, generally with some degree of [[irony]]. The jackets remain iconic in [[hip-hop culture]], occasionally referenced in lyrics or featured in [[Music video|music videos]]. |
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== Design and knockoffs == |
== Design and knockoffs == |
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Despite the negative associations, the style has occasionally resurfaced in [[Street style|street fashion]] since the 1990s, often described as a [[Retro style|retro]] or "throwback" style.<ref name=":0" /><ref>{{Cite web|last=Simmons|first=Ted|title=Watch Migos Perform 'Bad and Boujee' on 'Jimmy Kimmel Live' - XXL|url=https://www.xxlmag.com/migos-bad-and-boujee-jimmy-kimmel/|access-date=2021-12-21|website=XXL Mag|language=en|archive-date=2021-12-21|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20211221143745/https://www.xxlmag.com/migos-bad-and-boujee-jimmy-kimmel/|url-status=live}}</ref><ref>{{Cite web|last=Campbell|first=Amy|date=2019-10-08|title=How Wu-Tang: An American Saga Became A Seminal Display Of Iconic '90s Hip-Hop Fashion|url=https://www.gq.com.au/entertainment/film-tv/how-wutang-an-american-saga-became-a-seminal-display-of-iconic-90s-hiphop-fashion/image-gallery/53ed1845cbbb29066713e42870e384e0|access-date=2022-01-27|website=GQ|language=en|archive-date=2022-01-27|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20220127165407/https://www.gq.com.au/entertainment/film-tv/how-wutang-an-american-saga-became-a-seminal-display-of-iconic-90s-hiphop-fashion/image-gallery/53ed1845cbbb29066713e42870e384e0|url-status=live}}</ref> Ben Detrick wrote of its cyclical popularity in a 2014 ''New York Times'' article: "Like a leathery cicada, it makes its periodic return, bolstered by iconic simplicity and nefarious associations."<ref name=":0" /> In the 2010s, [[streetwear]] brands [[Stüssy]] and [[Supreme (brand)|Supreme]] produced eight-ball jackets, although Stüssy co-founder Frank Sinatra Jr. (no relation to [[Frank Sinatra Jr.|the singer]]), noted that their appreciation was [[Irony|ironic]], stating, "You cannot take the eight ball seriously."<ref name=":0" /><ref>{{cite news|last=Lee|first=Don|date=10 January 1996|title=Stussy Inc. President to Step Down|newspaper=Los Angeles Times|url=http://articles.latimes.com/1996-01-10/business/fi-23106_1_shawn-stussy|access-date=5 August 2013|archive-date=1 April 2014|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20140401122713/http://articles.latimes.com/1996-01-10/business/fi-23106_1_shawn-stussy|url-status=live}}</ref> In 2014, a New York man was charged with assault after slapping a woman who taunted him about his eight-ball jacket; the charges were dropped after a cell phone video of the incident showed she had struck him first.<ref>{{Cite news|last=Yaniv|first=Oren|date=2014-11-14|title=Slapping 8-ball in the corner closet|page=20|work=[[New York Daily News]]|url=https://www.newspapers.com/clip/90922523/slapping-8-ball-in-the-corner-closet/|access-date=2021-12-21|archive-date=2021-12-21|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20211221142306/https://www.newspapers.com/clip/90922523/slapping-8-ball-in-the-corner-closet/|url-status=live}}</ref> |
Despite the negative associations, the style has occasionally resurfaced in [[Street style|street fashion]] since the 1990s, often described as a [[Retro style|retro]] or "throwback" style.<ref name=":0" /><ref>{{Cite web|last=Simmons|first=Ted|title=Watch Migos Perform 'Bad and Boujee' on 'Jimmy Kimmel Live' - XXL|url=https://www.xxlmag.com/migos-bad-and-boujee-jimmy-kimmel/|access-date=2021-12-21|website=XXL Mag|language=en|archive-date=2021-12-21|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20211221143745/https://www.xxlmag.com/migos-bad-and-boujee-jimmy-kimmel/|url-status=live}}</ref><ref>{{Cite web|last=Campbell|first=Amy|date=2019-10-08|title=How Wu-Tang: An American Saga Became A Seminal Display Of Iconic '90s Hip-Hop Fashion|url=https://www.gq.com.au/entertainment/film-tv/how-wutang-an-american-saga-became-a-seminal-display-of-iconic-90s-hiphop-fashion/image-gallery/53ed1845cbbb29066713e42870e384e0|access-date=2022-01-27|website=GQ|language=en|archive-date=2022-01-27|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20220127165407/https://www.gq.com.au/entertainment/film-tv/how-wutang-an-american-saga-became-a-seminal-display-of-iconic-90s-hiphop-fashion/image-gallery/53ed1845cbbb29066713e42870e384e0|url-status=live}}</ref> Ben Detrick wrote of its cyclical popularity in a 2014 ''New York Times'' article: "Like a leathery cicada, it makes its periodic return, bolstered by iconic simplicity and nefarious associations."<ref name=":0" /> In the 2010s, [[streetwear]] brands [[Stüssy]] and [[Supreme (brand)|Supreme]] produced eight-ball jackets, although Stüssy co-founder Frank Sinatra Jr. (no relation to [[Frank Sinatra Jr.|the singer]]), noted that their appreciation was [[Irony|ironic]], stating, "You cannot take the eight ball seriously."<ref name=":0" /><ref>{{cite news|last=Lee|first=Don|date=10 January 1996|title=Stussy Inc. President to Step Down|newspaper=Los Angeles Times|url=http://articles.latimes.com/1996-01-10/business/fi-23106_1_shawn-stussy|access-date=5 August 2013|archive-date=1 April 2014|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20140401122713/http://articles.latimes.com/1996-01-10/business/fi-23106_1_shawn-stussy|url-status=live}}</ref> In 2014, a New York man was charged with assault after slapping a woman who taunted him about his eight-ball jacket; the charges were dropped after a cell phone video of the incident showed she had struck him first.<ref>{{Cite news|last=Yaniv|first=Oren|date=2014-11-14|title=Slapping 8-ball in the corner closet|page=20|work=[[New York Daily News]]|url=https://www.newspapers.com/clip/90922523/slapping-8-ball-in-the-corner-closet/|access-date=2021-12-21|archive-date=2021-12-21|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20211221142306/https://www.newspapers.com/clip/90922523/slapping-8-ball-in-the-corner-closet/|url-status=live}}</ref> |
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The jackets remain iconic in [[ |
The jackets remain iconic in [[hip-hop culture]], referenced in lyrics and sometimes seen in [[music video]]s.<ref name=":3" /><ref>{{Cite news|last=Richards|first=Chris|date=April 16, 2020|title=Nightlife is on hold in D.C. — but local music still flows through our headphones|language=en-US|newspaper=[[Washington Post]]|url=https://www.washingtonpost.com/goingoutguide/music/nightlife-is-on-hold-in-dc--but-local-music-still-flows-through-our-headphones/2020/04/15/7150353c-7db3-11ea-8013-1b6da0e4a2b7_story.html|access-date=2022-01-27|issn=0190-8286|archive-date=2021-01-28|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20210128203650/https://www.washingtonpost.com/goingoutguide/music/nightlife-is-on-hold-in-dc--but-local-music-still-flows-through-our-headphones/2020/04/15/7150353c-7db3-11ea-8013-1b6da0e4a2b7_story.html|url-status=live}}</ref> In 2014, rapper [[T.I.]] wore one in his music video for the single "[[About the Money]]".<ref name=":0" /> Rapper [[Missy Elliott|Missy Elliot]] wore a jacket inspired by the eight-ball jacket in the music video for her 2015 single "[[WTF (Where They From)]]".<ref>{{Cite web|last=Rodulfo|first=Kristina|date=2015-11-17|title=Meet the Masterminds Behind Missy's "WTF" Video|url=https://www.elle.com/culture/celebrities/news/a31943/missy-elliott-where-they-from-music-video-fashion-beauty/|url-status=live|access-date=2021-12-21|website=[[Elle (magazine)|Elle]]|language=en-US|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20211221143746/https://www.elle.com/culture/celebrities/news/a31943/missy-elliott-where-they-from-music-video-fashion-beauty/|archive-date=2021-12-21}}</ref> |
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== Notes == |
== Notes == |
Revision as of 15:26, 8 July 2022
The eight-ball or 8-ball jacket is a style of leather jacket created by San Francisco–based designer Michael Hoban in 1990. The style is characterized by bright color-blocking and large black and white decals on the back and sleeves, made to look like the eight ball used in some cue sports. The distinctive design became trendy in 1990s fashion after being worn by athletes and hip-hop stars. The many symbolic associations of the eight ball, combined with the jacket's high retail price and celebrity associations quickly made it a status symbol for young people in the city's East Coast hip hop scene. Its popularity among youth led to robberies, some of which were fatal. Hoban's colorful designs were often counterfeited; he successfully sued a number of leather shops making knockoffs of his work. Eventually, he created a licensed diffusion line that sold lower-end versions of his jackets.
