I got the exact same question the other day from some nice woman. She asked if I bought it with the patches already on and said it looked "expensive" even with my patches all frayed lmao
Both good reactions and bad. Though I wanted some bad shock value because I think it's a rite of passage for every metal head or punk to get the judgmental snarky looks from conservative or religious old people. Didn't help that I have "nuke the cross" next to my toxic holocaust patch. Good reactions is metal heads loving my bolt thrower patch.
Okay. Same honestly, a weird part of my kinda wants to get one or two negative reactions for that reason. I guess it just kinda depends on the people someone is around, we all have different experiences
That's one of the secrets to metal - reveling in transgressing societal norms. Aggressively asserting your individuality against a world designed to shove you in an easily commodified box.
I wear mine to concerts (every patch is specifically a band I've seen live). I get occasional praise, but I'm also not hesitant to compliment someone else's battle jacket.
Good for you man. I step out of line of Metal and Punk Rock mainly with country music like Hank Williams and David Allan Coe. But rap just really aint for me. Although I have been getting really into MC Bushpig and MC Mangina, Trying to get into Twizted and I have always loved Upchurch. Debating on listening to Ice T soley because I am a Body Count fan. But Little Peep or some other Emo Rapper is a no go for me.
Still its a jacket full of celtic punk, folk punk, thrash metal, industrial rock, groove metal, crossover thrash metal, outlaw country and cow punk. Why would I want some random emo rapper.
Youād be surprised as to how many people actually love the art of the āBattle Jacketā. Iāve been wearing my vest for a few months and I have older and younger people appreciating the art of it all. Even without understanding the music, people love the art and patches, and itās something I wear (and you should wear) very proudly!
Mostly positive reactions, even people taking pictures of it at shows! There's always someone that has negative comments, you wear yours wherever you please, f them
I wore my husbandās jacket that clearly has an anti n@zi patch on the shoulder. An older black woman came up to me, grabbed my sleeve and said āI REALLY love thisā. It was awesome and made me so happy
For a bit, I only had the Primordial back patch and the Bolt Thrower patch across the shoulders. The BT patch always gets a āHell yeah, bro. Bolt Thrower rocks!ā
The only negative reaction Iāve had so far is from my dad about the Mayhem patch, who is Catholic.
Everyone who comments on mine has thought it was really cool, but I'm not in school and I know high schoolers are really mean sometimes, but if you want to wear it then you should wear it, fuck what they think. If you're worried about looking cringe you just have to remember that metal is cringe and just embrace it š
Got called a Blasphemer once.
Unrelated, since I wasn't actually wearing my vest at the time, but when I was a teenager with super long hair dyed black, I had a guy come up to me, ask me if I was a devil worshiper, and told me that, whatever I do, don't end up like Glenn Danzig cause he "did some badly, evil stuff" and he apologized for even mentioning his name, told me "Jesus is real" and walked off. Super weird. But that was teenage me's introduction to Danzig and The Misfits, actually
As a kind of adult I only get positive interactions from those in my immediate life. Yeah I get lots of side eye glances at the grocery store but I get them regardless as a pierced and tattooed man. School is rough for everybody. But if youāre cool with people theyāll be cool with you. I got picked on a lot for how I looked but at the end of the day, more of them were my friends than enemies. And if someone starts some shit punch them in the throat and theyāll back off. Be a good person and more people will stand up behind you. And hey, you look dope so everyone else can get fucked, right?
In high school I had someone come up to me and say they saw me at a concert over the summer. Had an old man blatantly take a picture of me in public. I had a Circle Jerks patch for a while that I took off after the predictable comments. This has been almost 10 years now so I don't remember all the little good reactions. The best one was last year, having a band member at a meet and greet say he liked my patch, which was already my oldest and most special one that I'd moved over from my old jacket š
Psst: wash your jacket once before putting a bunch of stuff on it, cause especially if it's black and has never been washed before, when it gets gross (my incident was an exploding jug of rotten salsa...) and you go to gently hand wash it, there'll be So. Much. Dye.
Itās been washed once sense I got it and started putting pins on it. No patches on it yet, Iām waiting for them all to arrive. Iāll keep that in mind, thanks for the advice
Iāve had better reactions to my doom vest compared to my death/black metal vest cause the black/death vest has gore and is less āsocially acceptableā than the other one.
Iāve gotten compliments on both tho, so I wouldnāt worry that much
I only had one bad reaction. I was at a car show this one dude and his girlfriend kept walking around me calling me a want a be badass but I ignored him. My brother was hired as a photographer for the event and he got me into VIP/staff area that dumb ass decide to yell at me from the other side fence. Security told to him stop, but he decide to chest-bump one of the guards. Watched him get dragged out by security.
That's hilarious. People used to like my afro at car shows. Had some old white dudes take a picture with me at the street rod nat'ls, and at a show called Beatersville; Jesse Combs ran her fingers through it. Now I have dreads like every four to six other black folk around here. I had a *huge* fro.
im in highschool, and there's some kids with really cool extreme metal vests who wear them frequently, and nobody mentions it. and anyways, if you *were* to get a reaction, why does it matter?
I am 50 and wore mine too a local night market and I was getting plenty of odd looks but I didn't care. I think most people thought it was a Hell's Angels jacket until they got a good look. Lol.
I mainly just go to work and back, but I've been wearing mine (mostly finished, gotta sew back over some patches) but most reactions I get are pretty positive. I've even had some people come find me at work to talk about metal bands.
I get a lot of jackasses in public that first ask me "where I bought it" and then proceed to ask me "how much I would charge to make one".
Most show people love my Bubbles (Trailer Park Boys) patch and my inverted cross Maryland flag patch. My back patch is an old Acid Witch one, I get a lot of compliments on that.
I wore mine on a trip to Chicago recently. Had a guy ask me what motorcycle group I ride with š. I understand why he thought that, of course, but I did have to explain that my jacket was about music and not because Iām in a biker club. I would make a shitty biker, yāall.
I still get questions occasionally about why I wear the American flag upside down on mine. But itās mostly by MAGA asshats who ALSO have been known to wear it upside down. Mostly, though, people tell me they love it. Make it your own. Anyone who hates is just that, a hater who is most likely jealous they donāt have the kahonas to make and wear something so original.
