A very brief (and possibly inaccurate) history of the trucker jacket
The denim jacket is a timeless classic, worn by people of all ages and styles, from rebel teens in the 50s to drop-out hippies in the 60s, and purposely ripped at the seams (then held back together again with safety pins) by punks in the 70s. And let’s not forget (although I wish I could!) the acid wash finish that was the look of the 80s. While many people refer to the denim jacket as a trucker jacket, the term itself doesn’t refer to all denim jackets but to one design that was born in the 1960s.
The story starts in America in the 1870s when German businessman Levi Strauss introduced the Triple Pleat Blouse, a jacket with a boxy fit, two riveted front lower pockets, and (as the name suggests) three pleats! This denim jacket, primarily for working-class individuals like farmers, mechanics, cowboys, and miners, evolved over the years, in 1905 to become what we know as Type I. In 1953, the Type II jacket was born, featuring minor design changes like a second chest pocket and an adjustable waist via a back cinch.
In 1961, the Type III jacket debuted, with a very different look. The previous versions’ key elements of pleats and copper rivets were removed, and V-shaped seams were added to the front, giving a more tapered fit with the pockets sitting higher up the chest rather than the midriff.
Now, with many model numbers and refinements, things have moved on from just three types of jackets, but it wasn’t until the late 1990s that the term “trucker” was coined by Japanese vintage denim collectors.
Deconstructing the Trucker
With the creativity of the world’s fashion houses, including Gaultier’s, the trucker jacket continues to evolve with fresh interpretations, cementing its place as a versatile and iconic fashion garment.
As with the MA-1 Flight Jacket, which was remade in numerous guises under the Junior Gaultier label, the trucker jacket lends itself to a plethora of form reinterpretations, with these adaptations being more remarkable due to its widespread use in society.
Deconstruction is defined as adapting or separating an item’s elements for use in an ironic or radical new way and Gaultier pushed this principle to its limits! In my opinion, one of Jean Paul Gaultier’s most interesting and prolific works has been his deconstruction and synthesis of the trucker jacket into something more than what it is.
The following are five examples of Junior Gaultier trucker jackets that I love and that, hopefully, adhere to some deconstructivist principles. If they don’t this has been a massive waste of time!
Steel pocket trucker jacket (S/S 1988)
How about simply replacing one part of the jacket with a different material? That would still count as deconstructivism, wouldn’t it?
It would have to create a statement, perhaps with a stainless-steel pocket cover. This very boxy jacket is one of my favourites for achieving the (ageing) rock star appearance. Despite their lack of functionality, I enjoy how the buttons have been attached to the metal pocket flaps.
This jacket is from Junior Gaultier’s debut collection, “Modern Retros,” which was released in Spring/Summer 1988. There is also a version with steel plating on the front panels, giving it an armoured appearance for spontaneous mediaeval jousting bouts.
The use of metal as a decorative theme was inspired by Jean Paul Gaultier’s ‘Les Rock Stars’ collection from Autumn/Winter 1987-88, which included metal codpieces and epaulettes. There are additional boots in the collection, with steel plates on top. According to @bespokeaddict, Gaultier adapted the idea from miners who wore identical plates on their boots before steel toe caps were available.
If you observe the show, you’ll see that the leather coats’ upper pockets are embellished with leopard print material. The collection’s apex is the love-hate leather jacket worn by the stunning Pete Burns.
Pete Burns wearing a Jean Paul Gaultier jacket.
Photo used with permission from welldresseddad.
Lurex trucker bodysuit (S/S 1989)
When it comes to fashion, one of the most significant aspects that separates the ordinary from the extraordinary is fabric choice. Luxury textiles such as lurex, which are distinguished by their remarkable colour and texture, may transform a simple garment like a trucker jacket into a masterpiece of design and chicness.
Just changing the material is simple enough, but only Gaultier can take it a step further and transform a boxy jacket into a show-stopping bodysuit, extremely high cut over the thighs and woven in shiny gold stretch lurex.
Some 34 years after this collection was released Miley Cyrus wore this bodysuit in an Instagram post to celebrate the success of her single “Flowers” on Billboard’s Hot 100.