The initial trend for the jackets quickly faded, and they were soon regarded with disdain. Screenwriter Spike Feresten wrote one into the Seinfeld episode "The Reverse Peephole" (1998) in an attempt to make them seem uncool. The jackets have occasionally resurfaced in street fashion as a retro style, generally with some degree of irony. The jackets remain iconic in hip-hop culture, occasionally referenced in lyrics or featured in music videos.
Design and knockoffs
San Francisco-based designer Michael Hoban began creating leather fashion in the 1980s under the label North Beach Leather.[1][2][3] In the early 1990s, he became known for a line of high-end leather jackets with bold, colorful designs in a style sometimes referred to as "biker chic". The jackets, which originally retailed for approximately $800, were popular with celebrities and were often featured on The Arsenio Hall Show, a late-night talk show.[4][5] The most famous of these jackets was a style characterized by bright color-blocking and large black and white decals on the back and sleeves, made to look like the eight ball used in some cue sports. This design became popularly known as the eight-ball or 8-ball jacket.[6]
Hoban's jackets, particularly the eight-ball jacket, were commonly counterfeited or bootlegged by other designers. Harlem-based designer Dapper Dan, known for his custom knockoffs of high-end brands targeted to consumers in the hip-hop subculture, produced luxury versions of the eight-ball jacket that retailed for $1200.[6][7] Low-end counterfeit versions of the jacket sold for as little as $300, compared to the $800 price of the genuine article.[5] Hoban fought back by sending cease and desist letters to leather shops creating knockoff jackets and suing those who refused to stop. Eight shops settled out of court with agreements to stop making the knockoffs. Hoban eventually partnered with one shop to create a licensed diffusion line of older designs, called "Wear Me by Michael Hoban", which used lower-quality materials and sold at a lower price point than the mainline jackets.[8]
Original trend
Eight-ball jackets were trendy during the early 1990s, particularly in New York City.[6] They were popular with athletes like Darryl Strawberry and Bobby Bonilla, as well as hip-hop stars like Kid 'n Play and Salt-N-Pepa, who wore the jackets in the video for "Push It".[9][10] Other rappers referenced the jackets in their songs.[11] Their high retail price of $800 made them status symbols for young people in the city's East Coast hip hop scene.[5][6] The eight-ball design was particularly popular in hip-hop fashion because the eight ball is symbolically associated with winning, risk, and misfortune.[a][13][14][15] The term "eight ball" is also slang for an eighth of an ounce of cocaine, although Hoban has stated that the drug connotation was unintentional.[6][16][11]
The popularity of the jackets among youth led to many owners being robbed of them, often at knife- or gunpoint. Occasionally, these robberies escalated into shootings, some of which were fatal.[17][18][19] In December 1990, it was reported that five New York youths had been shot and killed in coat-related robberies over the preceding four weeks; two were explicitly tied to eight-ball jackets.[20] In 2009, two suspects in a 1991 cold case robbery-murder associated to an eight-ball jacket were arrested.[21][22]
Legacy
