You See This Coat? Vol 1: Acronym J1A
- Words Chris Danforth
- Date September 17, 2020
You See This Coat? is a deep dive into an exceptional or influential piece of outerwear. From the history behind each design to charting significant or noteworthy evolutions, this series should give a little more context to the iconic coats and jackets that have shifted the modern menswear space.
The Acronym J1A is less of an article of clothing, and more of a constantly evolving experiment in modularity.
The J1A was the first ever jacket designed by Acronym. Concepted and tested between 1999 and 2001, it is the progenitor of every other Acronym jacket that has followed, and the culmination of learned knowledge about building functional apparel.
The aim was to equip the wearer with a jacket and a bag that would suffice for any type of situation, environment, or weather conditions they might encounter during the day. The design of the jacket as far as its silhouette, pocket layout, and zipper functionality all reflect this. The J1A’s defining features include its roomy front-chest pocket, adaptable hood, and modular design that is intended to sync with other Acronym products.
Acronym’s founder, lead designer, and the man behind the brand, Errolson Hugh told Dry Clean Only, “The jacket was originally conceived of as a kind of sortie system. Sortie meaning a single outing, anything short of overnight. Looking at this, we came up with a symbiotic system between two items: a jacket (the J1A) and a bag (the 3A-1).”
Hugh continued, "The jacket and bag were designed to work together, to the extent that one could, for example, don or take off the jacket without having to stop and remove the bag. This became the patented system called ‘Acronym Interops.’ The jacket and bag were originally sold together as ACR Kit-1. They were the first Acronym products and released in 2002. Since their introduction versions of them, they have remained the best selling items in our lineup.”
J1A models also feature proprietary patents like JacketSling, EscapeZip, Gravity Pocket, and other features made famous by Acronym’s "Acronymjutsu" videos.
Hugh explains: “The J1A is what we call a full-spectrum garment. We don't presume to know what you're going to do in it, so we're giving you the maximum array of possibilities. As such, every detail is important. The fabric technology, the fit mechanics, the hood, the storage options, the JacketSling… Everything has been looked at countless times. Another benefit of having multiple iterations of the design is that we can test new out details and functions. Successful ones then become part of the jacket's long term DNA.”
In 2019, another chapter of the J1A’s legacy was written on the silver screen, when Jason Statham and Dwayne "The Rock" Johnson wore custom flight suit versions of the J1TS-S in Fast & Furious: Hobbs & Shaw.
The J1A was the subject of a comprehensive publication in February 2020. Called Z1-J1A, it was designed and typeset by David Rudnick.
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