Team jackets from the late 80s and 90s came from a handful of makers, and each one has a look you can spot across a room. These are the three we handle most, what makes them different, and what we check before one goes on the site.
Starter: the satin bomber
- Starter was founded in 1971 by David Beckerman in New Haven, Connecticut, making team uniforms for high-school programs. Its first retail product, from 1976, was a line of jackets with Major League Baseball insignias, and by 1983 it also held NBA, NFL, NHL and CFL licences.
- The jackets were the status symbol of the early 90s: sales went from $58.9 million in 1989 to $124.6 million in 1990. The classic is the satin bomber with a quilted lining. Later styles moved to a hooded side-zip jacket and then the padded half-zip pullover.
- Starter went bankrupt and the name was sold in 1999; Nike bought it in 2004 and Iconix has owned it since 2007. We only stock the originals. Our Seahawks piece is one: satin, quilted, made in USA.
Jeff Hamilton: patches on leather
- Jeff Hamilton is the designer behind the NBA championship leather jackets of the late 80s to early 2000s, including the 1996 Bulls and the custom jackets given to the 50 Greatest Players at the 1997 All-Star Game. Hand embroidery, bright colors and oversized graphics are the signature.
- The same look went into fan jackets covered in team patches, like our NBA Hardwood Classics varsity. Expect weight; the patches are sewn, not printed.
- They're a hip-hop reference point too, from Martin Lawrence's quilted jacket in the Martin title sequence to Cam'ron and Jay-Z name-checking the brand.
Chalk Line: the all-over print
- Chalk Line is known for its “Fanimation” all-over prints, which started around 1990 and put a sponsor, a driver or a team across the whole jacket. Russell Athletic bought the company in 1994, so the originals are early-to-mid 90s.
- Our Bill Elliott Budweiser jacket is one of these. The print is the piece, so look at the folds, elbows and cuffs for cracking before you buy any all-over-print jacket.
What we check
- Satin: pulls and snags on the body, tears in the quilted lining, snaps that still close.
- Patches: lifting edges and loose stitching, especially on the sleeves where they get rubbed.
- Ribbing: stretch the cuffs and waistband gently; old ribbing loses its spring and that changes how the jacket sits.
- Leather: the shoulders and the collar wear first. Dry cracking there is hard to fix.
Sizing
These jackets were cut big to go over sweatshirts, and 90s mediums are often today's larges. Ignore the tag and measure: lay a jacket you own flat, measure armpit to armpit, and compare with the Size line on the listing. If a chest or length measurement is missing, hit Ask a question on the piece and we'll measure it for you.
Buying here
Every jacket on ALL KORRECT is the actual one in the photos, one of one. Buy online and we ship anywhere in the US, or pick it up free in Capitol Hill, Seattle.
