The BUCO STRIPED SLEEVE TEE / FLYING WHEEL has been made from a cotton slub jersey cloth and finished with a FLYING WHEEL logo, which became an iconic symbol of mid-20th-century motorcycle culture, representing speed and freedom. It resonated with the growing enthusiasm for motorcycling during this period. This rubber print logo has been applied by hand at our Kobe headquarters.

The thick two-tone stripe along the sleeve is synonymous with the outlaw Biker scene of the 1950s. Aesthetically inferring prison stripes, club members adopted thick two-tone stripe jerseys and other garments as a counter-culture rejection to the dapper style of pre-war motorcycle meet-ups. Motorcycling emerged as a substitute for wartime experiences for many veterans but the act of men socialising post-war was in itself an anti-establishment concept. This combined with the more casual, rugged aesthetic of men returning from War in Europe redefined the prevailing style of American Motorcycle Club members, but more noticeably in the ‘Outlaw’ clubs on the fringes of biker culture.

Media sensationalising of the 1947 Hollister Riot catalysed an association of post-war American Motorcycle Clubs as being occupied by misfits and rebels and this affiliation was further cemented by depictions in classic American cinema throughout the 50s and 60s where the thick stripe pattern was used as a shorthand to depict a character's anti-establishmentarianism.

100% Cotton

Cotton Slub Jersey Fabric

Cotton Sewing Thread Construction

Rubber Print on Front

Made in Japan