Ushanka News

The ushanka is a hat round and cylindrical in shape and it has ear-flaps with ties. It has to be worn in the way, to ensure the brim of the hat would cover The head in front to around mid-forehead. During very cold weather, it is easy to fold down the ear-flaps of your ushanka and secure them under the chin with ties. If you don’t want to wear the ear-flaps of your ushanka, you can easy and conveniently tie them above The hat.

In mediaeval age ushanka style hat would most certainly been made with any existing fur, such as probably hair, fox, as well as sibel or mink . The typical ushanka worn in Soviet Union army or The militia (it used to be the name for police or law enforcement) was grey colour, it was made of faux fur, also it had a red star badge in the center. As you know, the red star regarded very often as a symbol of Communist country.
The militia and military did not exclusively wear the ushanka. Actually most Russian men wore them in the winter, however these ushankas are custom made.  Certain traditions are associated with the ushanka in Russia. Here is an example, wearing the ear-flaps down may be considered unmanly. Yet in cold weather, or for work that requires being out in the cold, the ear-flaps of your ushanka can be quite helpful. Now ushanka can also be worn by women, simply because it is a useful hat during cold weather.

This style hat is furthermore not exclusive to only Russians — many people In Eastern Europe wear the ushanka style hat. It’s not uncommon to see people wearing the ushanka In some regions of the United States, especially in areas where Eastern European immigrants are concentrated, and winter temperature jumps to -10 degrees C and lower. For example, the Polish Army also makes the ushanka hat an important part its military winter uniform.

So now it can be difficult to locate shops in USA or western Europe offering some other than vintage ushankas, often with the Soviet badge. However, on sites like e-bay, and in several British located Internet shops, one can find new ushankas for sale, and it really is likely to grab a vintage ushanka on e-bay for more than 30 US dollars. Inexpensive new faux fur ushankas are generally priced at lower price about 25 -30 USD.

Actually, you do not need to go futher (I mean e-bay), we are also selling Russian soldier ushanka, just go to Ushanka Hat Shop

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B. Hurley and his manager J Knoernschild founded Hurley Clothing inspired by from wellknown Australian surfboard and fashion company Billabong.  The company was born in 1983.

By the end of 1998, Billabong USA had effectively drifted, albeit amicably, from its Australian source and as the licence agreement between them approached renewal, Hurley and Knoernschild opted to hand back their Billabong reigns and formed their own company: Hurley.

His fashion line is influenced by its love of pop-punk music and blends the casual and comfortable with sleek and contemporary. The mens’ range excels in tee shirt designs, all of which sport the highly respected Hurley emblem and reflect Hurley’s surfing roots in tone and style; but there are certainly more urban undertones and the sweatshirts, jumpers and hoodies give a firmer nod to the skate and snow communities. The Hurley ‘Icon Tee Shirts’ are perhaps the most obvious staple of a Hurley wardrobe and the bestseller; ‘One and Only Mens Hat’ is likewise a great example of how great Hurley can be in its simplest form.

The range of boardshorts for men is a key example of how Hurley has shifted from its more ‘sunkissed’ hero Billabong. The Phantom Range in particular is simpler and darker, and the ‘Barney 09 Mens Shorts’ are a great example of how simple contrasts can work so well.

But Hurley clothing could never be called ‘typical’ in that it reaches a wide demographic by embracing different tones and styles. There are certainly some heavily punk and heavy metal influenced designs such as the ‘Alex Pardee Collage Men’s T-Shirt’ and the ‘Paramore White Wash Zip Unisex Hoody’ which have much busier and detailed prints.

The womens’ range is equally as impressive and acknowledges that the culture of active sports and urban clothing welcomes women too. The ‘Chantel Girls Zip Hoody’ doesn’t waver from the typical styles and tones of Hurley and doesn’t compromise style for overt femininity – the ‘Smokin’ Girls Denim Pants’ could be described as almost androgynous but let’s not forget that this is typical of the fashion culture that is embraced by so many women; it’s not all about creating floral pink designs to make a woman look feminine, but cutting styles that flatter shape.

Branching out into footwear, backpacks, sunglasses, beanies, boardshorts, swimwear and beach accessories, Hurley is picking up the pace in its quest to embrace all. Where one fan might don the ‘Rasta Mens Beanie’ for that more casual, urban look, another can step out in his Hurley ‘Sinatra Fedora’ and both feel like they are representing, or being represented by, this uniquebrand.

This info was taken from   Hurley Clothing

Hardcloud.com sells clothing, footwear, and accessories inspired by music, surf, and skate culture. Hardcloud features the latest range of Hurley clothing including t-shirts, hats, shorts and more.

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A short time ago  the Imperial War Museum has organized an exhibition devoted to camouflage.
The history of camouflage pattern goes back to the WWI. In 1915 the military began exercises involving air reconnaissance missions to identify and disguise arms and infantry positions. Artists came up with a way to hide these positions. A simple pattern could do the trick blending personnel, vehicles and items into the terrain using multi colored fabrics or paints. This is known as DPM ( Disruptive Pattern Material) of the most widely used term camouflage.

Military products such as clothing incorporated itself into pop-culture after the Cold War. Anti  war moods were subsiding. Designers Tom Ford (American) and John Galjano (British) picked up on these trends and started to design military inspired clothing for house of Gucci and Christian Dior. It is interesting that camouflage pattern dresses, skirts and tops made of light fabrics i.e. silk were mostly designed for female market.

Mass interest in camouflage arose in the late 1980′s, people couldn’t get enough of camouflage clothing. Military surplus clothing stocks were being sold out.
Giuliano, Gautie and others soon joined the group of military influenced designers. All of them made and are still making clothes in military style.