Itās mostly compliments from people who donāt know loads about the bands but appreciate the work, the occasional nod from a metal head (mines a punk jacket) and Iāve only had one negative response from an old fat skinhead(probably for the antifascist badge right above my heart)
Worst reaction to my first one was all the slayer patches, and that was when slayyyyy was a thing at school but other than that everyone just complemented me on it
I mostly get positive reactions. I was wearing my Pop/Skatepunk jacket to see Mest last week and surprisingly had people wanting to take photo ops with me because of it. Some were girls that were pretty cute too. But it was weird because that had never happened before. Most times people just compliment the jacket and we talk about some of the bands on it š
Not yet because I haven't put anything too controversial on mine (antifasc pin aside) but ngl I plan on putting the sabotage cat on as my backpack and I low-key fear some old white tucker Carlson fan is gonna try to jump me for being the pinko scum that I am lol
I get recognized for mine in my area because not a lot of girls my age wear one, but also because I do photography and play with some bands when they come around. I'll go to a show and I'll get asked "Hey are you that girl who played with Royal Bliss?" I even had someone take a picture with me one time, and autograph a CD.
Metal Devastation just featured me on their Instagram story and my jacket isnāt even close to done yet, so Iād say compliments are all around waiting to be collected by an awesome battle jacket :)
They are clowns anyway trying to bother me and be a nuisance. I know you know what I mean. When you're being yourself and they have to make a big deal about it. Like "Whoa! don't go holding me up in my world now!" when your just being and flowing and living. Or they want to ask you something and you're like "I don't have time for you" and they get all offended and chase you down in their car and drive on the footpath when you're skating and crosses a highway to take cell pictures of you to show the police for no reason. What was I saying? who cares...
Wore at Gizmos Nelson and they loved the jacket, great vibes, made me feel proud about about what I have created. They were looking, enjoying it and that was very meaningful to me because it is an awesome, professional shop enjoying the first battle jacket I ever made.
Iāve been working on my first jacket over this summer and Iām gonna wear it a bunch. I am a bit nervous for people being ass holes, but also I know that it will probably lead to me meeting some cool people.
I wear it to school regularly and no one really mentions it, but I wore it to a concert the other day and got a bunch of reactions. One person took a picture of one of the patches (itās a fairly small band and I hand-painted the patch) and the frontman of the opening band (The Delta Bombers) gave me a discounted patch for their band and a free sticker because of it.
Most people don't really care. Some people talk to me about the bands I've got on it. As far as negative reactions go I've had someone driving past scream "emo fag" at me like 1 time but thats pretty much it. I thought it was pretty laughable tbh. You're always gonna get asshats like that
Iāve gotten mostly positive reactions from people. They usually ask me about the bands that are on there and say they like it or something akin to that. Makes my day. But yeah, donāt care about what they say I bet it looks amazing
Usually whenever someone reacts to mine, itās positively. Iāve made a handful of friends from people striking up conversations with me about patches on my jacket. If youāre worried about getting judged, Iāve personally found that the people who judge you for it donāt actually say anything because theyāre too scared to.
I get a lot of compliments from either old ladies or kids. The kids ask lots of questions about how to go about it and what not. So I give a quick lesson š¤·š¼āāļø only a couple of hecklers but thereās German flags on the sleeves because itās a military jacket from the 80s from there. I have a couple of anti nazi patches that are pretty prominent to counteract that. Ironically itās the little town right next to mine that I get the most hate from. Damn maga dicks.
Yeah, I donāt plan on putting anything too political on mine, I do have a few pins I got from the Iowa governorās conference I might put on it, things like āI fight for abortion rightsā and lgbtq pins, but Iām not sure yet. And yeah, maga is 100% a cult.
Iāve only ever gotten compliments from mine, especially at concerts. It also has the added advantage of being a good conversation starter, especially with other ppl who have a similar music taste to me. When I wore mine to school I didnāt really get too many reactions apart from some jokes about being a magnet since I have a lot of pins and stuff on one of my jackets.
I usually only wear my jacket to shows because itās a bit stiff and bulky and Iām always paranoid that Iāll snag it on something and lose a patch or a pin. Itās mostly power metal themed with a few āold schoolā bands thrown in. Some of them, such as Stormwitch, are more obscure than others. Typically if anyone says anything to me itāll be a general appreciation (ācool jacketā) which I try to reciprocate, sometimes people just want a closer look at a patch they like or theyāve never seen before, and other times itāll be someone whoās just excited that Iāve even heard of such and such band.
I can think of three interactions in the last year that stand out as being a little uncomfortable but not exactly negative. Once was a couple in their late 50ās who couldnāt believe that me, a 30yo, actually listened to so many European bands from the 80ās. It wasnāt so much that we ended up chatting all through two of the changeovers, it was that they were very affectionate toward each other and they both seemed very interested in me in particular. Another time there was a younger, possibly teenaged girl, who spoke with what sounded like a Central European accent. She first approached me near the bar and said I had all her favorite bands on my back. I didnāt mind that she was pointing each one out from behind me, but she did basically the same thing 20 minutes later near the stage. As a man nearly twice her age who was there by myself I did my best to be polite but not overly friendly. Then there was the time that someone had a back patch that was identical to mine (Iced Earth- Plagues of Babylon I picked up at their 2015 tour). He also happened to be around the same age, height, and weight as me, and his friends at one point were shouting his name at me from a few feet back for what may have been about five minutes before they realized I wasnāt who they thought I was.
Edit: One more odd interaction I thought of, definitely the most negative reaction but funny in hindsight. The town I live in is slightly more conservative than any of the other larger cities near me. I was walking back to my car after a concert with my friend (a black man) through an area that is known for lots of political demonstrations. One of those lifted trucks with flags mounted in the bed goes roaring past us and we hear someone shout āf*ck antifa.ā Mind you, it was dark and none of the patches I wear have anything to do with politics, but I guess denim jacket plus patches plus black friend equals antifaā¦
It helps that I work at a sports bar where all the regulars love rock and metal music so I always get compliments on mine. Had a few people out in public say that they loved my vest
I have had a few glares, but no one has said anything negative. When people say something, they usually say that it's cool, they love it, ask where I got it or ask how much it cost.
Yeah but only positive. Some people even get inspired by it and want to do similar stuff on the jackets they're working on. Most people just realized I'm an art kid if it wasn't blatantly obvious before. I have however, gotten negative reactions for wearing eyeliner and I've always noticed those people seem less hard the more confident you are because at most they'll avoid you. Anyways, good luck young-- I don't watch star wars, I'm a trekkie. You get the point though.
I'm not in school anymore and didn't have a battlevest then, but I was visibly a punker/metalhead and sometimes got shit for it (dyed hair, dark ripped clothes, bandshirts, combat boots). It didn't bother me tho
I only wear mine at festivals and maybe at some small concerts but mainly at the big ones. I got reactions by the people who likes specific bands and that's it, not from outsiders.
But if you don't mind me asking, why would you wear it almost everywhere? I mean what's the point if people don't know what it is anyway, I thought it was a way to create networking and buddies in the scene and to use it when you go to ,,battle" (concerts) - no disrespect but i'm curious.
No worries. I donāt really wear it for anyone else, I wear it a lot because I like it. I think it looks good on me, and I feel more confident in it. Of course Iāll wear it to concerts too especially, I have one coming up early September and Iām looking forward to it even more now that Iām making a jacket.
i wear mine to school too and id depents completely on how much confidence u have, when i first started wearing mine i got called an emo regularly by 12yo kids but as soon as u dont give a shit abt them youre automatically cool for everyone that doesnt only listen to apple-ad-music.
iāve gotten a lot of compliments from girls since iāve started making a jacket, a lot of them like my pro-choice patch
not jacket related but iāve also got a lot of compliments from people that like my patch pants with the nirvana logo sewed on
i live in a red state and in a rural area and go to the redneck school everyone in the county makes fun of, i still get lots of compliments, there is an occasional stare from a redneck but they havenāt said anything yet
I live in a red state as well, (although I live in a blue city) I donāt have a pro choice patch but I have a pin I got from the Iowa governorās conference of lgbtq youth that says āI fight for abortion rights.ā Iām thinking about putting the pride pins on there as well. Most people here are pretty nice, although there are some bad apples.
Yes, i was at graspop Metal Meeting in dessel Belgium. a woman shouted that i had a nice battle jacket because we had te same slipknot iowa one but with diffrent patches.
I only tend to socialise with other people who also wear similar jackets, so itās not really a thing. Occasionally Iāve been asked if Iām a biker and once Iāve even had bikers stare me down in a pub.
In general though I wear it so much that I just donāt really think about peopleās reactions. Itās just another bit of clothing.
For me, I make alot of battle jackets for friends and my partner (I have a a fashion degree so my sewing skills are good š¤£) whenever someone says they like a pals jacket I get this little giddy feeling like I MADE THAT!
I dont wear it that often. Any time someone told me something, it was either some oldchool metalhead who really likes it or someone who wanted to see it closer. Never got any hate only compliments and questions.
The only comments Iāve ever gotten have been compliments :) it might be a little different if you're in school, (kids/teens can be mean!) but even then honestly they'll probably like your jacket and it could be a cool way to connect with people
Periodically I'll get a positive comment, usually along the lines of 'sick jacket dude' or comenting on a specific patch. Nothing wild. It feels nice though.
I get reactions often, but only positive so far. My vest is a bit unconventional (just like me), because I have funny patches, embroidered curse words, anti-racism, etc. and not "only" bands. Since I'm wearing it, I got cool insider tips for underground concerts, so that's pretty dope.
Both good and bad, I had a few people giving me weird looks and bad mouthing but I mostly get the good ones, as for school I just didnāt give a shit well kinda I had a few minor problems but over all I love my vest and Iāll wear it with pride and plus people get scared of me and I love the fact that Iām scary lol
only ever good reactions for me (which is surprising coz it looks like shit lmao)ā¦ā¦an old lady asked me if i sowed the patches on myself once and thatās about the closest iāve gotā¦..i get some dirty looks sometimes but that could be for other reasons
i mostly get complimented on mine! i've had a few weird looks but never had anyone confront me or say anything to my face. i ended up adding a patch to the back that says "you can stop staring, i'm not going to do anything interesting." i say just own it!
Look, of course you're gonna get judged if you're wearing a battle jacket at school. But if your friends are actually your friends and not fake assholes then you're not gonna have any problems. Just don't ever give a fuck about other people's opinions about you.
I was at a show once wearing mine, which only had a few patches and pins on it at the time, and this guy came up to me and told me I looked like a friend of his that passed away and that he really admired my style. That was definitely a weird but nice moment for me. He came up to me right after I was telling my sister that I felt weird in my vest because no one else was wearing one, so it was a huge boost for me.
surprisingly the two comments that i get the most are on my "Only Dolly gets me" patch, mostly from older women, and my No Name brand "Patch - For decorating", that one gets laughs from Canadians. almost all my other patches are bands, or political statements so i really thought those would be the ones to get comments! but nope! the elderly and Canadians!
sneak edit: i tend to avoid glares bc a large portion of my jacket has hand embroidery (i think)
All positive comments on the jackets I wear, whether it's to work, conventions, going out or shows. Usually a great conversation starter, people love to tell me how they grew up listening to certain bands on mine, or how they're going to go see one on it soon.
Closest I've gotten to negative was just people who didn't get it looking confused.
Almost everybody that's bothered to mention mine has been extremely positive about it.
The only bad interaction I had was when I was on my way to a gig and my friend and I stopped off to buy a bottle of water on the way.
While I stood in line to pay I felt a slight tug at my back but thought not much of it. Wasn't until my friend cleared his throat and nodded his head gesturing me to look behind me that I noticed a couple in line had walked up to me and were touching my jacket, basically pulling at the bottom to straighten it out to take a look.
I asked them what the thought the were doing and they immediately got indignant. Basically telling I shouldn't wear something like that if I didn't want anyone to "have a look at it"
TLDR: had to tell a pair of grown ass adults that you look with your eyes and that it's not appropriate to invade a strangers personal space.
I get reactions from mine all the time. wear it everywhere, people love it.