The intense popularity of the jackets quickly faded, and the design has since largely been regarded with disdain. By 1992, New York hip-hop group A Tribe Called Quest was using the jacket as a lyrical diss in the track "Show Business."[6] The Seinfeld character David Puddy wore one in the season nine episode "The Reverse Peephole" (1998), to the horror of his girlfriend Elaine Benes.[23] The episode's writer, Spike Feresten, later stated that he had deliberately tried to make the jacket uncool by associating it with the unfashionable character, telling The New York Times, "Obviously, it didn't work ... It's like herpes. It will always be around and some people will have it."[6] Bronx-based comedian Daniel Baker was quoted in the Times describing the jackets as being "like colorful skin on a poisonous snake ... It's nature’s attempt at warning you that this person should be avoided."[6]
Despite the negative associations, the style has occasionally resurfaced in street fashion since the 1990s, often described as a retro or "throwback" style.[6][24][25] Ben Detrick wrote of its cyclical popularity in a 2014 New York Times article: "Like a leathery cicada, it makes its periodic return, bolstered by iconic simplicity and nefarious associations."[6] In the 2010s, streetwear brands Stüssy and Supreme produced eight-ball jackets, although Stüssy co-founder Frank Sinatra Jr. (no relation to the singer), noted that their appreciation was ironic, stating, "You cannot take the eight ball seriously."[6][26] In 2014, a New York man was charged with assault after slapping a woman who taunted him about his eight-ball jacket; the charges were dropped after a cell phone video of the incident showed she had struck him first.[27]
The jackets remain iconic in hip-hop culture, referenced in lyrics and sometimes seen in music videos.[9][28] In 2014, rapper T.I. wore one in his music video for the single "About the Money".[6] Rapper Missy Elliot wore a jacket inspired by the eight-ball jacket in the music video for her 2015 single "WTF (Where They From)".[29]
Notes
- ^ In eight-ball and other pool billiards games, the eight ball is the money ball. Legally pocketing it wins the game, but illegally pocketing it results in a loss.[12]
References
- ^ Polson, Dorothee (January 11, 1988). "Hide and chic". Arizona Republic. p. 18. Retrieved May 29, 2022.
- ^ Hanson, Holly (June 13, 1991). "Michael Hoban has seen leather's popularity rise and fall and rise again". Fort Worth Star-Telegram. p. 65. Retrieved May 29, 2022.
- ^ Krasnow, Iris (April 24, 1988). "Skins are in". Detroit Free Press. p. 109. Retrieved May 29, 2022.
- ^ Hanson, Holly (June 13, 1991). "Michael Hoban has seen leather's popularity rise and fall and rise again, con't". Fort Worth Star-Telegram. p. 71. Retrieved May 29, 2022.
- ^ a b c Krier, Beth Ann (1992-03-13). "One of a Kind". The Los Angeles Times. pp. E1. Archived from the original on 2021-12-21. Retrieved 2021-12-21.
- ^ a b c d e f g h i j k l Detrick, Ben (December 24, 2014). "A '90s Jacket Comes Back Into Fashion". The New York Times. ISSN 0362-4331. Archived from the original on March 8, 2021. Retrieved 2021-07-13.
- ^ Darcella, Aria (September 11, 2017). "Gucci Enlists Dapper Dan For Its New Campaign". Harper's Bazaar. Archived from the original on December 22, 2021. Retrieved December 21, 2021.
- ^ Krier, Beth Ann (1992-03-13). "One of a Kind, continued". The Los Angeles Times. pp. E8. Archived from the original on 2021-12-21. Retrieved 2021-12-21.
- ^ a b "The 20 Coolest Types of Jackets in Hip-Hop History". Complex. Archived from the original on 2022-01-27. Retrieved 2022-01-27.
- ^ "From Sade to Siouxsie Sioux: 15 Music Goddesses to Make You Reconsider '80s Style". Vogue. 2017-08-09. Archived from the original on 2021-12-21. Retrieved 2022-01-27.
