Members Only (fashion brand)


Members Only is a brand of clothing that became popular in the 1980s with its line of jackets. The brand was created in 1975 and introduced to American markets in 1980 by Europe Craft Imports. Members Only racer jackets were distinguished by their narrow epaulettes and collar strap and their knitted trim; they were manufactured in a wide variety of colors. Their advertising tagline was "when you put it on, something happens".
In the 2010s, Members Only continued to launch seasonal collections carried at online retailers as well as brick and mortar stores such as Urban Outfitters.

Revival

The brand was licensed in 2016 by Sammy Catton, President of iApparel Brands, LLC. The brand is currently owned by Ron Malhotra. In recent years, Members Only has added many styles of jackets including a women's line, Footwear, Sportswear and Hosiery. In 2016 Members Only collaborated with Nickelodeon creating a lot of buzz and exposure in the Millennial demographic.

In popular culture

Communication scholar Todd Kelshaw has interpreted the brand's popularity surge as part of a broader American ideological shift in the early 1980s from participatory communities to materially-based communities represented in the purchase of consumer products. Members Only was known in the 1980s for their shift from celebrity endorsements as a form of advertisement, to public service announcements regarding issues like anti-drugs and pro-voting. Members of La Cosa Nostra were known for wearing this type of jacket in the 1980s and 1990s.
The brand is often used as a source of comedy and an example of outdated fashion. In the film Shallow Hal, Mauricio is insulted by Rosemary, who points out his Members Only jacket and says, "I guess you must be the last member."
Sheryl Crow mentions the brand in her song Members Only from 1998.
On the tv series Will & Grace, Karen Walker's maid Rosario Salazar, frequently wore her Member's Only jacket over her uniform.