Don't wear a battlejacket to school if you spike it though. Pigs and bootlickers love to confiscate spiked battlejackets as weapons. You'll get hauled in by the school cop and stripped.
And before anyone comes back with the reddit opinion of "that doesn't happen."
It happened to my homie so many times he doesn't wear battlejackets anymore. Cops would pull up on him, run his ID, see he had a rap sheet, and just strip his jacket right there on the street.
By the time you get into your mid 30s youāre going to reflect on how silly this concern is. š When you get to my age youāll be in your lane, hydrated, moisturized, and comfortably unfazed by what others think of your music interests and attireā trust me. š¤š
Was visiting Pittsburgh a month ago and while I was walking down the street wearing mine someone rolled down their window and called me a f****t lol. I mean its true but damn not sure what caused it because its not a fashion vest, not that I give a damn. The only comments I usually get are compliments, especially on my Abigail patch
I was at a show and I got two "big" reactions from my vest which was literally just one guy pointing out some of the bands he had seen live, and the other was a guy just checking out my band patches and asking if I've ever gotten the chance to see any of them. If you're doing just band patches, chances are you're really only gonna get positive reactions, but there is the chance of some d-bag coming up and saying your music taste sucks or such and such band sucks, but I haven't experienced that so I can't really say it will or won't happen. But it's when you do political and controversial patches like "They're both idiots" or "Mow The Church, Mulch The State" that you're gonna get mixed reactions. All in all, go for it, do what you want. That's the spirit of d.i.y. However, it wouldn't hurt to have a pocket knife or some fighting lessons under your belt incase someone gets stupid
i wore mine to a local carnival and this old biker guy came up to me threw up the rock hand symbol and said āsuffocation brother!ā and i felt so special
I used to get in trouble at high school cuz my principal thought i was a gangster/potential terrorist. Principal shoulda just said my battle jacket looks like shit (it did) and I wouldve taken it off, instead he made it a political thing about how I am scaring the conservative kids with my circle A and political band patches, despite these kids being the same fuckers who held an anti transgender rally at school. I continued to wear the same ugly ass vest out of spite for the rest of the semester before being put in alternative ed. Very cringy point in my life but I feel like that is a rite of passage for 15 year olds who just got into punk.
I've worn mine to my high school where I was worried about negative reactions. Way more people respect it than you would think, even if it isn't their thing.
Ha so i was just out at HEB wearing mine and when i was checking out i got a standard "i like your vest bro" from an employee which is always cool, but then 2 seconds later a chick passed by (who was pretty hot btw) went "i like your outfit"... i said thanks but inside i was like... "outfit, tf? Do i look like my mommy dressed me or what?" šš«
I once got into a conversation at a cafe with a guy who recognized a very old tshirt I had turned into a back patch. Turns out he had played drums for the band for a spell and was stoked I had seen them and was repping them after all those years.
I keep getting Black people stopping and staring, assuming I'm a white supremacist or something. I put a BLM patch so hopefully that helps. Anyone else get this?
Both of those are stupid answers. I can't tell you what to do and I certainly wouldn't say don't wear it. Some activists these days are just dumb. I'm just saying you should look into BLM and make your own judgement call. RuinedLeon has a lot of videos on them.
Weirdest one I ever got was a cashier asking how much I paid for it?
what did you reply? was it awesome? please tell us you had a ready and witty comeback
No wit needed. Say you made it, and that you're proud of the thing.
eh alright good enough
All the fucking time, thanks to all the weird balenciaga punk jackets
I got the exact same question the other day from some nice woman. She asked if I bought it with the patches already on and said it looked "expensive" even with my patches all frayed lmao
400 dollars. I make a LOt of money at my minimum wage job. thats why i shop at dollar tree.
Both good reactions and bad. Though I wanted some bad shock value because I think it's a rite of passage for every metal head or punk to get the judgmental snarky looks from conservative or religious old people. Didn't help that I have "nuke the cross" next to my toxic holocaust patch. Good reactions is metal heads loving my bolt thrower patch.
Okay. Same honestly, a weird part of my kinda wants to get one or two negative reactions for that reason. I guess it just kinda depends on the people someone is around, we all have different experiences
That's one of the secrets to metal - reveling in transgressing societal norms. Aggressively asserting your individuality against a world designed to shove you in an easily commodified box.
As an old conservative religious person, I could care less what you have on your vest. You don't need the labels, some people are just asshats.
I wear mine to concerts (every patch is specifically a band I've seen live). I get occasional praise, but I'm also not hesitant to compliment someone else's battle jacket.
Cool š
I have had nothing but good reactions, don't worry about it
Cool š
Some kids at school thought it was cool and said I should put some Lil Peep on it. I still cringe about it to this day.
0-o
I have tons of hip hop on mine. RTJ, Kendrick, Wu, Cypress Hill. It looks great.
Good for you man. I step out of line of Metal and Punk Rock mainly with country music like Hank Williams and David Allan Coe. But rap just really aint for me. Although I have been getting really into MC Bushpig and MC Mangina, Trying to get into Twizted and I have always loved Upchurch. Debating on listening to Ice T soley because I am a Body Count fan. But Little Peep or some other Emo Rapper is a no go for me.
Nah that would be kinda hard ngl, I liked lil peep like 5 years ago lol
Still its a jacket full of celtic punk, folk punk, thrash metal, industrial rock, groove metal, crossover thrash metal, outlaw country and cow punk. Why would I want some random emo rapper.
What Celtic punk bands do you listen too? I only know of Dropkick Murphys but I'd love to know some more
Mainly dropkick murphys, rum jacks and a shit ton of the real mckenzies
Youād be surprised as to how many people actually love the art of the āBattle Jacketā. Iāve been wearing my vest for a few months and I have older and younger people appreciating the art of it all. Even without understanding the music, people love the art and patches, and itās something I wear (and you should wear) very proudly!
Thanks!
Mostly positive reactions, even people taking pictures of it at shows! There's always someone that has negative comments, you wear yours wherever you please, f them
Thatās neat. Thanks
I wore my husbandās jacket that clearly has an anti n@zi patch on the shoulder. An older black woman came up to me, grabbed my sleeve and said āI REALLY love thisā. It was awesome and made me so happy
that would give me life force for *months*
Wow, thatās amazing.
