Most fashion launches are slightly dry affairs: some free drinks, maybe cupcakes that none of the bone-thin editors touch lest someone sees them uncouthly putting food in their mouths, sophisticated KCRW-ish music, products on pedestals. You stay for ten minutes, get the up-and-down, what-outfit-is-that stares, and then book it to the next appointment.
But Schott NYC does it differently—at least when they partner with Sailor Jerry Spiced Rum, which was created to honor Norman “Sailor Jerry” Collins, the godfather of American tattooing.
To coincide with the 240th Anniversary of the founding of the US Navy, Schott NYC created the Designed for Sailor Jerry by Schott NYC Pea Coat and celebrated the Navy’s seedier side with a blowout at their New York flagship store last week. As usual, it was a family affair: artists like Buff Monster and graffiti artist Faust shook hands with Ink Master’s Oliver Peck, who was genially inking the evening’s guests with classic Sailor Jerry flash.
Both Sailor Jerry and Schott NYC have roots in the US Navy: Norman Collins was a Navy vet who set up his tattoo shop in Honolulu during WWII and catered to fellow soldiers and sailors, while Schott NYC was originally commissioned by the Navy to create their pea coats. This new iteration is beautifully made—a heavy, classic, boiled-wool pea coat with a red silk lining that features Sailor Jerry artwork and an interior pocket that holds a custom leather flask.
Whether or not all this makes you want to buy a pea coat—well, that’s up to you. But what it does do is underscore the brand’s sincerity. I’ll always choose a product with a story and heritage, and with a motto that reflects that of Collins’: “My work speaks for itself.”
And I got the ink to prove it. FL
