Buzz Rickson's William Gibson M-51 Fish Tail Parka Black BR14969

The Japanese brand Buzz Rickson's are today counted among the few high-end reproduction manufacturers of military and casual garments in the world. They strive to make true replicas by carefully researching and analyzing original vintage garments, taking great care to duplicate the material while paying close attention to technique and quality. Their goal is to bring back old forgotten techniques and machines needed to make garments of outstanding quality without compromises.

The M-51 Parka, also known as the "Fish Tail Parka" was originally issued for the US Army during the Korean war 1950-53. The name refers to the year it became standard issue (1951) and it became the standard issue cold weather parka. The previous cold weather parka known as the "N-3B" was a lot heavier and not optimal for the Korean weather, therefore the birth of the iconic M-51 Fish Tail Parka. It wasn't the army who gave the jacket its iconic status. Today it's hard to mention the M-51 parka without thinking of the British mod subculture in the 1950s and 60s. The parka along with a slim cut suit, modern jazz music and riding a Vespa or Lambretta was the way of life for this growing subculture.

The name Fish Tail comes from the split back that looks like the tail of a fish. The design allows the garment to be fastened around each leg for added warmth.

Buzz Rickson's has carefully reproduced this garment according to the original one with all the wartime specifications. We would even say that this reproduction is even better than the originals when it comes to the construction and the stitching of the garment. Worth to mention is that Buzz have recreated the earliest version of these jackets using a thick cotton sateen fabric. The later jackets produced in the 50's had a thinner cotton shell fabric.

The William Gibson collection has its basis in the long time interest of military garments which the author William Gibson has. In his novel "Pattern Recognition" the protagonist Cayce Pollard was described wearing an all black Buzz Rickson's MA-1 Flight Jacket. This led to Buzz Rickson's receiving many requests for this particular jacket and as the jacket historically had not been produced in black, Buzz decided to launch a brand new collection. The William Gibson tribute collection is an all black version of these military reproductions.

The lining for this jacket is sold separately and you can find it here.

Johan is 173 cm tall, weigh 67 kilos and wears a size S.

- Buzz Rickson's William Gibson M-51 Fish Tail Parka Black
- BR14969
- Shell fabric 100% cotton
- Pocket lining 100% wool
- Zipper and snap button close
- Two hand warmer pockets
- Made in Japan

All measurements are in centimeters and measured on a flat surface. Width is measured straight across the chest from armpit to armpit, length is measured at the back of the garment from the neck down and the sleeve length is measured on the underarm from the armpit to the end of the cuff.