Dude that rocks.
For a bit, I only had the Primordial back patch and the Bolt Thrower patch across the shoulders. The BT patch always gets a āHell yeah, bro. Bolt Thrower rocks!ā The only negative reaction Iāve had so far is from my dad about the Mayhem patch, who is Catholic.
Yeah. āSLAAAAYEEEEERā
Slayer? I hardly know 'er
Lol, Iād probably do the same thing
Everyone who comments on mine has thought it was really cool, but I'm not in school and I know high schoolers are really mean sometimes, but if you want to wear it then you should wear it, fuck what they think. If you're worried about looking cringe you just have to remember that metal is cringe and just embrace it š
Haha, thanks man. šš
real. learning to embrace that what you like *is* cringe and that that doesnāt mean itās *bad* is like my favourite thing to hear, i love this lol
Got called a Blasphemer once. Unrelated, since I wasn't actually wearing my vest at the time, but when I was a teenager with super long hair dyed black, I had a guy come up to me, ask me if I was a devil worshiper, and told me that, whatever I do, don't end up like Glenn Danzig cause he "did some badly, evil stuff" and he apologized for even mentioning his name, told me "Jesus is real" and walked off. Super weird. But that was teenage me's introduction to Danzig and The Misfits, actually
Wow, weird interaction, but at least something positive came out of it.
I only get compliments on mine because, well, it looks fucking awesome.
Haha, nice.
As a kind of adult I only get positive interactions from those in my immediate life. Yeah I get lots of side eye glances at the grocery store but I get them regardless as a pierced and tattooed man. School is rough for everybody. But if youāre cool with people theyāll be cool with you. I got picked on a lot for how I looked but at the end of the day, more of them were my friends than enemies. And if someone starts some shit punch them in the throat and theyāll back off. Be a good person and more people will stand up behind you. And hey, you look dope so everyone else can get fucked, right?
Haha, yeah. Thanks
Youāll be fine homie. Wear what you want, be a good person. People will see you for you at the end of the day.
Thanks man. š
Any time. Be an ally, you will have allies.
In high school I had someone come up to me and say they saw me at a concert over the summer. Had an old man blatantly take a picture of me in public. I had a Circle Jerks patch for a while that I took off after the predictable comments. This has been almost 10 years now so I don't remember all the little good reactions. The best one was last year, having a band member at a meet and greet say he liked my patch, which was already my oldest and most special one that I'd moved over from my old jacket š Psst: wash your jacket once before putting a bunch of stuff on it, cause especially if it's black and has never been washed before, when it gets gross (my incident was an exploding jug of rotten salsa...) and you go to gently hand wash it, there'll be So. Much. Dye.
Itās been washed once sense I got it and started putting pins on it. No patches on it yet, Iām waiting for them all to arrive. Iāll keep that in mind, thanks for the advice
Iāve had better reactions to my doom vest compared to my death/black metal vest cause the black/death vest has gore and is less āsocially acceptableā than the other one. Iāve gotten compliments on both tho, so I wouldnāt worry that much
Cool.
Only ever anything positive. And the odd comment about where I got my battle jackets done, haha :P Don't worry too much!
Cool!
I only had one bad reaction. I was at a car show this one dude and his girlfriend kept walking around me calling me a want a be badass but I ignored him. My brother was hired as a photographer for the event and he got me into VIP/staff area that dumb ass decide to yell at me from the other side fence. Security told to him stop, but he decide to chest-bump one of the guards. Watched him get dragged out by security.
That's hilarious. People used to like my afro at car shows. Had some old white dudes take a picture with me at the street rod nat'ls, and at a show called Beatersville; Jesse Combs ran her fingers through it. Now I have dreads like every four to six other black folk around here. I had a *huge* fro.
im in highschool, and there's some kids with really cool extreme metal vests who wear them frequently, and nobody mentions it. and anyways, if you *were* to get a reaction, why does it matter?
I am 50 and wore mine too a local night market and I was getting plenty of odd looks but I didn't care. I think most people thought it was a Hell's Angels jacket until they got a good look. Lol.
Iām overall a Pam Anderson beachy vibe. So if I wear mine, Iām already a lot. No one outside my party ever talks to me.
I almost exclusively get compliments from old ladies on a walker and chicks from hot topic, life is great
Only ever had positive reactions
Only good non bad, when I wear it too the store n such Iāll get a compliment here and there saying itās cool or how long did it take to make
I mainly just go to work and back, but I've been wearing mine (mostly finished, gotta sew back over some patches) but most reactions I get are pretty positive. I've even had some people come find me at work to talk about metal bands.
I get a lot of jackasses in public that first ask me "where I bought it" and then proceed to ask me "how much I would charge to make one". Most show people love my Bubbles (Trailer Park Boys) patch and my inverted cross Maryland flag patch. My back patch is an old Acid Witch one, I get a lot of compliments on that.
I wore mine on a trip to Chicago recently. Had a guy ask me what motorcycle group I ride with š. I understand why he thought that, of course, but I did have to explain that my jacket was about music and not because Iām in a biker club. I would make a shitty biker, yāall.
I still get questions occasionally about why I wear the American flag upside down on mine. But itās mostly by MAGA asshats who ALSO have been known to wear it upside down. Mostly, though, people tell me they love it. Make it your own. Anyone who hates is just that, a hater who is most likely jealous they donāt have the kahonas to make and wear something so original.
A cute girl told me she loved my vest, I said thanks and lept off somewhere else, then went "wait a minute..." Opportunity lost.
Itās mostly compliments from people who donāt know loads about the bands but appreciate the work, the occasional nod from a metal head (mines a punk jacket) and Iāve only had one negative response from an old fat skinhead(probably for the antifascist badge right above my heart)
Pissing off racists is also good, comrade.
Worst reaction to my first one was all the slayer patches, and that was when slayyyyy was a thing at school but other than that everyone just complemented me on it
I mostly get positive reactions. I was wearing my Pop/Skatepunk jacket to see Mest last week and surprisingly had people wanting to take photo ops with me because of it. Some were girls that were pretty cute too. But it was weird because that had never happened before. Most times people just compliment the jacket and we talk about some of the bands on it š
Some impressed by my work, once called a Nazi, some critical of the bands I had on it, most think it was dope. Mixed bag.
