The Lost era of Lee Denim

The story of workwear during the second world war through to the 1960s is one of the most well known in garment history. Functional clothes made for the stresses of wartime would become iconic styles sported by youth, hollywood stars, and musicians. But during the early peacetime years, brands with minimal marketing budgets and rapidly increasing demand would leave a rare trail of change and development.

Introducing the 101j

Before the explosive popularity of the type III trucker jacket, the Lee 101j dominated the market for day to day denim jackets. This iconic 2 pocket, vertical pleat design, found itself featured across film, tv and pop culture, setting the standard for what the modern denim jacket would become. The jacket was initially known as the “New” Rider in 1940s marketing materials, replacing the longstanding “Cowboy” jacket of the same Lot number. This older “Cowboy” 101j jacket had a familiar single pocket and cinchback, but it was shorter than its competitors with roomy shoulders for people working on horseback. By the end of the war the “Cowboy” jacket had already gone through several revisions to save resources and time. While these jackets are highly rare and collectible today, they were in practical terms inferior to their pre-war counterparts, and the growing post war economy demanded a mass market workwear jacket that was totally new. 

Beyond Cowboys

Lee wanted to be ready. Between 1945 and 47 a small number of new jackets quietly made their way into the hands of American workers. These were based on an entirely new pattern and varied greatly in features, but all worked towards the creation of one of the most iconic jackets of all time. By 1948 it was ready and the “New” Rider was officially released to the public. While their early ads still targeted the cowboys and ranchers that brought them success, it quickly became clear that this revolutionary design had much wider appeal. Lee ramped up production and left behind a lost era of jackets that laid the foundation for an unstoppable success story.

The Postwar Ready Jacket

The sanforized ’48 model jackets had two button down pockets on the front, zig zag reinforced stitching for strength, and sat just on the belt line. “Lee Riders” was now pressed into the buttons and "Union Made” stamps could be found in the front left pocket. Two adjuster tabs sat at the side so the jacket could be slimmed down without disrupting the silhouette. Retaining the roomy shoulders of the “Cowboy”, the jacket still fit different body types with ease, and its distinct look was showcased by Lee sponsored competition cowboys all across the USA.

A Style Icon

The jacket frequently appeared in TV and Film throughout the 50s and 60s. As American workwear started to become a symbol of western influence during the cold war, celebrities like Marilyn Monroe, Paul Newman and Kirk Douglas all sported a version of the jacket. Lee shifted their marketing to match, and alongside the competing type II jacket in 1953, helped denim jackets become a permanent fixture of American casual wear. By the mid 50s the 101LJ also entered production with blanket lining and a cord collar, eventually adopting the name “Storm Rider”.  

A Permanent Legacy

The 101j would remain more or less the same until the 1970s, when Lee began to globalise production. Manufacturers ranged from the USA to Belgium, Scotland and later, Japan. Through the 80s and 90s the pattern would continue to develop  and quality began to vary greatly between factories. However, this would not be the end for the very best of Lee’s garments.

Navigating a Globalised Industry

One distinctive quality of early 101j jackets is the tightly woven, left hand twill denim that fades with a mild ‘Tate-Ochi’ look. The chatter from the original selvedge looms produced a controlled slubby texture that would get very soft after washing and wear. By the 2000s globalisation had significantly reduced the size of the American denim industry, and virtually no American jackets could still be made in this way. Finding a new, unworn 101j jacket like this is incredibly rare, and models from the 40s and early 50s sell at eye-watering premiums to only the most dedicated of collectors. The rarest amongst these jackets remain those produced in the aforementioned post war period between 1945 and 1947. 

1990s Amekaji Influence

However with the rise of the Amekaji style and Japanese Selvedge Denim in the 1990s, heritage methods of denim production would remain well preserved. A huge contributor to this fashion movement was Lee Japan. Operating under licence by the Edwin company since the 1980s, Lee Japan has been long dedicated to honouring the golden era of denim. Classic 101j jackets have been reproduced decade after decade to an impeccable standard. 

The Lee Archives Collection

We felt one collection in particular truly deserved long term preservation and we kept it in our own archives for over a decade. reintroduced to the west as Lee Archives in 2023. Truly stitch for stitch recreations, the garments in this collection stand out from other jackets the moment you get them in hand. The research and development of the Lee Archives collection is a story of its own. Original model shuttle looms were painstakingly transported across to Japan from the USA to ensure the iconic left hand twill denim was as authentic to real sanforized 1940s garments as possible. Patterns were cut by reverse engineering some of the most sought after models in Lee history. They matched everything; from factory specific idiosyncrasies through to stitch length and positioning. The quality of workmanship on these pieces often exceed that of even the best kept archival garments, telling the story of Lee denim with admirable care and respect. 

Refining the Legend

There is no better example of this kind of storytelling than their reproduction of the 1946 model 101j; representing that lost post-war era of the Rider. This particular jacket is based on the late stages of what would become the ‘New’ 1948 model. The story goes that some factories had been using up old components from the previous pattern to iterate on new shape jackets, all while Lee was still producing old cowboy jackets to meet consumer demand. On the ’46 model, you can see clearly where Lee was starting to truly refine their new vision for the denim jacket. These jackets are exceedingly rare and can fetch thousands when they change hands between collectors.

Storytelling through Detail

 At first glance the jacket looks similar to the mass produced Riders from 1948 and beyond. However, it carries details that subtly tell the tale of how such an iconic garment came to be. My personal favourite of these is the yellow Lee logo on the front which is missing the “R” (or “MR” on later jackets), because it highlights political changes that were going on in post war America. The Lanham Act (Trademark Act of 1946), only came into force in late 1946, and marked a shift towards protecting American businesses in the wake of the war. Therefore, you will only usually come across single pocket “Cowboy” 101js without those markers. Only the rarest early double pocket 101js share this, and I think it is a really nice touch. 

Commitment to Authenticity

Another feature unique to these early models are the longer adjuster tabs with the stitches forming a little V at the end of the box section. While we haven’t found documentation to confirm why this changed, the shorter tabs on the 1948 version would have been quicker to stitch and used less fabric. The back label with the Lot no and sizing is the same design as wartime cowboy jackets, with distinctive red and yellow embroidery. It is made of rayon, a material which is almost totally absent from modern clothing. The union workers label in the top left pocket is consistent with the stamps found in 1940s garments and the rest of the features align perfectly with those that made it onto the later ’48 model jackets. 

Made to Change with You

The slim stamped Lee buttons, boxy cut, zig zag stitches, and those iconic front pleats are all true to vintage jackets when scrutinised. The denim ages and softens with that same Tate-Oichi texture, and starting from an unwashed state is a great way to really put your own mark on something very few people have had the opportunity to wear. Obviously something these have that you won’t find on a 40s version is the care label, but with that ‘made in Japan’ inscription, it brings with it the assurance that this is a jacket that is truly made to stay with you for a long time. An era of denim lost no more.