That Denim Jacket You’re Seeing Everywhere Dates Back to the 1950s

If the jean jackets rocked by Kendrick Lamar at the 2025 Grammy Awards and Saquon Barkley at Super Bowl LIX looked a bit different to you, you’re not alone.

Technically speaking, the jean jacket we’ve all come to know and love over the past 40 years is called a Type III jacket. This “new” style that has been showing up with increasing frequency is actually a throwback to what preceded it. Let me explain.

A bit of history

As with most things involving denim, it all started with Levi’s. Denim jackets date back to at least the early 1800s, but the San Francisco dungaree slinger created its first official jean jacket in 1901.

It differed from the model known worldwide today by having vertical pleats running along either side of the placket and only one pocket placed in the middle of the left-hand front panel.

Levi’s

In 1953, Levi’s updated the design by adding a second pocket and replacing a back cinch with two side waist adjustments that have remained the standard.

In the early 1960s, Levi’s introduced a third design, which supplanted the second by the end of the decade. This third version took the fashion world by storm and became the jean jacket, or trucker jacket, one of the most successful and reproduced articles of clothing in history.

End

A simplified colloquial system was developed to clarify things and skirt Levi’s notoriously confusing numerical naming system. The original design became the Type I, the 1953 version became the Type II, and the 1960s version became the Type III.

Even though it had the shortest lifespan, the Type II became a favorite among denim and workwear enthusiasts in the early twenty-first century, and has been gradually gaining ground on the Type III.

Don’t call it a comeback

It may be too early to call, but 2025 is looking to be the year of the Type II denim jacket. Celebrities have been embracing it, and it is showing up in brands that don’t typically make obscure vintage-inspired workwear.

Levi’s sells a direct reproduction of its 1953 original Type II. Brands ranging from Flint and Tinder to Maison Margiela are also embracing the classic American garment.

Even so, some of the best options come from the small Japanese and American brands that have faithfully reproduced the design for years, like Orslow and Freenote Cloth.

Here are six of the best Type II denim jackets available right now.

Levi’s

Levi’s 1953 Type II Jacket

Levi’s created the Type II design in 1953. This beat-for-beat reproduction is one of the best examples available today. The defining features are the vertical pleats, two patch pockets with button flaps and side waist adjustments. A small detail that you won’t find with any other brand is Levi’s signature rivets placed where cuff openings split.

• $405 at Levi's

End

Maison Margiela Denim Jacket

Besides resembling a perfect vintage specimen of a 1950s Type II found in the back of a thrift shop, this Maison Margiela denim jacket is notable because Kendrick Lamar wore it during his triumphant appearance at the 2025 Grammy Awards.

• $1,380 at End

Huckberry

Flint and Tinder Type 2 Denim Jacket

Flint and Tinder remained faithful to the Type II look with this jacket but snuck in some modern features to make it more comfortable and functional. It is made from a twelve-ounce stretch denim with 1 percent spandex. Two hand pockets are placed along the side seams, which the 1953 design did not have. A hint of selvedge detailing is inside the cuffs, which can be shown off when the cuff is turned up.

• $198 at Huckberry

End

Levi’s x End Type II Trucker Jacket

The Type II denim jacket that Kendrick Lamar wore to the 2025 Grammys is hard to come by and even harder on your wallet if you can get your hands on one. Fortunately, this collaboration between End and Levi’s is almost the spitting image. Defined by the two large pockets placed at mid-chest and vertical pleats along the placket, the Type II design dates back to the 1950s. This one has two hand pockets added along the side seams.

• $72 at End
  $239 (70% off)

Freenote Cloth

Freenote Cloth RJ-3 11 Ounce Denim Jacket

Freenote Cloth makes everything in America with painstaking attention to detail. This Type II denim jacket features a back cinch dating back to the Type I jackets of the early 1900s. The front patch pockets are square with decorative stitching. It is built from 11-ounce “1900’s” selvedge denim from Japan that will mold to your body a bit more with every wear.

• $350 at Freenote Cloth

Standard and Strange

Orslow Type 2 1950’s Denim Jacket

As the name suggests, Japanese manufacturer Orslow takes its time making garments with care and precision. This Type II jacket is made to the exact details of vintage examples from the 1950s. It uses indigo-dyed Japanese denim and pure copper rivets.

• $425 at Standard and Strange

Related Topics