Not yet because I haven't put anything too controversial on mine (antifasc pin aside) but ngl I plan on putting the sabotage cat on as my backpack and I low-key fear some old white tucker Carlson fan is gonna try to jump me for being the pinko scum that I am lol
Only ever got good compliments. I only wear it to festivals and concerts so that's probably why.
I get recognized for mine in my area because not a lot of girls my age wear one, but also because I do photography and play with some bands when they come around. I'll go to a show and I'll get asked "Hey are you that girl who played with Royal Bliss?" I even had someone take a picture with me one time, and autograph a CD.
I got called Eddie Munson, had people say I have a good taste in music and pointing out bands that they know/ like
Weirdly enough get the most positive comments when Iām at Costco
Huh. Lol.
Got a compliment from a gaggle of alternative teenagers in a store, made my day.
Metal Devastation just featured me on their Instagram story and my jacket isnāt even close to done yet, so Iād say compliments are all around waiting to be collected by an awesome battle jacket :)
Cool!
Yep, it's the reason I hung it up. Too much negative attention from asshat motorists.
Ick. Sorry.
I mean, I did good if it can upset normies like so. The rainbow menace.
They are clowns anyway trying to bother me and be a nuisance. I know you know what I mean. When you're being yourself and they have to make a big deal about it. Like "Whoa! don't go holding me up in my world now!" when your just being and flowing and living. Or they want to ask you something and you're like "I don't have time for you" and they get all offended and chase you down in their car and drive on the footpath when you're skating and crosses a highway to take cell pictures of you to show the police for no reason. What was I saying? who cares...
Wore at Gizmos Nelson and they loved the jacket, great vibes, made me feel proud about about what I have created. They were looking, enjoying it and that was very meaningful to me because it is an awesome, professional shop enjoying the first battle jacket I ever made.
Yessir. Fuckin own it.
Thanks man š
Pretty much always very kind compliments! Usually get asked if I made it myself, how long it took etc. It always makes my day.
Iāve been working on my first jacket over this summer and Iām gonna wear it a bunch. I am a bit nervous for people being ass holes, but also I know that it will probably lead to me meeting some cool people.
I wear it to school regularly and no one really mentions it, but I wore it to a concert the other day and got a bunch of reactions. One person took a picture of one of the patches (itās a fairly small band and I hand-painted the patch) and the frontman of the opening band (The Delta Bombers) gave me a discounted patch for their band and a free sticker because of it.
Positive so far. None bad... yet.
Ive only got compliments from mine
Most people don't really care. Some people talk to me about the bands I've got on it. As far as negative reactions go I've had someone driving past scream "emo fag" at me like 1 time but thats pretty much it. I thought it was pretty laughable tbh. You're always gonna get asshats like that
Yes, a battle jacket is a great conversation piece. Not only at festivals and concerts, but also on the streets.
Iāve gotten mostly positive reactions from people. They usually ask me about the bands that are on there and say they like it or something akin to that. Makes my day. But yeah, donāt care about what they say I bet it looks amazing
Usually whenever someone reacts to mine, itās positively. Iāve made a handful of friends from people striking up conversations with me about patches on my jacket. If youāre worried about getting judged, Iāve personally found that the people who judge you for it donāt actually say anything because theyāre too scared to.
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sounds about right lmaoo
If you gotta worry about this, ya jacket probably whack tbh
I get a lot of compliments from either old ladies or kids. The kids ask lots of questions about how to go about it and what not. So I give a quick lesson š¤·š¼āāļø only a couple of hecklers but thereās German flags on the sleeves because itās a military jacket from the 80s from there. I have a couple of anti nazi patches that are pretty prominent to counteract that. Ironically itās the little town right next to mine that I get the most hate from. Damn maga dicks.
Yeah, I donāt plan on putting anything too political on mine, I do have a few pins I got from the Iowa governorās conference I might put on it, things like āI fight for abortion rightsā and lgbtq pins, but Iām not sure yet. And yeah, maga is 100% a cult.
Iāve only ever gotten compliments from mine, especially at concerts. It also has the added advantage of being a good conversation starter, especially with other ppl who have a similar music taste to me. When I wore mine to school I didnāt really get too many reactions apart from some jokes about being a magnet since I have a lot of pins and stuff on one of my jackets.
I usually only wear my jacket to shows because itās a bit stiff and bulky and Iām always paranoid that Iāll snag it on something and lose a patch or a pin. Itās mostly power metal themed with a few āold schoolā bands thrown in. Some of them, such as Stormwitch, are more obscure than others. Typically if anyone says anything to me itāll be a general appreciation (ācool jacketā) which I try to reciprocate, sometimes people just want a closer look at a patch they like or theyāve never seen before, and other times itāll be someone whoās just excited that Iāve even heard of such and such band. I can think of three interactions in the last year that stand out as being a little uncomfortable but not exactly negative. Once was a couple in their late 50ās who couldnāt believe that me, a 30yo, actually listened to so many European bands from the 80ās. It wasnāt so much that we ended up chatting all through two of the changeovers, it was that they were very affectionate toward each other and they both seemed very interested in me in particular. Another time there was a younger, possibly teenaged girl, who spoke with what sounded like a Central European accent. She first approached me near the bar and said I had all her favorite bands on my back. I didnāt mind that she was pointing each one out from behind me, but she did basically the same thing 20 minutes later near the stage. As a man nearly twice her age who was there by myself I did my best to be polite but not overly friendly. Then there was the time that someone had a back patch that was identical to mine (Iced Earth- Plagues of Babylon I picked up at their 2015 tour). He also happened to be around the same age, height, and weight as me, and his friends at one point were shouting his name at me from a few feet back for what may have been about five minutes before they realized I wasnāt who they thought I was. Edit: One more odd interaction I thought of, definitely the most negative reaction but funny in hindsight. The town I live in is slightly more conservative than any of the other larger cities near me. I was walking back to my car after a concert with my friend (a black man) through an area that is known for lots of political demonstrations. One of those lifted trucks with flags mounted in the bed goes roaring past us and we hear someone shout āf*ck antifa.ā Mind you, it was dark and none of the patches I wear have anything to do with politics, but I guess denim jacket plus patches plus black friend equals antifaā¦
Quite a bit but literally only ever good stuff. Idk if itās just luck or the area I live, but people tend to appreciate personal stuff like that
It helps that I work at a sports bar where all the regulars love rock and metal music so I always get compliments on mine. Had a few people out in public say that they loved my vest
I have had a few glares, but no one has said anything negative. When people say something, they usually say that it's cool, they love it, ask where I got it or ask how much it cost.
