For a few years, Stephen Sprouse was America’s answer to Jean Paul Gaultier. Though designers like Demna and Virgil have since normalized the notion, Sprouse was amongst the first designers to present an aesthetic that trickled up from the streets to the buying class. He could walk both worlds, that of his hard-partying peers and of the old guard. Sprouse studied under legendary tailors such as Bill Blass, and for his own wardrobe he preferred to go bespoke. Yet he kept the company of Warhol, Basquiat, and Haring, the crop of young artists who stomped on every norm which came before them. Sprouse's work was a callback to looks pioneered by the Mods of the sixties, utilizing day-glo colors, sequins, and miniskirts alongside graffiti and velcros which tethered the clothes to their proper era. A critical smash, it was described as punk couture, yet like many fine artists Sprouse was unconcerned with business logistics, and bankrupted himself by '88. He finally reached commercial success with his 2001 Louis Vuitton collaboration, before his untimely passing just three years later. Sprouse has remained a cult-icon for both his work and his aesthetic; the tragic forgotten man amongst the greatest boon of creativity New York has ever seen. His bangs and eyeliner were immortalized in portraits by Warhol, and later used by Raf Simons.

This jacket hails from the penultimate season of Sprouse’s line. Though now considered his finest work, SS1988's “Burnout 88” was a critical bomb. Even his staunchest supporters found the showing to be another case of Sprouse undermining his own genius, presenting magnificent clothes in a way inaccessible to the public. The collection occurred during an existential crossroads for the city of New York. AIDS, the stock market crash, and Warhol’s death had left near everyone scarred by one bullet or another, and instead of highlight his striking garments, he sent out models disheveled and dripping in blood — no parsing necessary for Sprouse’s thoughts on the state of affairs.

Condition: 7/10. Some color bleed on the red. Small marks throughout. Aging is consistent with the garments age and does not detract from its wearability.

Tagged size: XL

Shoulder: 19in

Pit to pit: 22in

Length: 23in

Sleeve: 26in