Letterman Jackets

In the United States, letterman jackets have a traditional meaning and is worn by students of high school and college to represent the school and team gloat along with showing the individual awards achieved in academic and extra-curricular activity like athletics. In some places, Letterman jackets are also known as “varsity jackets”.

Letterman jackets have versatile styles and appearances. The torso (main body without head, arms, legs) is usually made of wool but this wool is boiled first. It has leather made sleeves with tight banded wrist at the end and waistband. It has already been mentioned that these jackets have enormous variations. And these variations come with different school’s primary and secondary color. If a school’s primary and secondary colors are red and green, the red color will be used on the body of the jacket and the secondary color will be used on sleeves. You easily can differentiate between

boys and girl’s jackets by its banded collar (for men’s) and hood (for women’s).

The term “letterman jackets” has come from the varsity letter jacket that has one or two letters on the left breast. These letters are usually from the name or initials of the school or college. There appears another letter that is of the owner’s name of the jacket. This name letter is embroidered on left beast matching color of the letter of school or college. Letterman jackets also represent the year of graduation that usually is also in same color but its placement varies from tradition to tradition of school or college. The year of graduation or accomplishment of the highest degree is attached on the right sleeve or just above the pocket of right side.

The carrier of letterman jackets holds another patch on its back if he or she played on a championship announcing the achievement. Besides, a letterman who participated in a medal winning sport sews the medals very often onto jackets to display his or her achievements.

These letter jackets have come from letter sweaters. In the past, the letter was sewn centrally and the size was quite large. On sleeves, the accomplished numbers and captain indicating star were attached.

The letterman jackets are never bought unless a student earns a letter. During schooling years, these varsity letters are awarded in a junior or senior year of a student. Junior varsity letter recipients can buy these letterman jackets if they are awarded junior varsity letters. The achieved letter is placed just above the left pocket and a little more space is left so that he or she would achieve more of letters (if all goes well) in future and add them beside varsity letters.

There are some schools awarding letterman jackets to letter winners at the award giving occasion. But honestly, many more schools provide only the letters to the winners.

When many years go away, one easily can remove the letters from letterman jackets upon graduation but many of the graduates love to keep the achieved letters on their jacket even after completing graduation to show the icon of their achievements.

Thanks