UK: "Burka 4 Boys" a hit

[abdulhakeem]

‘Burqa for boys’ becomes new hoodie fashion

December 9, 2007
Abul Taher and Graham Hind

THEY look less like hoodies than “burqas for the boys”. A jacket that conceals the head and face, leaving two “goggle-slots” to see through, is becoming the latest fashion craze to hit the streets.

The intimidating look has been borrowed from Italian couture, where it was created in the 1980s in homage to the protective gear worn by drivers in the Mille Miglia, the endurance race which started in the 1920s.

Police and community groups are concerned that the “goggle jackets” will become the next uniform of Asbo culture.

Brian Padd*ck, a former senior officer at the Metropolitan police and now a London mayoral candidate, said: “The trouble in society is not just crime but the fear of crime, and this new jacket is enough to give anyone a shiver down their spine.”

The Italian version of the jackets still sells at about £600 in the West End store of CP Company, an Italian couture brand. But this season high street brands like Projekts NYC are selling them for £50. They mostly come in dark colours.

At Arrival, a clothes shop in South Shields, Tyne & Wear, owner Marc Chapman cannot keep up with demand. “I must have sold about 40 jackets in the past fortnight,” he said.

“Even girls are coming in to buy them, although this is a men’s store.”

Chapman, 22, added: “A lot of people who are hoodies are buying this as the new thing.”

Steve Dodd, 18, a student in South Shields, said he bought his jacket to protect his face from the freezing winds off the North Sea and was taken aback by the reaction he gets from strangers.

He said: “After I bought the jacket I went into the Caffe Nero opposite, fully zipped up, and people just laughed.”

Dodd said he had even consulted a lawyer friend on the legal position. “She told me that the police could ask me to take it down but it wasn’t illegal. To me it’s a practical jacket.”

Officials at the Association of Chief Police Officers say there are no laws to forbid anyone from wearing such a jacket during the day or night.

A spokesman added that the only time that police officers could demand to see a person’s face was if they suspected that he had committed, or was about to commit, a crime.

http://www.timesonline.co.uk/tol/news/uk/article3022226.ece

[Phoenix CG]

hahahahah @ the pictures

[abdulhakeem]

Britons eye 'burkhas for boys' for Christmas

Dec 14, 2007

GREENHITHE, England (AFP) — A jacket with sunglasses sewn into the hood, dubbed a "burkha for boys," is shaping up as a big Christmas hit within weeks of its release in Britain.

The garment has raised eyebrows in a country wary of so-called "hoodies," or young men wearing hooded coats, but police admit they can do nothing in the face of the anonymity it bestows on the wearer.

"In only three weeks, we have sold more than 450 in my region," Peter Webster, representative for the jacket designer Carter's operations in south and southeast England, told AFP.

"The retail industry is very poor at the moment but the 'goggle jacket' has done very well."

The "goggle jacket" is exactly as the name implies -- a hooded jacket with two pieces of cloth that can cover the face entirely with the help of a zip, while two integrated plastic pieces allow the wearer to continue to see.

Sold by several retailers for between 50-85 pounds (70-118 euros, 102-175 dollars), it can be found in black, camouflage, cream and pink and is targeted at young men between the ages of 15 and 25.

It was inspired by a leather jacket created by Italian clothes maker CP Company, in homage to an automobile race that ran from 1927 to 1957. That jacket sells for around 600 pounds, and is worn by celebrities like Liam Gallagher of music group Oasis.

The result has been regarded as "fun and fashionable" for some, and "scary and frightening" for others: models with dark colours convey the image of commandos or criminals, while ones with light colours give the impression of a nuclear or biological catastrophe.

At Arrival, a retailer in Newcastle, northeast England, the jacket has been selling like hotcakes, even among girls, thanks to word of mouth.

"I've sold 60 in three weeks, and 15 Tuesday," Mark Chapman, owner of Arrival, said.
"It's unusual, it's warm, some are waterproof. The design is wicked, it's an awesome garment."

Meanwhile, in the enormous Bluewater shopping mall in Greenhithe, east of London, three stores have been selling the jacket with just as much success.

