What is a Varsity Jacket? Where can you buy one?
Dubbed the ‘uniform of winners, varsity jackets were traditionally part of sports, academics, or activities’ uniforms, originating from high schools and universities. It has undergone significant transformation through the years. From being a status symbol in any educational capacity to showing up as a style essential in fashion,. If you’ve ever seen a Hollywood movie that includes a high school or university, you’ve most likely seen the Varsity Jacket in its original natural habitat.It all started back in 1865 as attire for the Harvard Baseball Team, with the iconic letter “H” embroidered on it. Of course, it was initially a woven sweater or pullover that had been used at the time, which was referred to as a ‘Letterman Sweater, aka Varsity Sweater’ that evolved through the years. Underwent a change in fabrics, design, and dimensions of the initialing from a big, bold alphabet to a more subtle yet equally iconic style it possesses today. What hasn’t changed, though, over all these years is the sentiment attached to this iconic style that will continue to live on for years to come.
varsity jacket
To say that its journey of constant evolution and change is interesting would be an understatement. Ever since the introduction of Varsity Jackets in the mid-80s, they have been morphed and changed to facilitate many styles, designs, and custom engravings while maintaining the timeless elements that are their signature.
What is a Varsity Jacket?
While it would be accurate to say that Varsity Jackets and Letterman Jackets are one and the same, the reason for the use of two names has more to do with history and level than anything else. Varsity Jackets are always used by those who are currently or were at one point in ‘Varsity’ level sports, academics, or other activity that qualifies the person to earn an official Varsity Jacket. In many high schools and universities, most teams have a junior varsity level as well as a varsity level that has the best players or individuals in the concerned field. So the use of Varsity Jackets was only introduced recently to classify a certain group of people, as opposed to Letterman Jackets, which go back to the beginning.
The change to the use of jackets from sweaters understandably has to do with the use of more fabrics, such as cotton, along with leather sleeves that developed from the original use of wool alone. This name originates from the presence of letters that are patched or embroidered onto the jacket. These letters can have different meanings, from the school’s name to the athlete’s number. Hence the combination of several different icons found on Varsity jackets today.
Why are Varsity jackets so expensive?
Varsity jackets are highly desired, personal pieces of outerwear that are made from high-quality materials and customized to the customer’s liking. The price of these jackets can seem very high at first glance. However, this price point is justified once we consider the quality of materials, the option of complete customization, and the sentimental worth these jackets can have for a person.
The true value of Varsity Jackets lies in the connection that they and the wearer have in between. For a high school graduate, these Varsity Letterman Jackets are like a trophy—a piece of their life spent on that sports team. While a person gets them for their looks and fashion, the value resides in their tailored nature. A custom Varsity Jacket is something that is exactly how they want it to be. From the material on the sleeves to the color on the cuffs, everything is personal to them and represents them as a person.
What are the different types of Varsity Jackets?
Over the last few decades, Varsity Jackets have expanded pretty rapidly. The custom nature of these jackets allows designers to innovate and try new things with the materials and designs of these jackets. Let’s look at the different types of Varsity jackets.
Materials
One way to categorize Varsity Jackets is by the materials used in their construction. Here are the three main combinations of materials used for these jackets: