For its wearers — most frequently, Black and brown men — the zoot suit also represented “a freedom over the body,” says Jillian Hernandez, author of “Aesthetics of Excess: The Art and ...

Tensions came to a head after a fight between a number of U.S. sailors and young Mexican-American men in zoot suits. Police racially profiled individuals wearing the suits, unjustifiably beating ...

In L.A., they were particularly popular among Mexican American, Filipino and Black young men. Burton’s Smart Clothes in downtown L.A. was one of the stores that sold customized zoot suits.

80 years ago, young men of color were attacked for their “unpatriotic” fashion choices, leading to the Zoot Suit Riots. The repercussions can still be felt today. The zoot suit, with its ...

in wearing these Pachuco suits, are paying homage to the men before them who resisted assimilation. Pachucos evolved from Zoot suits who evolved from Dandys so their outfits were perfect for the ...

The zoot suit was later adopted by Mexican American and Filipino American men in Los Angeles, CNN adds. The Zoot Suit Riots occurred in 1943 and were a series of attacks by white servicemen and ...

The zoot suit, worn in the 1920s, ’30s and ’40s by Black and Mexican American men, prompted a violent racial attack against a minority population. In June 1943, 80 years ago, roving bands of ...

An exaggeration of the sober men’s business suit, the zoot suit flew in the face of this order and became a sign of generational difference, conspicuous consumption and anti-Americanism.