Parachute pants

Not to be confused with Hammer pants, which were more like Harem pants, and not made of nylon.

Parachute pants are a style of trousers characterized by the use of nylon, especially ripstop nylon. In the original tight-fitting extraneously zippered style of the late 1970s/early 1980s, "parachute" referred to the pants' synthetic nylon material. They are typically worn as menswear. Parachute pants became a fad in US culture in the 1980s as part of the increased popularity of breakdancing. A clothing company, Bugle Boy manufactured the pants in the early 80s. They were not the first company to manufacture parachute pants. The company Panno D'or claims that they invented them in the early 80s, though this may not be true. However, it is true that Bugle Boy made them immensely popular with teenage boys mostly. They were around $25-$30 a pair. During the height of their popularity, 1984, they were worn by many teenage, or younger, boys. Bugle Boy did make them for girls/women, but were mainly seen on boys/men. They went out of fashion almost as quickly as they arrived, with the fad lasting about two years.^[1] Parachute pants played a pivotal role in the 1980s in fashion.

Functional clothing

Early breakdancers occasionally used heavy nylon to construct jumpsuits or trousers that would be able to endure contact with the break dancing surface while at the same time decreasing friction with the same, allowing speedy and intricate "downrock" routines without fear of friction burns or wear in clothing. Some, possibly apocryphal, sources attribute the use of genuine parachute nylon having been cut to make such trousers possible. In the early part of the 80s, parachute pants were tight fitting. Due to the use of nylon in parachutes, the style of pants became known as parachute pants. Often, early outfits were of a single color or slightly patchwork in nature as they were sometimes made of found materials.

When manufactured and marketed as fashionable clothing, parachute pants were often constructed with lightweight synthetic fabrics, making this variety of pants more suitable for fashion than breakdancing.

See also

• Dance costume

References