History Of The Windbreaker

Chances are you aren’t thinking too much about your windbreaker jacket when you toss it on in the morning. At most, you are wondering if it matches your outfit or perhaps, you’re hoping it really will live up to its promises of deflecting the wind. As it turns out however, there is a rich history behind this casual outerwear style that all of us have worn at one time or another. Let’s talk a bit about the history of the windbreaker and how it has evolved to become a wardrobe staple in 2019.

Modern interpretation of a classic windbreaker jacket really starts appearing in the 1970’s but if you were dig a little deeper this jacket has been adapting itself to fit environmental and societal demands for over 500 years. This jacket is a descendant from parkas, first being created by Inuit's in arctic conditions. Traditionally they are made by two animal skins fashioned together and weatherproofed by seal fat. This insulating, waterproof jacket was soon adopted by western polar explores in the early 20^th century and gained popularity from then on out as ordinary winter outerwear.

It wasn’t until the end of WW2, that new materials were introduced into this style and artificial fibers began to replace animal skins. With technology advancing at an astonishing rate, weatherproof fabrics became the norm and the jackets became lighter and less bulky than past versions.

When the 1970’s came around there was a new sportswear trend happening and a demand for lighter more fashionable jackets. Queue the modern windbreaker, please! This is when you will see what we interpret as windbreakers today everywhere. This is also around the time that our Iconic Racer Jacket started to make a name for itself as the most trend forward lightweight jacket on the market.