What's the deal with sponsor patches?

[shadowrider]

Probably a silly question but bear with me.
I see a lot of motorcycle leather jackets around, such as the Vanson below, which sport "sponsor" patches sewn on them.
What is the deal with it? Are the advertised companies actually sponsoring or somehow involved with, in this case, Vanson?
Or is this done to emulate the look of vintage original racing jackets (kind of like sewing replica Flying Tigers patches on a new A-2)?

 

[GHT]

Or is this done to emulate the look of vintage original racing jackets (kind of like sewing replica Flying Tigers patches on a new A-2)?
View attachment 103196

I think that you have just answered your own question. There's a Suzuki dealership near me, a jacket with patches will set you back a four figure sum and you get to be an unpaid advertising board.

 

[TREEMAN]

I think that you have just answered your own question. There's a Suzuki dealership near me, a jacket with patches will set you back a four figure sum and you get to be an unpaid advertising board.
View attachment 103200

Sponsor"s.................

 

[tropicalbob]

Yes, it's in emulation of racers' jackets, which some people think look cool. I've never understood the attraction of looking like a billboard, but what do I know?

 

[navetsea]

it makes you look faster perhaps

 

[mr_lits]

Most people are not aware that adding patches to a racing jacket actually increases engine horsepower. Just like adding patches to a flight jacket increases thrust and lift. Fact.

 

[nick123]

You could be a real dork and wear a custom painted Ventures patch as you blast Hawaii 5-0 in your car. Eh, they outsold the Beatles in Japan 2:1 in the 60s. Best band. Lol

 

[Big J]

@nick123, don't knock the Ventures dude! They single-handedly smashed Japan open to the electric guitar scene, opening the door for every western rock artist that ever inspired a japanese kid to pick up a guitar for themselves!
Without the Ventures there'd have been no Flower Travellin Band, Les Rallizes Denudes, Love Live Life + 1, or Speed Glue & Shinki!
The Ventures were electric guitar pilgrims in a heathen land! And they still sell out my local venue 3 nights a year!

 

[Cocker]

Most people are not aware that adding patches to a racing jacket actually increases engine horsepower. Just like adding patches to a flight jacket increases thrust and lift. Fact.

This! Also, any replica helmet will add 5km/h to your top speed!

 

[Dav]

It's all to do with the stripes, everyone knows that when added to a car or jacket it cuts through the air more efficiently so is therefore faster

 

[tropicalbob]

@nick123, don't knock the Ventures dude! They single-handedly smashed Japan open to the electric guitar scene, opening the door for every western rock artist that ever inspired a japanese kid to pick up a guitar for themselves!
Without the Ventures there'd have been no Flower Travellin Band, Les Rallizes Denudes, Love Live Life + 1, or Speed Glue & Shinki!
The Ventures were electric guitar pilgrims in a heathen land! And they still sell out my local venue 3 nights a year!

Hey, Johnny Ramone played a Mosrite. What more needs to be said?

 

[nick123]

@nick123, don't knock the Ventures dude! They single-handedly smashed Japan open to the electric guitar scene, opening the door for every western rock artist that ever inspired a japanese kid to pick up a guitar for themselves!
Without the Ventures there'd have been no Flower Travellin Band, Les Rallizes Denudes, Love Live Life + 1, or Speed Glue & Shinki!
The Ventures were electric guitar pilgrims in a heathen land! And they still sell out my local venue 3 nights a year!

Amen Big J. Not knocking them; knocking my quirky interests! Absolutely Tbob.

 

[rocketeer]

Most people are not aware that adding patches to a racing jacket actually increases engine horsepower. Just like adding patches to a flight jacket increases thrust and lift. Fact.

Allowing a girl to wear my A2 on a cold night certainly aided my Thrust Potential a bit later that evening

 

[Seb Lucas]

I dislike the look too - I recall the series House and the character's infamous Vanson B with patches all over it launching a million fans for this look. You could even get fake House sponsor patches from at least 3 sources.

 

[Big J]

It's ok guys, the Ventures are really cool. There's a whole generation of Japanese guys my father-in-law's age who grew up in the rubble of WW2, let down by their own leaders, who tuned into U.S. Armed Forces Radio, and opened their minds to the way things could be, and the Ventures were a massive influence on that generation. Cheesy though we may think they were, they were awesome cultural ambassadors.

As for the OP, if I rode a classic race bike, sure, I think a classic jacket with period sponsor patches would be really cool.
Dressing up like a power ranger on a modern bike is very sensible, but not very cool at all.

 

[nick123]

It's ok guys, the Ventures are really cool. There's a whole generation of Japanese guys my father-in-law's age who grew up in the rubble of WW2, let down by their own leaders, who tuned into U.S. Armed Forces Radio, and opened their minds to the way things could be, and the Ventures were a massive influence on that generation. Cheesy though we may think they were, they were awesome cultural ambassadors.

As for the OP, if I rode a classic race bike, sure, I think a classic jacket with period sponsor patches would be really cool.
Dressing up like a power ranger on a modern bike is very sensible, but not very cool at all.

And don’t forget Takeshi Terauchi and Yuzo Kayama in Japan. When I heard that stuff, blew my mind. I thank the Ventures for starting the whole quest into Japanese “eleki” music. I read that the young men after seeing the Ventures at a show would pick up guitars. They started a whole rock n roll revolution over there. Japan even adopted some national songs which the Ventures wrote!

 

[scottyrocks]

And then there was this jacket -

The movie sucked, but the jacket rocks. I still want one.

 

[Cocker]

Hey, I loved this movie! Cheesy as it was, I still find it funny and entertaining to watch.

... and I have a bad replica of this jacket!! Actually, my father bought it for me when I was around 17/18 as he knew I liked it so much. Hadn't put it on for years, but it's still out there. I said bad because most of the patches were not copy of the ones from the movie, but the quality's still there. I think the brand simply didn't got the license to do an exact replica.

 

[Big J]

@nick123, that's a great link! Thanks for posting!
I think you know way more about this than I do. I only got wise to the whole thing after reading Julian Cope's (remember The Teardrop Explodes?) excellent history of the scene. If I could remember the name of the book, I'd recommend it! He also wrote another awesome history of the postwar German rock scene that's worth a read.

If anyone grew up watching Astro Boy, I'm sure they'll be shocked to learn that the title music was written by Tatsuo Takai , who prior to that was Japan's leading avant-garde prog-rocker.

 

[tropicalbob]

And don’t forget Takeshi Terauchi and Yuzo Kayama in Japan. When I heard that stuff, blew my mind. I thank the Ventures for starting the whole quest into Japanese “eleki” music. I read that the young men after seeing the Ventures at a show would pick up guitars. They started a whole rock n roll revolution over there. Japan even adopted some national songs which the Ventures wrote!

Nick, what year was that done? It kind of morphs from Ventures into Unit 5 + 2 into Hendrix and then beyond! Fantastic. Thanks.