BlackCoat
The last version of BlackCoat Classic was the 5th rendition of the garment. When I was traveling the world working for a large corporation, I needed clothing and accessories that made it easy to move through airports, time zones, climates, and business/casual situations without overpacking. In particular, I wanted more out of my overcoat as I might travel from a Northern Hemisphere winter to a Southern Hemisphere monsoon season on any given trip. I couldn't find outerwear that had the environmental capabilities of my North Face jacket and the styling that worked with a suit or in a club after work. Traditional trench coats looked okay with a suit, but were awkward with denim and had sparse pocketing for an era when all a man needed to carry were a wallet and keys.
I designed the BlackCoat Classic to be the perfect outerwear piece for modern business travel, cut to be worn with a suit coat or nothing but jeans and a t-shirt. The materials of construction and workmanship make it both rugged and elegant. This is the most utilitarian piece of fashion you are likely to ever own.
From the first to the last design, materials, cut, pocketing, and styling evolved and refined into what we consider a gem among overcoats.
Style, Performance, Utility - BlackCoat.
Untether Yourself,
Jay
BlackCoat History
I got my break after the BlackCoat Classic was given away at the MTV Movie Awards back in 2004. Since then, we have continued to bring innovation to the fashion industry by launching an ultra lightweight and package travel raincoat, a full lineup of coats and jackets Made for iPod, as well as a true sports coat made from waterproof, breathable fabrics.
Made for iPod: In 2006 I partnered with Eleksen, makers of Elektex smart fabric interfaces, to integrate five-button iPod controls into iPod coats designed by Jay Yoo. These revolutionary fabric controls allowed for full functionality of an iPod without having to remove it from the coat gained international notoriety as one of the first makers of iPod enabled clothing. BlackCoat MFI was an experiment and is no longer available.
BlackCoat has been featured in Sky Magazine, Continental Airlines, The Boston Globe, USA Today and more.