Members Only (fashion brand)

Members Only is an American brand of clothing that became popular in the 1980s with its line of jackets.[1] The brand was created in 1975[2] and first introduced to domestic American markets in 1980 by Europe Craft Imports.[1] Members Only racer jackets were distinguished by their narrow epaulettes and collar strap and their knitted trim; they were manufactured in a wide variety of colors. Their advertising tagline was "when you put it on, something happens".

Members Only
IndustryRetail
Founded1975
Headquarters
New York City
,
U.S.
ProductsClothing
ParentMO 1975
Websitewww.membersonly.com

In the 2010s, Members Only continued to launch seasonal collections carried at online retailers as well as brick-and-mortar stores such as Urban Outfitters.[3][4]

Man wearing a Members Only jacket.

Revival

The brand was licensed in 2016 by Sammy Catton, President of iApparel Brands, LLC. Ron Malhotra currently owns the brand. In recent years, Members Only has added many styles of jackets, including a women's line, Footwear, Sportswear, and Hosiery.

Trivia

Communication scholar Todd Kelshaw[5] has interpreted the brand's popularity surge as part of a broader cultural shift in the early 1980s from participatory communities to increasingly wealthy materially-based communities represented in the purchase of consumer products. Members Only were known in the 1980s for their shift from celebrity endorsements as a form of advertisement to public service announcements regarding issues like anti-drugs and pro-voting. La Cosa Nostra members were known for wearing this type of jacket in the 1980s and 1990s.[6]

Political journalist Matt Bai, in his book All The Truth Is Out: The Week Politics Went Tabloid, about former U.S. Senator Gary Hart's ill-fated 1988 presidential campaign, said that he had once referred to Hart as a dated figure from the 1980s, "the political version of a Members Only jacket."[7]

References
  1. Vargas, Daniel J (18 June 2004). "'80s jackets go from dud to stud in a snap". The Houston Chronicle. Retrieved 31 December 2012.
  2. Sheff, Harry (9 February 2012). "Members Only acquired by JR Apparel World". MRketplace. Retrieved 31 December 2012.
  3. "Members Only Clothing Official Website". www.membersonlyoriginal.com. Retrieved 2016-04-09.
  4. "Members Only Hooded Windbreaker Jacket - Urban Outfitters". Urban Outfitters. Retrieved 2016-04-09.
  5. Kelshaw, Todd (2015) "Wearing Members Only jackets: Baby boomers and the shift from sharing in to buying into community," in Baby Boomers and Popular Culture: An Inquiry into America's Most Powerful
  6. Rossen, Jake. "How Members Only Dressed up the 80's". Mental Floss. Retrieved 15 July 2016.
  7. Shafer, Jack (2014-10-31). "Matt Bai's 'All the Truth Is Out,' About Gary Hart". The New York Times. ISSN 0362-4331. Retrieved 2020-09-21.
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