How the WWII-inspired bomber jacket trend has added texture this season.

We at MR PORTER love it when a fashion trend actually has a little cultural context to back it up, as opposed to predictable and unfounded screechings of “stripes are in this season!” etc. One such example is the Japanese souvenir jacket, also known as the “sukajan”. Originally commissioned by the American troops who occupied post-WWII Japan in ports like Okinawa and Yokohama, the jackets were embroidered with vivid Japanese iconography such as tigers and dragons and were taken back to the US as, you guessed it, souvenirs. Still, fashion coverage on the sukajan trend has hitherto focused on silk and satin jackets (likely because they were said to be made from the military parachutes of soldiers), but velvet souvenir jackets are an overlooked and underrated alternative. The tactile fabric has a retro feel to it, and velvet jackets are steadily replacing their silky counterparts on the runways thanks to an influx of them from Japanese and Western designers alike. Scroll on for a few of our favourites.

This burgundy velvet jacket isn’t your traditional sukajan, but then Dolce & Gabbana often take a trend and give it the Italian treatment in a way that only they know how. Here be dragons? No – here be an embellished and embroidered crown-topped heraldic crest, of course, perfect for adding a little braggadocio to your wardrobe. Pull on some plain black jeans from Givenchy, the back pocket of which is subtly stitched with three white stars, and you’ve nailed an understated look with some attention to detail.

Yes, its price may be more eye-watering than the air inside a Yokohama opium parlour, but this vivid pink velvet bomber from Gucci (where else?) is the most modern and refreshing take on the souvenir jacket trend you’ll find. The rainbow-blasting UFO and traditional Asian dragon that are appliqued on the back make for a pleasantly anachronistic mix, and the whole thing is lined with retro patterned silk. Riff on Gucci’s eastern fantasy theme by footing your look with some white leather sneakers emblazoned with a dragon. What else?

Tigers are a mainstay motif on the sukajan, but we think this indigo velvet jacket from Japanese brand Remi Relief executes them particularly well – as well as the roaring tiger heads on the front, the back is woven with the striped animal, which prowls beneath the word “Japan”, embroidered in a white calligraphy script across the shoulders. Souvenir jackets don’t get more classic than this. Best to pair it with a white T-shirt to keep it casual – this one from Blue Blue Japan will ramp up your Tokyoite cool. And what do you know? It, too, is decorated with a tiger. Stripes are in this season, after all.