Mao-type closed jackets, also known as Mao suits or Zhongshan suits, were popularized by Chinese leader Mao Zedong and became fashionable in China in the 1950s and 1960s. These jackets featured a high collar and a buttoned-up front, and were typically made from lightweight, breathable materials.
The popularity of Mao suits outside of China was largely due to their association with the global leftist movement in the 1960s and 1970s. The jackets were seen as a symbol of revolutionary and anti-establishment politics, and were worn by various leftist leaders, activists, and intellectuals around the world.
In particular, Mao suits became associated with the Black Panther Party, a revolutionary socialist organization in the United States that advocated for black liberation and against racial injustice. Black Panther leaders like Huey P. Newton and Eldridge Cleaver were often seen wearing Mao suits, which helped to popularize the style in the US and other parts of the world.
The popularity of Mao suits eventually declined as political and fashion trends shifted, but they remain an important symbol of leftist and anti-establishment politics. Today, they are often worn as a form of political protest or as a nod to the history of the global leftist movement.