It is clear to anyone now that camouflage or DPM has had a huge effect on modern fashion. A new Camouflage Exhibition at the Royal Military Museum is a huge success in promoting camo style streetwear.
It is definitely an impressive exhibit of pop culture blending with something that was originally designed for other areas of application. It is quite a display of the evolution of camouflage as a necessity to combat all the way to it’s popular place in fashion and streetwear.

The exhibition was organized with the assistance of well know British streetwear-brand Maharachi creative director Hard Blechman, who is also the author of popular Encyclopedia of Camouflage.

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I found an interesting version of Ushanka history at tundragear.com website.

So, here it is.

1500     - The first known attempt to document European native costume is made by Frisian chief, Unico Manninga, who kept illustrations of the clothing worn by his ancestors. The drawings depicted fur and woolen hats with the brim cut so that it was possible to turn down the back and sides. By the turn of the century , these hats were popular all over Indo-Europe with sailors, hunters, peasants and wagoneers.

1618     - During the Thirty Years War the Russian Winter Hat (Ushanka) first found its way into the armies. There were no regular uniforms for the peasant soldiers, so they wore their own clothes including their hats. Other soldiers soon discovered that the peasant hat was more comfortable than the stiff Spanish hat and adopted it. Eventually the style spread to officers and civilians all over Europe.

1900     - Winter hats with ear flaps are functional, fashionable winter wear for over one third of the world’s populations from the outer reaches of Siberia, to China, Mongolia, Europe and Russia.

1914     - Fast Becoming a symbol of the Communist movement, the Russian Winter Hat (Ushankas) unites followers of Lenin throughout eastern Europe during the Russian Revolution.

1948     - The Russian Winter Hat goes to the movies as Hollywood popularizes the “Russian Hat” in a literal barrage of World War II films such as “Mata Hari” and “Doctor Zhivago”.

1962     - Nikita Khrushchev storms the United Nations, going head to head with John F. Kennedy during the Cuban Missile Crisis. The Russian Winter Hat he wears makes an indelible impression on McCarthy era Americans.

1991     - Capitalism triumphs in the Eastern Block. The Cold War is over and Russian Winter Hats slowly start making their way into the western world.

2005     - Tundra Gear reintroduces the Russian Winter Hat as the Stadium Hat and offers the hat in 5 different colors with numerous NCAA and NFL logos. In no time the hat catches on in football stadiums across America, and the Stadium Hat becomes a must have for football fans all over the country.

Thanks to Aras Baskauskas for allowing us to post it here.

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One could hardly exaggerate the meaning of “shapka-ushanka” in the life of any Russian man. The popularity of this head accessory had been fantastic since the World war II up to the dawn of the Soviet Union in the beginning of 90ies.

With the opening of the Russian borders the uninhibited flow of the new modern clothes, accessories and hats of all styles and trades has seriously dropped down the privileged position of shapka-ushanka. That’s why you can hardy meet a person in a large city wearing it now with the exception for maybe military men or orthodox.

About the military …Since 1940 ushanka has become a part of the uniform of Russian army and militsia (police) Picking out the fact that the half of Russian male population are either military or “menty” (cops) and practically all of the male population serve in the army at the age of 18 (we have an obligatory conscription) the benefits and advantages of shapka – ushanka were tested and highly estimated.

So, shall we consider the hat that has become an concurrent part of the stereotype image of the Russian man (e.g. in Hollywood, on caricatures, etc) and that is called simply “shapka” in English.

Shapka – ushanka – a winter fur hat, cloth or combined (initially – A male hat) a wide-known and widespread hat in Russia. It takes its name after its “ears” – (ushi – in Russian) that could be lowered or turned down but usually up and tied on the crown. On request when it’s necessary “the ears” could be untied and turned down with the nape flap (the back of the head part) to save real ears from frost and wind, partially cheeks, chin of the person wearing “ushanka”.

If we dig down the “ushanka” descending history we shall see that it comes from the Baltic (I would add) Finnish hats, that already had ears and the tapes added for tying up in XIX century.

The fashion for the round crowned hats first appeared among the St Petersburg working class then was spread across Russia.

The fur factories of USSR started manufacturing “shapka – ushanka” The basic production – for the bulk of population as we call mass market – was established on the rabit skin. Every mother “packing” her kid to the kindergarten and tying the tapes of “ushanka” under the kid’s chin was rested assured and confident that her kid wouldn’t get frozen. I should mention that during the Soviet power the ordinary Russian people were not spoilt with personal cars and private transportation. : It took long time to get to work from one part of the city to another and “shapka-ushanka” was of real use and help during severe frosts that are not a rare thing in Russia. So, one could hardly overestimate the role of shapka-ushanka in his/her life.

If it was not too cold outside the “ears” of the hat was turned up and tied on the crown. If a person works outside on the fresh air (during winter) then there was a special variant to tie the “ears” – backwards on the nape (the back of the head) that worked better (as on the one hand the person kept ears save and on the other hand didn’t suffer from the heat) BUT in case of severe frosts nobody was shy to turn the ears down and tie up under the chin to avoid chilblain from Ded Moroz (Santa Claus).I should admit that there were also hats made of different furs in the special fur ateliers. Shapka-ushanka made of squirrel, bear, dog, nutria, polar fox, marten of course mink! Oh, my God, mink hat! It was beyond one’s wildest dreams. The dream of Soviet citizen during the period of the late stagnation and the beginning of Perestroika! The person was proud to wear it and when he/she took it off he/she put it in front of oneself on the table. So, everybody could see it. It was the sign of prosperity. If one didn’t possess such a mink hat in province the waiter at the restaurant tried to pass you by.  The owner of the mink hat never lowered “ears” of the hat even in the sever frosts but pulled his hat over his eyes more deeply.

Source: http://freearticlepro.com

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