- ^ a b Buiso, Gary (2014-11-23). "8-ball jacket creator praises subway slapper's style". New York Post. Archived from the original on 2022-01-27. Retrieved 2022-01-27.
- ^ Meurin, Dawn (1993). Billiards: Official Rules & Records Book. SP Books. pp. 98–99. ISBN 978-1-56171-210-6. Archived from the original on 2022-05-17. Retrieved 2022-02-05.
- ^ Pooley, Eric (1991-08-05). "Kids with Guns". New York Magazine. p. 24. Archived from the original on 2022-05-17. Retrieved 2022-02-05.
- ^ Olderr, Steven (2017-02-10). Symbolism: A Comprehensive Dictionary, 2d ed. McFarland. ISBN 978-0-7864-9067-7. Archived from the original on 2022-05-17. Retrieved 2022-02-05.
- ^ Romero, Elena (2012-04-06). Free Stylin': How Hip Hop Changed the Fashion Industry. ABC-CLIO. ISBN 978-0-313-38647-3. Archived from the original on 2022-05-17. Retrieved 2022-02-05.
- ^ Nordegren, Thomas (2002). The A-Z Encyclopedia of Alcohol and Drug Abuse. Universal-Publishers. p. 268. ISBN 978-1-58112-404-0. Archived from the original on 2022-05-17. Retrieved 2022-02-05.
- ^ McKinley Jr, James C. (December 9, 1990). "Two teen-agers slain in Brooklyn". The New York Times. ISSN 0362-4331. Archived from the original on March 3, 2021. Retrieved 2021-07-13.
- ^ "Students Rewrite Fashion Rules In Styles From Baggy to Bizarre". The New York Times. 1991-12-08. ISSN 0362-4331. Archived from the original on 2021-12-21. Retrieved 2021-12-21.
- ^ Corbett, Don (1991-01-07). "Teens dressed for distress". The Herald-News. pp. A1. Archived from the original on 2021-12-21. Retrieved 2021-12-21.
- ^ "Costly coats can mean death for owners". The Billings Gazette. Associated Press. 1990-12-20. pp. 6–A. Archived from the original on 2021-12-21. Retrieved 2021-12-21.
- ^ "Man busted in 1991 8-ball jacket killing". Daily News. 2009-06-14. p. 24. Archived from the original on 2021-12-21. Retrieved 2021-12-21.
- ^ Cook, Rhonda (June 13, 2009). "Cobb County man fights extradition in NY murder case". The Atlanta Journal-Constitution. ISSN 1539-7459. Archived from the original on 2021-12-21. Retrieved 2021-12-21.
- ^ Eloise, Marianne (2019-07-05). "The 30 Best Elaine Moments on Seinfeld". Vulture. Archived from the original on 2022-01-27. Retrieved 2022-01-27.
- ^ Simmons, Ted. "Watch Migos Perform 'Bad and Boujee' on 'Jimmy Kimmel Live' - XXL". XXL Mag. Archived from the original on 2021-12-21. Retrieved 2021-12-21.
- ^ Campbell, Amy (2019-10-08). "How Wu-Tang: An American Saga Became A Seminal Display Of Iconic '90s Hip-Hop Fashion". GQ. Archived from the original on 2022-01-27. Retrieved 2022-01-27.
- ^ Lee, Don (10 January 1996). "Stussy Inc. President to Step Down". Los Angeles Times. Archived from the original on 1 April 2014. Retrieved 5 August 2013.
- ^ Yaniv, Oren (2014-11-14). "Slapping 8-ball in the corner closet". New York Daily News. p. 20. Archived from the original on 2021-12-21. Retrieved 2021-12-21.
- ^ Richards, Chris (April 16, 2020). "Nightlife is on hold in D.C. — but local music still flows through our headphones". Washington Post. ISSN 0190-8286. Archived from the original on 2021-01-28. Retrieved 2022-01-27.
- ^ Rodulfo, Kristina (2015-11-17). "Meet the Masterminds Behind Missy's "WTF" Video". Elle. Archived from the original on 2021-12-21. Retrieved 2021-12-21.