Item 2019.119 - Rocker's Black Leather Jacket with Badges

Identity area

Reference code

2019.119

Title

Rocker's Black Leather Jacket with Badges

Date(s)

  • 1980-1990 (Creation)

Level of description

Item

Extent and medium

45 (jacket and 42 badges and two attachments to zip pulls)

Context area

Name of creator

Excelled
(1927-)

Administrative history

Excelled Sheepskin & Leather Coat Corp. was founded in 1927. In 1940 their Excelled logo with a shield and crown, and the line ‘It Sells Because It Excels’, was trademarked with the US Patent Office for use in leather, suede and sheepskin coats and jackets. They have manufactured and sold licensed collections for companies such as CHAPS, Columbia Sportswear and Stacy Adams, and had a joint venture with leather company Reilly Olmes.
Sources: Official Gazette of the US Patent Office; excelled.com.

Repository

Westminster Menswear Archive

Archival history

Immediate source of acquisition or transfer

Content and structure area

Scope and content

Black leather jacket with belt. Black quilted lining. Size 44

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      Language and script notes

      Physical characteristics and technical requirements

      Label: GENUINE LEATHER / Excelled / IT SELLS / because / IT EXCELS / MADE IN U.S.A.

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      Note

      Invisible Men exhibition label:

      ROCKERS JACKET
      Excelled
      1980-1989

      Adorned with studs, patches and badges, this leather jacket has a hand-painted skull and crossbones underneath the word Triton, a portmanteau of the motorcycle manufacturers Triumph and Norton. It features patches from the 59 Club, the legendary British motorcycle club that was formed by the Reverend John Oates in 1959 and is still active today.

      Leather, metal, cotton
      Archive No.2019.119

      Note

      From Inside the Westminster Menswear Archive:

      ROCKER’S JACKET
      Excelled
      1980s
      The decorated leather jacket is synonymous with British ton-up boys and rockers of the 1950s onwards. Adorned with studs, patches and badges, this leather jacket features a hand-painted skull and crossbones below the word Triton, a portmanteau of the motorcycle manufacturers Triumph and Norton. Several of the badges featured the logos of British motorcycle brands including BSA, Ariel, Triumph, Vincent, Norton and Royal Enfield. It features patches from the Fifty Nine Club, founded by the Reverend John Oates at St Mary of Eton church in London’s East End in 1959. The club is still active today, and the iconic ‘59’ patches are only available to registered members who have paid their annual subs.
      Leather, Metal
      Archive no. 2019.119

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