In one week alone, retailer Base has sold 30 such jackets, and has 200 in stock in preparation for Christmas.

"It's a fashion thing. It's such a different look it generates a lot of interest," the store's manager said.

After spotting the jacket in several locations in recent days, 14-year-old Ben Wilson brought his mother along to buy the jacket, saying: "Lots of my friends have one. I think it's nice and it's warm in there, it's good for the winter."

But he will have to wait until December 25 to wear it, as it will be Santa Claus who will be giving it to him.

Some of those who buy the jacket get it for fun, others for skiing or riding motorcycles, but not for committing crime or vandalism, retailers and designers insist.

"We didn't think about a potential misuse," said a spokesman for retailer Projekt NYC.
"If you look it that way, there are a whole lot of things that people can wear if they want to commit crimes like balaclavas."

For Mark Chapman, the jacket doesn't seem ideal for criminals: "It gets warm quickly in there and you have steam coming on the goggles so you can't see anything after a short while."

Despite those assurances, passers-by could well be frightened by youths, especially in groups, wearing the jackets -- not that the police could do anything, even if they wanted to.

"There's nothing illegal in wearing this jacket," a spokesman for the Association of Chief Police Officers (ACPO) said, adding that there have not been any reports of incidents involving anyone wearing one.

http://afp.google.com/article/ALeqM5hv4Cb-67Ee2T0a8TooleLFpxbgqQ

[vorsprung]

wahahhahah

looks more like a ww2 gasmask!

[Kubs]

Imagine seeing people dressed like that in the middle of the night :nervous:

[perfectpearl]

thats ugly

[$HugoBoss$]

:rotfl: The Uk is full of jokers thats for sure.

[K h a l i l]

GREAT:(:(:(

The streets of London have just becoming even MORE dangerous.. if its possible..

[Rouz]

I know someone who has one.

[mizfissy815]

I'd like to see one more politician comment on the niqaab without dealing with this first...

[Rosalie-Beauty]

I like hoodies...but this is just absurd.
and I thought it was weird living in the U.S.

[LastFriday]

ok thats just ridiculous. :banghead:

[Nazias]

GREAT:(:(:(

The streets of London have just becoming even MORE dangerous.. if its possible..

That's exactly what I thought.

I didn't realise that was what they were! :smack: Me and my husband kept seeing them on people when they were not zipped up and the 'googles' looked like mirrors :S

[Lambo5688]

just what i would expect from the british..:D

[MalikOne™]

looks like ballys gon become a thing of da past

[Abbas786]

You guys do understand that the fashion industry is trying to target the "tough" crowd with this jacket, right? This made for "gangsters" that may have to hide their face at any point they are about to comit a crime and so on. It may seem like a joke now but just watch, how much BS this hoddie causes. I can just imagine, if they brought this to north america, how terrified the cops would be.

[Pippin1376]

The pictures look like two overgrown bugs.

[abdulhakeem]

You guys do understand that the fashion industry is trying to target the "tough" crowd with this jacket, right? This made for "gangsters" that may have to hide their face at any point they are about to comit a crime and so on. It may seem like a joke now but just watch, how much BS this hoddie causes. I can just imagine, if they brought this to north america, how terrified the cops would be.
its already offered in the us. but prices are much higher.

i suppose michael jackson could be a prospective customer :rolleyes:
... or some ppl living in arctic areas

The pictures look like two overgrown bugs.it always reminds me of turtle ninjas. dunno why.

[Al Qadr]

The stig wears that from top gear (well in the episode where they had a tube, car, bike and boat race) :S SIL said he's Muslim :confused:

[Arise St George]

I'd burst out laughing if I saw someone dressed like that lol especially if they looked at me. I'd be rolling on the floor!

If this comes into fashion and hoodies start using this I think it's just a matter of time before it's banned from being worn on the streets.

[Stylish-Girly]

Disgustin, im coppin 1 too

[elji]

hahahahah @ the pictures



hahahhha @ ur avatar and the pictures

[Umm 'Umarah]

wahahhahah

looks more like a ww2 gasmask!

that's exactly what I thought.

[Reema]

Anyone here planning to buy one of those hideous things?? :p