The Bondage Jacket: From 1970s Punk to Modern Restraint Fashion

Short answer: the bondage jacket as a fashion idea comes from 1970s London punk, most famously the 1976 bondage suit that Vivienne Westwood and Malcolm McLaren sold through their shop Seditionaries, now held in the V&A's collection. Strap-and-buckle jackets have returned to designer collections many times since, and the difference between a fashion piece and a restraint piece comes down to whether the straps actually hold.

By KBD Editorial. Reviewed by the KBD team for accuracy, November 2026.

Key points

• The best-documented origin is the 1976 bondage suit by Vivienne Westwood and Malcolm McLaren, now in the V&A.
• The V&A says that suit borrowed from army combat gear, the motorcyclist's Belstaff jacket and fetish wear, and describes it as genderless.
• Designers keep returning to straps, buckles and harness lines, usually as styling rather than function.
• A fashion bondage jacket looks restrictive. A restraint jacket is built to hold, with working buckles and adjustment.
• KBD makes restraint pieces designed to read as fashion.

Where did the bondage jacket come from?

The bondage jacket as a fashion garment comes from London punk in the mid-1970s, where clothing borrowed from underground subcultures became a way of challenging polite taste. The best-documented example is the bondage suit that Vivienne Westwood and Malcolm McLaren produced for their Spring/Summer 1976 collection.

The V&A's online record describes it as a genderless matching two-piece in black cotton, a jacket and trousers, with Seditionaries named as the retailer. The trousers carry 'hobble' straps and a detachable flap, and the record says the outfit borrows from army combat gear, the motorcyclist's Belstaff jacket and fetish wear. The museum calls it the archetypal punk outfit, popularised by bands like the Sex Pistols. You can read the record yourself on the V&A collections page.

The garment's power came from where it was worn. Clothes that once belonged to a private world were worn on the street, in daylight, on purpose. That is the real shift: not the straps themselves, but the decision to show them.

The idea of a jacket that holds the arms has an older source, in the long-sleeved medical garment known as the straitjacket. Many later bondage-style jackets echo its silhouette, with long closed sleeves and rows of buckles, because the shape is instantly recognisable and a little unsettling.

Why did the look spread beyond punk?

The look spread because it is graphic and easy to read. A row of buckles, a high collar and a strong line across the body look sharp in a photograph, on a runway and under club lighting, and the garment carries a clear attitude without any text.

Through the following decades the same elements appear again and again in subcultures and collections: goth and industrial scenes, club wear, and designer ranges built around harnesses, belts and strapping. Each time, the pieces borrow a strict, structured silhouette and soften or exaggerate it to suit the moment. We prefer not to guess at which designer did what and when. If you want to go deeper, museum archives and fashion-history references are a better starting point than an online shopping listing.

The search term "bondage jacket" has two meanings for this reason. Some people want a fashion piece, others want a restraint piece, and a good deal of the confusion comes from the overlap.

What separates a fashion bondage jacket from a restraint jacket?

The difference is whether the straps actually hold a person safely. A fashion bondage jacket is styled to look restrictive; a restraint jacket is built to restrict, with the engineering that requires.

	Fashion bondage jacket	Restraint jacket
Straps	Often decorative, sometimes non-functional	Functional, stitched to take load, each adjusting on its own
Hardware	Can be lightweight or purely decorative	Working rings and buckles
Release	Not always considered	A known order for undoing every strap
Lining	May be unlined	Often lined for comfort over longer wear
Sizing	Usually fashion sizes	Sizes plus straps that adjust the fit
Purpose	Looking striking	Holding a consenting partner in place

Neither is better. A fashion piece is the right buy if you want a look for an event, and a restraint piece is the right buy if you want it to hold. Problems begin when one is mistaken for the other, which is why you should check the closures and the release before you buy anything marketed as a bondage jacket.

Where does KBD sit in this history?

KBD makes restraint pieces designed to look like fashion. They are functional restraint garments first, made in leathery faux leather with buckled, adjustable straps, and styled with the clean, graphic lines the original punk and designer pieces made famous.

The Half Jacket is a cropped, bolero-style piece with a tall stand collar carrying a silver ring, one vertical centre strap with a buckle that ends in a D-ring, an open chest, long closed sleeves and four buckled straps across the back. The Bondage Jacket is full-length, with a collar and large O-ring, a plain centre front panel, sleeves that cross in front and fasten with a strap and buckle, hip buckles, two short leg straps with rings and five buckled straps on the back plus a waist belt. Both are made of a leathery faux leather, and the Bondage Jacket has a smooth interior lining. We use the words "leathery" and "faux leather" on purpose, because we would rather describe a material accurately than borrow the prestige of another.

Our guide to bondage jackets covers what each piece is like to wear, and the full collection shows both. For a direct comparison of the two, read Half Jacket vs Bondage Jacket.

Can you wear a restraint jacket as fashion?

Yes, with the right styling and the right setting. A cropped restraint jacket layers over a fitted top or a dress, and the hardware works as an accessory. Wear it loose, with the straps unfastened, and it is simply an outfit.

Fastening the straps to hold the arms is a different matter: that is the restraint function, and it belongs in a private setting with a partner and an agreed signal, never at a public event. Whenever the arms are held, the usual rules apply: never leave the wearer alone, agree a stop word and keep safety shears nearby.

Where can you learn more about the original suit?

Start with the V&A's record, which lists the outfit as five parts and includes a short description of its design. Fashion-history books on the 1970s London scene also cover it in depth. We recommend reading primary sources and museum records over web summaries, since second-hand accounts often repeat the same few stories without checking them.

Questions

Who made the first bondage jacket?
Nobody can say for certain, since the idea draws on much older garments. The best-documented fashion example is the 1976 bondage suit by Vivienne Westwood and Malcolm McLaren, held by the V&A.

Is a bondage jacket the same as a straitjacket?
No. A straitjacket is a medical garment, while a bondage jacket is designed for consenting adults, with adjustable straps and a partner who can undo them. They share a silhouette but not a purpose.

Can I wear a KBD jacket as streetwear?
You can wear the Half Jacket loose as a layered outfit, with nothing fastened. Keep the restraint function for private use.

What material are KBD jackets made of?
A leathery faux leather, not animal leather. The Bondage Jacket also has a smooth interior lining.