The "Harrington Jacket" is probably one of the most iconic items in the male wardrobe. Loved by the stars, the British icon over time has inspired young generations looking for an informal yet contemporary style. A timeless classic since its debut in 1938, you can’t get more British than the G9 Harrington Jacket. Born in Manchester in the UK, the G9 Harrington is the first of its kind. With its distinctive umbrella back yoke, two-buttoned dog ear collar and its ribbed cuffs and waistband, it truly speaks volumes. A jacket loved by all, from Ivy League students to various subcultures, like the mods, and to some of the most famous celebrities of our time. This jacket is for everyone no matter the background or gender.
Origin of the Harrington Jacket.
The hometown of the jacket was Manchester, famous in the late nineteenth and early twentieth centuries for its textile industries. A famous local company produced waterproof materials that were used by other brands, but by 1930 they began to produce garments in series. The year of the jacket was 1937 when the Millers brothers created the first model called "G9", destined to be renamed Harrington Jacket thirty years later because it was worn in the American soap opera Peyton Place, by Ryan O'Neal (whose character his name was Rodney Harrington). The G9 was born as a golf jacket (the G stands for "golf"), a jacket that guaranteed sufficient mobility on the field of the torso and arms, whilst protecting from the rain thanks to the waterproof canvas. For the inside of the jacket, they used the red and green Fraser tartan. The jacket set off to conquer America in the 1950s, but before landing in Hollywood, it became one of the most coveted garments by wealthy Ivy League college students, who loved having an unconventional style: the preppy style.
How and when to wear the Harrington Jacket - a timeless classic that exudes youthfulness and elegance. This unassuming piece can elevate any everyday look, whether paired with a white polo shirt, jeans, and ankle boots, or dressed up with a white shirt, chinos, and loffes. For a more casual look, try pairing it with a forest green cotton sweater, jeans, and sneakers.
James Dean, Steve McQueen and Elvis Presley
The Miller brothers' jacket had conquered Hollywood, it was intercepted by characters who perfectly embodied its style, obviously adding their quid. James Dean wore it in 1955, for the film that made him famous, "Gioventù Bruciata", creating an iconic outfit: G9 in red, white t-shirt, jeans, and ankle boots. In 1958 it was the turn of Elvis Presley, with the film "La Strada del male". For Steve McQueen, however, the Harrington jacket became a bit like his second skin. He wore it on and off the set, even to be immortalized for the cover of Life in 1963, in a pearl grey version.
Baracuta wasn’t without competition: a US company, McGregor, had introduced a very similar garment in 1947, called the “Drizzler”. James Dean famously wore a red version in the 1956 classic, “Rebel Without a Cause”.
Dean’s appearance in the film broadened the appeal of the waist-length waterproof beyond the boundaries of the golf-set, which in turn created an opportunity for Baracuta. A defining moment for the brand arrived when Elvis Presley was seen wearing the G9 in the 1958 movie, “King Creole”, instantly transforming the garment from an item of sports apparel into a must-have fashion piece.
The Baracuta G9: a jacket fit for a King
In addition to being sported by celebrities in the Hollywood hills, the Harrington Jacket also hit the streets of Britain as it was appropriated by a succession of youth subcultures. First the mods and skinheads of the 1960s followed by punks in the 1970s... the Clash famously wearing personalised Harrington Jacket in New York's Times Square in 1981 during their 7-night stand at Bond’s nightclub (how appropriate).
The list of musicians who’ve performed in a G9 has continued to grow since Elvis first appeared wearing his in 1958. It includes jazz legends Miles Davis and Chet Baker, rock and blues god Eric Clapton, Damon Albarn and Liam Gallagher (the rival frontmen of 1990s Britpop bands Blur and Oasis), and the Modfather himself, Paul Weller, who proclaimed, “The Harrington is one of the most iconic jackets ever designed. It played such a huge part in my youth and is something I still wear today. It’s the perfect jacket - a real classic - it will never go out of style.”
Early photographs of Eric Clapton and Paul Weller (The Modfather) accompanied by the Harrington Jacket