Showroom
Reproduction RAF Irvin Jacket - 1930s Philips Radio Insignia.
Original RAF Irvin jackets with chest insignia are few and far between, in comparison to the American flight jackets which often had bold and bright designs. However there are a few British RAF Irvins with small painted badges or symbols on the chest, which provided me with an epiphany to try something fitting for a modern-reproduction.
I've wanted to test the waters with the classic 1930s Art Deco Philips radio symbol, but never found the correct jacket to attempt it on, until now. As this is a modern faux leather Irvin, with a seemingly watered-down design, I took a gamble - which I'm happy to say paid off. A perfectly sized symbol that compliments the overall jacket quite nicely. It would be marvellous to do another of these in the future.
USAAF Pilots A2 - 372nd Bomber Squadron.
I've always had an interest with nose-art from American squadrons during the Second World War, particularly those based in the Pacific who were fighting the Japanese. These units would primarily be stationed in the Hawaiian Islands. For the USAAF insignia, I decided to paint on the 'patch' as it seemed closer to the original waterslip patches used by servicemen on leather flight jackets.
This specific insignia of Pluto (designed by Walt Disney upon request) was used by the 372nd Bomber Squadron, who were part of the 307th Bombardment Group. On the same year of its creation, in October 1942, the squadron were sent to Kahuku Army Air Field in Hawaii for training, performing antisubmarine patrols in defence of the Hawaiian islands - as part of the 7th Air Force.
BAUHAUS 'Bela Sessions' Jacket.
The biggest project I've worked on to-date is the Bauhaus 'Bela Sessions' paint job. It took a week of scaling the poster to size, templating and painting the final result.
I found a 1979 French poster promoting the Bela Sessions which were the earliest recorded Bauhaus tracks, including the 9 minute long, one take single - Bela Lugosi's Dead.
The process of painting this jacket is also included on the Showroom page. After a few alterations and a layer of matte finisher, it came out looking as I'd visioned it.
I've worn this jacket to many gigs, first christened with Bauhaus themselves, playing in Brixton during 2022. As well as catching eyes in the crowd at the Camden Roundhouse, Sisters of Mercy gig in 2023.
Sex Pistols Cropped Punk Jacket.
This leather jacket was purchased from a vintage
shop based in Margate. It was an original which had some fray on the back and a lot of wear to the inside lining.
To provide it with a second life, the cut and style of
this particular leather jacket echoes the period of
punk, it's only natural I would go straight to the Sex Pistols as an emblem which sits nicely between the shoulders. I originally thought
the fraying to the leather would affect the template
but the overall result was far better than I'd expected.
Badges on the right lapel looked miles better than safety pins for this project, and complimented the front quite nicely. There's an eclectic mix of collected pin badges (staying on theme with the Sex Pistols), a nod to the Clash, as well as photos of Pamela Rooke and John Lydon.
BAUHAUS - Stage Faces Jacket.
This Bauhaus jacket was the first to be templated
during lockdown in 2020. It's had a relatively short
life as it's painted on faux-leather which tends to
crumble after a while. (Especially after front row
pogo'ing at the Bauhaus reunion gig in
Alexandra Palace!)
These faces were two out of four stage
designs during the 1982 gigs. These can be seen in footage from the Beggars Banquet record label, such as 'The Old Vic' concert where the four faces were suspended in the air behind the band.
As I mentioned, this jacket was a sample test, from a
standard faux-leather jacket, so you may be able to
see the black repair tape around the collar, from
fraying around the neck, as well as cuffs and right lapel.
BAUHAUS - Painting process of 'The Bela Sessions' emblem.
Siouxsie and the Banshees Jacket.
This Siouxsie and the Banshees jacket was painted soon after my first Bauhaus draft. I used a template from a photograph of Siouxsie wearing her classic harlequin outfit from the 'Happy House' music video.
The mural was painted on a stronger brand of faux leather and was designed by myself, choosing typography and the image to match. I always considered painting other details around the jacket, such as cobwebs - though in this case, less was indeed more. I felt that having your typical gothic features smothering it may spoil the overall feeling of the main emblem.
This was the very first jacket I sold, and was pleased to receive some great positive feedback from the customer.