Kutte
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A kutte (plural: kutten) is a type of vest commonly referred to in extreme metal subcultures as a "battle jacket". It originated in the biker subculture, and has found popularity in the punk subculture, especially in the streetpunk and Anarchist crust punk scenes. Metalhead kutten are popular in the New Wave of British Heavy Metal and thrash metal scenes. The kutten of the biker, metal and punk subcultures differ in how the garment itself is prepared, what decorations are applied, and how this is done.
The word "kutte" is a loanword from the German term Kutte; this references both the cut-off sleeves as well as, tongue-in-cheek, the religious habit of a Christian monk (also called Kutte in German). They are often adorned with patches, badges and painted artwork that display motorcycle club affiliations, band names, political affiliations and beliefs.
Kutten were originally made from denim jeans jackets, with their sleeves removed or cut very short. In the case of many-pocketed jackets, sometimes pockets have been cut away to gain more space for patches. Some wearers have created new internal pockets with denim fabric from old jeans. Kutten in the 1980s were almost always blue denim. Thrash metal fans favored heavily washed denim, while members of one British motorcycle club bleached theirs until they were almost white. From the mid to late 1990s, some punks and metalheads have worn multi-pocketed hunting or fishing vests, both in plain colours and camouflage patterns, and leather kutten – always popular with punks – have also found widespread acceptance among bikers in recent decades.
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[edit] In punk and hardcore
In the punk subculture, kutten are often from leather (but can also be denim). Typical decorations are metal studs and badges (often painted-on) of bands or political causes, with cloth patches being secondary – ultimately to the difficulty of doing the required needlework on tough leather. In addition, sleeves are more likely to be kept attached to the body of the jacket. As part of the DIY philosophy of the hardcore punk scene, the vests may be home-repaired with heavy thread or safety pins, and the band logos may be put on using paint and crude home-made stencils. Some wearers may also drape chains or other paraphernalia from the vest.
[edit] In metal
Kutten in the heavy metal scene are oftentimes adorned with patches of logos and album covers of bands, ranging in size from small square patches to large patches that fill the back panel of the vest. Patches are the main decoration, however, some Heavy Metal kutten have studs on them, particularly for fans of crossover hardcore-metal bands such as mid-1980s- era Discharge or of thrash metal.
 Kutte of a veteran biker. Many bikers prefer leather kutten today for ease of maintenance and comfort. |
 Headbanging meatalhead in his kutte. Metal kutten are typically from denim and not decorated all over. |
 Punk kutten are often made from leather and heavily decorated with metal studs. |
 In Italy, in 2008, the fitted denim waistcoat returned to the fashion scene as a trendy accessory for girls and young women. |
[edit] See also
[edit] External links
- Gallery of Kutte / Battle Jackets, other clothing.
- Gallery of punk Jackets, Vest and other clothing. Part 1
- Gallery of punk Jackets, Vest and other clothing. Part 2
- Kutten4ever-Festival, German Festival dedicated to all Kuttenfans
- Large Gallery of pictures and information in German
Kutte is the plural for word dog in the Hindi Language, spoken in India.
Note: It is thought that the word "kutten" is derived from "cut-off"; because they are in fact jackets with the arms 'manually' cut or ripped off - in a similar way to cut-off jeans.
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