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Have you ever owned or heard of "First Down" Jackets?

CharlesTheHammer

CharlesTheHammer

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Joined
Oct 8, 2010
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366
Location
Mid-Atlantic USA
About 1998 - 2000, I was doing some "project shopping" in the badlands of Wilmington De, and then going back to center city to catch a bus back home, and I noticed that LOTS of younger African American people from ages 15-45 or so were wearing these big, thick coats made by a company called "First Down". I assume they are down jackets, and they looked like they were well made, good quality coats. I'd say that 1 in every 5 people from 15-45 were wearing them!

I know that a good quality, thick down jacket can be expensive, especially if its made with top quality down. For instance, I have a top notch, Marmot down sleeping bag made with 850 fill down(the higher the number the better, going from about 500 - 850), rated to be warm down to 15 degrees Fahrenheit, and it cost me $385! So I figured that these really thick First Down coats must be at least $200 if they are filled with good down.

They became so popular during the winter, that a new "First Down" brand of H was being sold for about 2 years! I'd hope that the jacket's quality was better than the H's quality, cause it sucked. Fortunately I quit doing H in 2000.:|

So about a week ago, I decided to look up First Down jackets on the internet, but I couldn't find anything about them....... No website, and only a couple closeout stores selling them.

So, anyone ever heard of them, owned one, etc.? Are they any good, and how much did they cost?

What happened to them?

Thanks........
 
As far as i can remember i think that the first bubble jackets were called down's.Like i used to call my jakcet a nike down back in the day.
 
Shoot I remember those back in like 4th grade haha. Seriously, everyone did wear them and they were warm as fuck. I think you don't really see them around anymore, like the company just quit making them. You can probably still get a down jacket like that though. Do you have burlington coat factory near you? That store's got a fuck ton of coats, and ones like the one you're describing.
 
yea, the first down was the hot jacket back in the 90s. that was the expensive clothing item cats would get robbed for back in those days =P, like how in the late 80s or so it was the leather 8 ball jackets, etc.

If you cant find a first down brand no more just get a North Face. Thats another popular down jacket brand. Its funny cuz half the people who wear them are the yuppie outdoors hiker type white people and the other half is hood folks who spend alot of time outside in the winter, like dboys.
 
They were really popular among the urban population when I was in middle school. I'm very surprised you couldn't find any info on them by googling.
 
YEA . everyone likes northface it looks good and keeps you warm. Can't go wrong. LOL "8 ball jacket" I think it is so funny when people wear those , i guess that is just me. First down are a little ghetto. In Paterson all the hood especially the black people wear the diagonal striped bubble/down filled jackets, i dunno what they are called but all the boys in the hood got them and only people in the hood got them. I have yet to see a white person wear one. I have never ever seen them at any stores , they must be getting em in downtown paterson . The again i shop at some pretty white place so i dunno what is up with "rap/hood culture."
 
They were lowbrow in the Bronx. Everyone wanted Northface (they killed for them for awhile, literally). First Down was like "Mountain Gear," better than Conway (the cheapest clothing store in the South Bronx) but nothing any kid would wear to school willingly.

At that time the Bolivian wool hats with ear flaps, with the pom poms on the ends of the laces were the de rigeur hat , 8 Balls had re-surfaced for some reason but Avirex leather were the jackets to have. Avirex shell bombers (that Goretex type bubble)were the next best.
 
rachamim said:
They were lowbrow in the Bronx. Everyone wanted Northface (they killed for them for awhile, literally). First Down was like "Mountain Gear," better than Conway (the cheapest clothing store in the South Bronx) but nothing any kid would wear to school willingly.

At that time the Bolivian wool hats with ear flaps, with the pom poms on the ends of the laces were the de rigeur hat , 8 Balls had re-surfaced for some reason but Avirex leather were the jackets to have. Avirex shell bombers (that Goretex type bubble)were the next best.
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I remember those "pom pom" hats. They were all over around here years ago. They were gay.....
 
I went to the local "Eastern Mountain Sports" backpacking/camping outfitter and bought an Eastern Mountain Sports down jacket in early February a couple years ago. They were trying to get rid of their winter stocks, so they were selling them for like $45, but they were regularly like $110. I love the jacket. I wear it with a Hoodie underneath for ear/head warmth.......
 
YEA . everyone likes northface it looks good and keeps you warm. Can't go wrong. LOL "8 ball jacket" I think it is so funny when people wear those , i guess that is just me. First down are a little ghetto. In Paterson all the hood especially the black people wear the diagonal striped bubble/down filled jackets, i dunno what they are called but all the boys in the hood got them and only people in the hood got them. I have yet to see a white person wear one. I have never ever seen them at any stores , they must be getting em in downtown paterson . The again i shop at some pretty white place so i dunno what is up with "rap/hood culture."
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hey yo, I Know the exact type you talkin about.
6gldzl.jpg


i got one of them , and Im a white female so i guess u never seen me;). You must be shoppin in some superwhite suburb type stores tho, cuz those jackets all over the place. they got em even at Modells and shit. They cheap too. I dont think its just a hood thing cuz that jacket never been hard to find at least any place that i shopped at. *shrug*
 
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these jackets and Starter jackets were the rage back in the day... I do remember my moms being nervous as hell sending me to elementary school on my daily walk with my Steelers Starter jacket... I grew up kinda in the hood and teachers would all talk about Starter/First Down Jackets at Parent Teacher Conferences and say it's not a good idea for your kid to wear em... but I liked my Steelers so much I couldn't turn the jacket down lolol

now I wear a jacket that cost me $600, it's Diesel and rock n roll fresh. a true rock n rolla must have a legitimate jacket for all purposes rocking
 
Yeah those puffy jackets have been around for a long time, since I was a kid I am sure. You would always hear on the evening news about some kid getting beat up or killed fighting over one or their shoes. One of my favorite winter coats is from Helly Hansen. Hands down the best coat out there: warm, waterproof, not bulky, and well made. Get one if you like warm shit.

http://www.hellyhansen.com/
 
Khadijah said:
hey yo, I Know the exact type you talkin about.
6gldzl.jpg


i got one of them , and Im a white female so i guess u never seen me;). You must be shoppin in some superwhite suburb type stores tho, cuz those jackets all over the place. they got em even at Modells and shit. They cheap too. I dont think its just a hood thing cuz that jacket never been hard to find at least any place that i shopped at. *shrug*
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Nah, its not that one. I have seem those in Modell's too LOL. Its kinda like the the jacket on the left in the picture below-- The bubble jacket, but instead of it the lines going horizontally they are going diagonally. Also, it is just as shiny as the jacket below, but it kinda has this deep purple/navy blue shine to it . Some dudes in the hood wear them with or without the sleeves. The jacket your are showing looks like diamonds.
Plus, I have a feeling the jacket I am talking about is kinda expensive like north face prices because only the dope dealers wear them .

chrome-hearts-down-jacket-nylon-vest.jpg



Ohh wait I found a better picture of how it looks but the the stripes are a little bit thinner, Basically combines the width and size of the stripes above with the diagonal pattern of the one below and that is what a lot of the dope boys in Paterson wear.
stussy-penfield-walkabout-down-jacket-01-570x591.jpg
 
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I had a First Down, back in the day (mid-late 90's), and I actually preferred that coat to almost every other coat I ever tried - for a DOWN coat. I think they should have kept that brand around for guys like me, whether it was the premier top-of-the-charts fashion statement, or not - that coat was just right for me.
 
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