Coca-Cola rugby shirts were SOOO cool in the mid-eighties. With bold
primary (or sometimes pastel) wide stripes and that famous cursive logo,
we thought they were totally radical. My best friend had one and wore
it, like, EVERYWHERE with her pinstriped pleated jeans. Coke rugby
shirts were so cheerful! So colorful! So sporty!
Heavy D & The Boyz performing “Mr. Big Stuff” in 1986 certainly gave the
trend a nice boost:
We loved the boxy, loose shape of the shirts and the feel-good American
vibe that came with wearing the soft drink’s logo. After all, Coke’s
motto in ’85 was “America’s Real Choice” (which was totally in response
to the
Pepsi Challenge) and, in ’86, it was “Red, White, and You.” The
Coca-Cola product line was playfully, exuberantly patriotic:
Mohan Murjani hired none other than
Tommy Hilfiger
to oversee the design of Coca-Cola apparel in 1985. Hilfiger’s preppy,
bold, all-American look hit home with young people all over the country.
Although the Coca-Cola apparel company dissolved after a short time, the
Tommy Hilfiger Corporation has known great success.
Got a little jones for your own eighties pop apparel? You’ll be stoked
when you check out Etsy and Ebay for awesome shirts like this one: