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The special Yokosuka Jacket, called "Sukajan" in Japanese

 

The jackets are made of shiny acetate fabric incorporating Kimono style embroidery with shiny acetate thread. Soldiers stationed in Japan would take them home as souvenirs. Thus began the history of the Sukajan. Elaborate patterns depicting soldier's names or military units, eagles, dragons and tigers were all popular designs.  

The Sukajan was created in the latter half of the turbulent 1940's. At the time it was known as a "souvenir jacket," starting in the 1970's its popularity spread to Japanese youth primarily where it was sold primarily in the Yokosuka area. This city name was combined with "jumper" to form the word "Sukajan" as it is currently called.  

The embroidery industry has been vibrant in Gumma Prefecture for a very long time. The Sukajan was manufactured in the city of Kiryu, Gumma prefecture and sold in Yokosuka. The main material used was acetate satin, but from the 1950's to the present there have been more variations, such as those that enhance insulation by incorporating cotton into a velveteen fabric.

Connection between the Kimono and the Hawaiian shirt

 

According to a publicity from the Honolulu Advertiser on the 28th of June 1935, the sale of Aloha Shirts first started at Musashi-ya shoten in Honolulu. This was a shop opened by a Japanese immigrant named Chotaro Miyamoto. The Honolulu Advertiser was the largest newspaper in Hawaii which ceased publication in 2010. After the death of Chotaro in 1915, the business was taken over by his son who used kimono fabric to sew Aloha shirts at the shop.  

In the 19th and 20th centuries, there were many Japanese people who migrated to Hawaii in search of a better life. Many of them worked at sugar cane plantations and they usually wore palaka, which is an open-necked shirt decorated with splash patterns. It is said that the modern Hawaiian shirt was inspired by the design of the palaka. The kimono brought by the Japanese immigrants were usually only worn for special occasions, perhaps due to the fact that it was tight fitting and a hassle to put on. When the kimono wore out, the fabric was then used to sew the palaka and this unique design inspired the Hawaiian locals to create and wear similar shirts.