Parachute pants, originally known as flight pants, are a style of
trousers
Trousers (British English), slacks, or pants are an item of clothing worn from the waist to anywhere between the knees and the ankles, covering both legs separately (rather than with cloth extending across both legs as in robes, skirts, and dr ...
characterized by the use of
nylon
Nylon is a generic designation for a family of synthetic polymers composed of polyamides ( repeating units linked by amide links).The polyamides may be aliphatic or semi-aromatic.
Nylon is a silk-like thermoplastic, generally made from petro ...
, especially
ripstop nylon
__NOTOC__
Ripstop fabrics are woven fabrics, often made of nylon, using a reinforcing technique that makes them more resistant to tearing and ripping. During weaving, stronger (and often thicker) reinforcement yarns are interwoven at regular inte ...
. In the original tight-fitting style of the early 1980s, "parachute" referred to the pants' nylon material, similar to a
parachute
A parachute is a device used to slow the motion of an object through an atmosphere by creating drag or, in a ram-air parachute, aerodynamic lift. A major application is to support people, for recreation or as a safety device for aviators, who ...
's. Parachute pants became a
fad
A fad or trend is any form of collective behavior that develops within a culture, a generation or social group in which a group of people enthusiastically follow an impulse for a short period.
Fads are objects or behaviors that achieve short- ...
in
US culture
The culture of the United States of America is primarily of Western, and European origin, yet its influences includes the cultures of Asian American, African American, Latin American, and Native American peoples and their cultures. The Un ...
in the 1980s as part of the increased popularity of
breakdancing
Breakdancing, also called breaking or b-boying/b-girling, is an athletic style of street dance originating from the African American and Puerto Rican communities in the United States. While diverse in the amount of variation available in ...
.
The clothing company
Bugle Boy
Bugle Boy Industries, Inc. was a clothing company founded by William Mow in 1977. It is perhaps best known for its namesake brand of denim jeans that were popular in the 1980s. The company declared bankruptcy in 2001.
William C. W. Mow (Traditiona ...
manufactured the pants in the early 1980s, although they were not the first company to manufacture parachute pants. The company Panno D'or states that they invented them, though this claim is not confirmed. However, Bugle Boy was the company that made them immensely popular, seemingly overnight. Bugle Boy parachute pants are identifiable by having the word "Countdown" on a small tag above the rear pocket's zipper.
Teenage boys were the main wearers of parachute pants. They typically cost $25-$30 a pair. During the height of their popularity, 1984-1985, boys wearing parachute pants were fairly common. Bugle Boy did make pants for girls and women, though they remained most popular with males. They went out of fashion almost as quickly as they arrived, with the fad lasting about two years. Their slim, fitted look was eventually overtaken by much looser, baggy-style pants.
Parachute pants played a pivotal role in
1980s fashion
Fashion of the 1980s was characterized by a rejection of 1970s fashion. Punk fashion began as a reaction against both the hippie movement of the past decades and the materialist values of the current decade. The first half of the decade was relat ...
.
Functional clothing
Early breakdancers occasionally used heavy nylon to construct
jumpsuit
A jumpsuit is a one-piece garment with sleeves and legs and typically without integral coverings for feet, hands or head. The original jump suit is the functional one-piece garment used by parachuting, parachuters.
The original skydivers' j ...
s or
trousers
Trousers (British English), slacks, or pants are an item of clothing worn from the waist to anywhere between the knees and the ankles, covering both legs separately (rather than with cloth extending across both legs as in robes, skirts, and dr ...
that would be able to endure contact with the breakdancing surface while at the same time decreasing friction, allowing speedy and intricate "
downrock In dance, floorwork refers to movements performed on the floor. Floorwork is used extensively in modern dance, particularly Graham technique and Hawkins technique, as well as in vernacular breakdancing. Some dance training practices, notably Floor- ...
" routines without fear of friction burns or wear in clothing. Some, possibly apocryphal, sources state that genuine parachute nylon was cut and used to make such trousers possible. In the early part of the 1980s, parachute pants were tight fitting. Due to the use of nylon in parachutes, the style of pants became known as parachute pants. Often, early outfits were of a single color or slightly patchwork in nature as they were sometimes made of found materials.
When manufactured and marketed as fashionable clothing, parachute pants were often constructed with lightweight synthetic fabrics, making this variety of pants more suitable for fashion than breakdancing.
See also
*
Dance costume
A dance costume is the clothing worn by a dancer when performing before an audience. A dance costume may be custom designed for use in a specific dance work, or it may have a traditional design, such as those used in some ceremonial and folk dan ...
*
Harem pants
Harem pants or harem trousers are baggy, long pants caught in at the ankle. Early on, the style was also called a harem skirt. The original so-called 'harem pants/skirts' were introduced to Western fashion by designers such as Paul Poiret around 1 ...
References
{{Clothing
History of fashion
1980s fashion
1990s fashion
Trousers and shorts