Baracuta

The Baracuta G9 jacket has been worn by everyone, from rock stars and movie stars to sports-stars and street-gangs to James Bond and Superman. It is an original British classic that has been much copied but never for the better. Certainly, it is a timeless garment that all men should have in their wardrobes at some point in their life.

The history of the Baracuta brand originates in Manchester, an industrial heartland in the northwest of England. The city was once known as “Cottonopolis”, being the center of the World’s cotton textile production in the 19^th century. It is also often referred to as “Rainy City”, due to the regular high levels of precipitation and the damp atmosphere (which was especially good for cotton spinning).

Given the industrial background of the city and its climatic conditions, it is understandable that a number of cotton-rainwear manufacturers began operating in the area. One of them was a company called Baracuta, owned by brothers John and Isaac Miller. Their principal activity was the production of raincoats for brands such as Burberry and Aquascutum.

In the 1930s the Miller brothers began to develop the Baracuta name as an independent brand, and they created a number of unique designs, each with an alphanumeric codename. At the time, the success of their manufacturing business had afforded them the opportunity of joining Manchester’s social elite by becoming members of the local golf club, and in 1937 they developed a short, waterproof zipper-jacket that could be worn on the course. The design offered sufficient freedom of movement to allow players to strike the ball without restriction; it eventually became known as the “swing jacket” in Japan, but the company referred to it by the designated codename, G9 (the G indicating “Golf”).