Eight-ball jacket

The eight-ball or 8-ball jacket is a style of leather jacket created by San Francisco–based designer Michael Hoban in 1990. The style is characterized by bright color-blocking and large black and white decals on the back and sleeves, made to look like the eight ball used in some cue sports. The distinctive design became trendy in 1990s fashion after being worn by athletes and hip-hop stars. The many symbolic associations of the eight ball, combined with the jacket's high retail price and celebrity associations quickly made it a status symbol for young people in the city's East Coast hip hop scene. Its popularity among youth led to robberies, some of which resulted in fatalities. Hoban's colorful designs were often counterfeited; he successfully sued a number of leather shops making knockoffs of his work. Eventually, he created a licensed diffusion line that sold lower-end versions of his jackets.

The initial trend for the jackets quickly faded, and they were soon regarded with disdain. Screenwriter Spike Feresten wrote one into the Seinfeld episode "The Reverse Peephole" (1998) in a failed attempt to make them seem uncool. The jackets have occasionally resurfaced in street fashion as a retro style, generally with some degree of irony. The jackets remain iconic in hip-hop culture, occasionally referenced in lyrics or featured in music videos.