From the “Around the World in 168 Outfits” women’s collection from Spring/Summer 1989. Check out the post I did on this collection.
Condom trucker jacket (S/S 1990)
In the 80s, safe sex was an important aspect of life, so why not remind us to use protection with a transparent “condom” trucker? This change in denim material in the men’s collection “Rap’sody in Blue” S/S 1990 is just the tip of the iceberg of what you can achieve, but the less opaque seams highlight the parts of the jacket’s construction.
In the 1990s, Dr Alison Gill at Western Sydney University, in her text “Deconstruction Fashion: The Making of Unfinished, Decomposing, and Re-Assembled Clothes” summarised the core ideas of deconstructivism. Gill defined deconstruction in fashion as “garments on a runway that are unfinished, coming apart, recycled, transparent, or grunge”.
The Junior Gaultier women’s collection “Les Rap’Pieuses” from S/S 1990 had a raincoat version that was very transparent, possibly made from PVC. The men’s “Rap’sody in Blue” version had more of a cloudy latex look to it, like a discarded prophylactic that’s been lying in the sun for a while.
On the runway, a longer macintosh version makes an appearance, but with an x-ray motif by way of sections of the human skeleton screen printed on the surface. A T-shirt version of this x-ray theme print also includes text stating that the doctors in charge of this Junior Gaultier patient are Dr. Mabuse and Dr. Mac Coy. Dr. Mabuse is a master of disguise, skilled in telepathic hypnosis, and able to employ body transference. Could Dr. Mac Coy be Dr. “Bones” McCoy from Star Trek?
On a more serious note, following the death of Jean Paul’s personal and professional partner from Aids in 1990, Gaultier was quoted as saying, “My only regret is not having invented the condom, the most beautiful item of clothing.”
Cage trucker jacket (S/S 1989)
From the “Around the World in 168 Outfits” collection, which thrilled with its gold lurex and open work details with boning strips, comes the cage trucker. The show highlights modest suit jackets with sections of negative space, climaxing in basques with lattice trains and grid skirts. The Junior Gaultier take on the cutout theme used denim jackets with varying degrees of cutouts; the most striking (in my opinion) being this version with a cutout front and structured boning, held together with brass rivets.
Corset-style trucker jacket (S/S 1989)
This is a simple and extremely effective treatment of the Type III design from the Junior Gaultier label, which screams Gaultier. It’s also from the “Around the World in 168 Outfits” collection. V seams on the front of the jacket have eyelets running along their length with corset-style laces spanning the gap on the chest. The corset is synonymous with Gaultier, who as a child, was fascinated by his grandmother’s pink corsets and who premiered his iconic pointed-breast corset dress in the Fall/Winter 1984-1985 collection “Barbès”. The boxy utilitarian aspect of the jacket, with its *masculine power, is perfectly juxtaposed with the corsetry’s symbol of *feminine sexuality.
*Long-established societal views on gender that thankfully are being challenged.
Junior Gaultier rediscovered
Some 20 years after Junior Gaultier hung up its hat, Jean Paul Gaultier’s Spring / Summer 2013 ready-to-wear show featured a Junior Gaultier cage jacket, looking as relevant now as it was in the 80s. In fact, the show was all about the 80s, with the show notes proclaiming it as “an homage to all the pop stars of the eighties”.
The show started with faux Grace Jones stepping straight off the Nightclubbing album cover, dressed in a tuxedo, complete with a cigarette hanging from her mouth. Various 80s doppelgangers followed, all styled as the original performers. Annie Lennox, Madonna, Boy George, Michael Jackson, Sade, Abba, and David Bowie, all reminded us of the best decade for fashion and music.
If you watch Vogue’s video of Emma Chamberlain and the Jean Paul Gaultier crew brainstorming ideas for her 2024 Met Gala dress, you’ll notice a mood board filled with Junior Gaultier apparel. Could cropped bomber jackets return?
If you watch Vogue’s video of Emma Chamberlain and the Jean Paul Gaultier team working on the initial ideas for her 2024 Met Gala dress, you’ll see a mood board packed full of Junior Gaultier clothing. Could cropped bomber jackets be making a return? Thank you gaultier_forever for drawing this to my attention.
