Stratton Bear Patch (Oval) — c. 1970s-80s

A vintage Stratton ski patch, probably late 1970s or early 80s, featuring the red hexagon with Stratton in black blackletter and the black bear standing upright beside it, on a cream oval inside a blue merrowed border.

Two borders on one patch is a decision somebody had to argue for. It costs more thread, more machine time, and it makes the whole object read louder from across a room — which was presumably the point.

Nothing about this is subtle and nothing about it needed to be. It was going on the back of a ski jacket, not into a frame.

Patches in this period were built to survive a season outdoors on a teenager, which is a more demanding specification than most modern outerwear is designed to.

Embroidered on twill, merrowed edge. Photos are the condition report.