Before the punk movement came along rebels and anarchists kept their controversial views well hidden to avoid getting arrested or strung up by a posse, but then punk came along and make civil unrest cool again.
Punks began to proudly declare their independence from normalcy by wearing political slogans on their clothes, and the style trend all started with slogans painted on the backs of their leather jackets.
With hand-painted images and lettering these embellished leather jackets made a political statement, showed love for their favorite bands and showed their commitment to an anti-corporate DIY life.
-Via Dangerous Minds
I now wish I had bought that leather vest with all the snarky patches it had