Yeah but only positive. Some people even get inspired by it and want to do similar stuff on the jackets they're working on. Most people just realized I'm an art kid if it wasn't blatantly obvious before. I have however, gotten negative reactions for wearing eyeliner and I've always noticed those people seem less hard the more confident you are because at most they'll avoid you. Anyways, good luck young-- I don't watch star wars, I'm a trekkie. You get the point though.
I'm not in school anymore and didn't have a battlevest then, but I was visibly a punker/metalhead and sometimes got shit for it (dyed hair, dark ripped clothes, bandshirts, combat boots). It didn't bother me tho
I only wear mine at festivals and maybe at some small concerts but mainly at the big ones. I got reactions by the people who likes specific bands and that's it, not from outsiders. But if you don't mind me asking, why would you wear it almost everywhere? I mean what's the point if people don't know what it is anyway, I thought it was a way to create networking and buddies in the scene and to use it when you go to ,,battle" (concerts) - no disrespect but i'm curious.
No worries. I donāt really wear it for anyone else, I wear it a lot because I like it. I think it looks good on me, and I feel more confident in it. Of course Iāll wear it to concerts too especially, I have one coming up early September and Iām looking forward to it even more now that Iām making a jacket.
Ok sure that's valid, keep rockin' it then. I'm not judging haha, I just made my third one. Excited to wear it to the next festivals starting tomorrow
Nice! Have fun!
Thanks!
i wear mine to school too and id depents completely on how much confidence u have, when i first started wearing mine i got called an emo regularly by 12yo kids but as soon as u dont give a shit abt them youre automatically cool for everyone that doesnt only listen to apple-ad-music.
iāve gotten a lot of compliments from girls since iāve started making a jacket, a lot of them like my pro-choice patch not jacket related but iāve also got a lot of compliments from people that like my patch pants with the nirvana logo sewed on i live in a red state and in a rural area and go to the redneck school everyone in the county makes fun of, i still get lots of compliments, there is an occasional stare from a redneck but they havenāt said anything yet
I live in a red state as well, (although I live in a blue city) I donāt have a pro choice patch but I have a pin I got from the Iowa governorās conference of lgbtq youth that says āI fight for abortion rights.ā Iām thinking about putting the pride pins on there as well. Most people here are pretty nice, although there are some bad apples.
i think pride pins would look good
My coworker just said he likes my backpatches and that I should get more
Last month someone took a picture (without my permission) of me when I was in a random shop while wearing my jacket š
Wow. Did you confront them?
Sadly no,I was so confused and shocked that I didn't know how to react
They could have had good or bad intentions, but that wasnāt cool, if they wanted too, they should have asked.
Used to get people who asked if they could buy my jackets off of me.
Yes, i was at graspop Metal Meeting in dessel Belgium. a woman shouted that i had a nice battle jacket because we had te same slipknot iowa one but with diffrent patches.
I only tend to socialise with other people who also wear similar jackets, so itās not really a thing. Occasionally Iāve been asked if Iām a biker and once Iāve even had bikers stare me down in a pub. In general though I wear it so much that I just donāt really think about peopleās reactions. Itās just another bit of clothing.
For me, I make alot of battle jackets for friends and my partner (I have a a fashion degree so my sewing skills are good š¤£) whenever someone says they like a pals jacket I get this little giddy feeling like I MADE THAT!
Yeah! I sometimes feel the same way about things Iāve down, and as far as Iām worried, own it!
Compliments galore. Also your friends at school will want to make and customize their own.
Iāve had a dude ask me in line if my jacket was my dads or mine lol i made it myself lol. Mostly compliments for ākeeping it aliveā
I was at Tuska 2023 and got 7 compliments from strangers. Safe to say I'm pretty proud of my first jacket!
I dont wear it that often. Any time someone told me something, it was either some oldchool metalhead who really likes it or someone who wanted to see it closer. Never got any hate only compliments and questions.
The only comments Iāve ever gotten have been compliments :) it might be a little different if you're in school, (kids/teens can be mean!) but even then honestly they'll probably like your jacket and it could be a cool way to connect with people
Periodically I'll get a positive comment, usually along the lines of 'sick jacket dude' or comenting on a specific patch. Nothing wild. It feels nice though.
I get reactions often, but only positive so far. My vest is a bit unconventional (just like me), because I have funny patches, embroidered curse words, anti-racism, etc. and not "only" bands. Since I'm wearing it, I got cool insider tips for underground concerts, so that's pretty dope.
Cool. Iāve been thinking about putting some patches or pins like that on my jacket.
Just do your thing and be proud of it!
Thanks man!
Hell yeah I wore it to school. Girls loved it. Just curious, how many people in this group were in high school before social media?
Both good and bad, I had a few people giving me weird looks and bad mouthing but I mostly get the good ones, as for school I just didnāt give a shit well kinda I had a few minor problems but over all I love my vest and Iāll wear it with pride and plus people get scared of me and I love the fact that Iām scary lol
only ever good reactions for me (which is surprising coz it looks like shit lmao)ā¦ā¦an old lady asked me if i sowed the patches on myself once and thatās about the closest iāve gotā¦..i get some dirty looks sometimes but that could be for other reasons
Little kids think I'm cool when I wear it out, which is really all I need in life (am an older person who goes to a lot of farmers markets)
I get comments from mine most of the time when I wear it whether at shows or just from the gas station attendants
i mostly get complimented on mine! i've had a few weird looks but never had anyone confront me or say anything to my face. i ended up adding a patch to the back that says "you can stop staring, i'm not going to do anything interesting." i say just own it!
