Kutte

A kutte (plural: kutten) is a type of vest commonly referred to in extreme metal subcultures as a "battle jacket". It originated in the biker subculture, and has found popularity in the punk subculture, especially in the streetpunk and Anarchist crust punk scenes. Metalhead kutten are popular in the New Wave of British Heavy Metal and thrash metal scenes. The kutten of the biker, metal and punk subcultures differ in how the garment itself is prepared, what decorations are applied, and how this is done.

The word "kutte" is a loanword from the German term "Kutte"; this references both the cut-off sleeves as well as, tongue-in-cheek, the religious habit of a Christian monk (also called "Kutte" in German). They are often adorned with patches, badges and painted artwork that display mtorcycle club affiliations, band names, political affiliations and beliefs.

Kutten were originally made from denim jeans jackets, with their sleeves removed or cut very short. In the case of many-pocketed jackets, sometimes pockets have been cut away to gain more space for the patches. Some wearers have created new internal pockets with denim fabric from old jeans. Kutten in the 1980s were almost always blue denim. Thrash metal fans favored heavily washed denim, while members of one British motorcycle club bleached theirs until they were almost white. From the mid to late 1990s, some punks and metalheads have worn multi-pocketed hunting or fishing vests, both in plain colours and camouflage patterns, and leather kutten – always popular with punks – have also found widespread acceptance among bikers in recent decades.

In punk and hardcore

In the punk subculture, kutten are often from leather. Typical decorations are metal studs and badges (often painted-on) of bands or political causes, with cloth patches being secondary – ultimately to the difficulty of doing the required needlework on tough leather. In addition, sleeves are more likely to be kept attached to the body of the jacket. As part of the DIY philosophy of the hardcore punk scene, the vests may be home-repaired with heavy thread or safety pins, and the band logos may be put on using paint and crude home-made stencils. Some wearers may also drape chains or other paraphenalia from the vest.

In metal

Kutten in the heavy metal scene are often times adorned with patches of logos and album covers of bands, ranging in size from small square patches to large patches that fill the back panel of the vest. Patches are the main decorant, however, some Heavy Metal kutten have studs on them, particularly for fans of crossover hardcore-metal bands such as mid-1980s- era Discharge or of thrash metal.

External links

* [http://tshirtslayer.com/latest/battle+jacket Gallery of Kutte / Battle Jackets, other clothing. ]
* [http://www.oxbloodoi.com/Galljackt/index.html Gallery of punk Jackets, Vest and other clothing. Part 1]
* [http://www.oxbloodoi.com/Galljackt2/index.html Gallery of punk Jackets, Vest and other clothing. Part 2]
* [http://www.kutten4ever.de Kutten4ever-Festival, German Festival dedicated to all Kuttenfans ]
* [http://www.igel-metal.de/uploads/oldschool/kutten/kutten.htm Large Gallery of pictures and informations in German ]

Kutte is the plural for word dog in the Hindi Language, spoken in India.