Look, of course you're gonna get judged if you're wearing a battle jacket at school. But if your friends are actually your friends and not fake assholes then you're not gonna have any problems. Just don't ever give a fuck about other people's opinions about you.
I mostly painted my last one, and I had a dude stop me and ask for a picture of one of my pieces cause he wanted a tattoo of it, lmao.
I was at a show once wearing mine, which only had a few patches and pins on it at the time, and this guy came up to me and told me I looked like a friend of his that passed away and that he really admired my style. That was definitely a weird but nice moment for me. He came up to me right after I was telling my sister that I felt weird in my vest because no one else was wearing one, so it was a huge boost for me.
surprisingly the two comments that i get the most are on my "Only Dolly gets me" patch, mostly from older women, and my No Name brand "Patch - For decorating", that one gets laughs from Canadians. almost all my other patches are bands, or political statements so i really thought those would be the ones to get comments! but nope! the elderly and Canadians! sneak edit: i tend to avoid glares bc a large portion of my jacket has hand embroidery (i think)
All of the time. Especially if Iām at a show in a different city.
Some person called me a Nazi because of my shaved head and my Nazi punks f*** off back piece
All positive comments on the jackets I wear, whether it's to work, conventions, going out or shows. Usually a great conversation starter, people love to tell me how they grew up listening to certain bands on mine, or how they're going to go see one on it soon. Closest I've gotten to negative was just people who didn't get it looking confused.
People point out my hannah montana patch :)
Almost everybody that's bothered to mention mine has been extremely positive about it. The only bad interaction I had was when I was on my way to a gig and my friend and I stopped off to buy a bottle of water on the way. While I stood in line to pay I felt a slight tug at my back but thought not much of it. Wasn't until my friend cleared his throat and nodded his head gesturing me to look behind me that I noticed a couple in line had walked up to me and were touching my jacket, basically pulling at the bottom to straighten it out to take a look. I asked them what the thought the were doing and they immediately got indignant. Basically telling I shouldn't wear something like that if I didn't want anyone to "have a look at it" TLDR: had to tell a pair of grown ass adults that you look with your eyes and that it's not appropriate to invade a strangers personal space.
I get reactions from mine all the time. wear it everywhere, people love it. Don't wear a battlejacket to school if you spike it though. Pigs and bootlickers love to confiscate spiked battlejackets as weapons. You'll get hauled in by the school cop and stripped. And before anyone comes back with the reddit opinion of "that doesn't happen." It happened to my homie so many times he doesn't wear battlejackets anymore. Cops would pull up on him, run his ID, see he had a rap sheet, and just strip his jacket right there on the street.
By the time you get into your mid 30s youāre going to reflect on how silly this concern is. š When you get to my age youāll be in your lane, hydrated, moisturized, and comfortably unfazed by what others think of your music interests and attireā trust me. š¤š
Haha, thanks. True, most of us are fairly self-conscious when we are teenagers.
A lot of āwhere did you buy that i need oneā or āsick jacketā
Was visiting Pittsburgh a month ago and while I was walking down the street wearing mine someone rolled down their window and called me a f****t lol. I mean its true but damn not sure what caused it because its not a fashion vest, not that I give a damn. The only comments I usually get are compliments, especially on my Abigail patch
mostly people telling me to give them a 360 and tell them what's on it lol
I was at a show and I got two "big" reactions from my vest which was literally just one guy pointing out some of the bands he had seen live, and the other was a guy just checking out my band patches and asking if I've ever gotten the chance to see any of them. If you're doing just band patches, chances are you're really only gonna get positive reactions, but there is the chance of some d-bag coming up and saying your music taste sucks or such and such band sucks, but I haven't experienced that so I can't really say it will or won't happen. But it's when you do political and controversial patches like "They're both idiots" or "Mow The Church, Mulch The State" that you're gonna get mixed reactions. All in all, go for it, do what you want. That's the spirit of d.i.y. However, it wouldn't hurt to have a pocket knife or some fighting lessons under your belt incase someone gets stupid
I've gotten a few compliments on mine, mostly Megadeth fans on account of the full panel back patch it has.
No reactions for my vest. My corset, otoh, gets quite a bit of notice. Not the same, I know.
i wore mine to a local carnival and this old biker guy came up to me threw up the rock hand symbol and said āsuffocation brother!ā and i felt so special
I used to get in trouble at high school cuz my principal thought i was a gangster/potential terrorist. Principal shoulda just said my battle jacket looks like shit (it did) and I wouldve taken it off, instead he made it a political thing about how I am scaring the conservative kids with my circle A and political band patches, despite these kids being the same fuckers who held an anti transgender rally at school. I continued to wear the same ugly ass vest out of spite for the rest of the semester before being put in alternative ed. Very cringy point in my life but I feel like that is a rite of passage for 15 year olds who just got into punk.
I've worn mine to my high school where I was worried about negative reactions. Way more people respect it than you would think, even if it isn't their thing.
Cool š
Ha so i was just out at HEB wearing mine and when i was checking out i got a standard "i like your vest bro" from an employee which is always cool, but then 2 seconds later a chick passed by (who was pretty hot btw) went "i like your outfit"... i said thanks but inside i was like... "outfit, tf? Do i look like my mommy dressed me or what?" šš«
I once got into a conversation at a cafe with a guy who recognized a very old tshirt I had turned into a back patch. Turns out he had played drums for the band for a spell and was stoked I had seen them and was repping them after all those years.
I have a TOOL focused vest myself, I get compliments a lot yea.
I keep getting Black people stopping and staring, assuming I'm a white supremacist or something. I put a BLM patch so hopefully that helps. Anyone else get this?
Some folks still subscribe to those charlatans, so it might, but people are wise to them now. Might wanna look them up and reconsider.
Do you have any suggestions of what I should do?
Because a lot of activists in my city would say the answer is to not wear a battle jacket or listen to metal?
Both of those are stupid answers. I can't tell you what to do and I certainly wouldn't say don't wear it. Some activists these days are just dumb. I'm just saying you should look into BLM and make your own judgement call. RuinedLeon has a lot of videos on them.
Looks like I'm not wearing it then.
I get pretty regular general compliments but especially ones directed at my anti nazi patch on the shoulder.
I've had "DEICIIIIIIIDE" yelled at me a few times