A Canadian soldier. An Alaska embroiderer. One extraordinary jacket.
A vintage Canex military-issue drizzler jacket in navy — Canex being the Canadian Forces retail and supply network, making this a genuine government-issue garment. At some point, it found its way to an Alaska embroidery shop, where a craftsman stitched the full Alaska Last Frontier scene across the back — mountain goat charging through a spruce-lined alpine scene in orange, white, and green, ALASKA arcing above in bold orange lettering — and placed two enraged walruses crackling with yellow lightning bolts facing each other across the chest. The embroidery bleeds through onto the lining, so the whole scene lives on the inside too.
This is how mid-century military souvenir jackets were made. Soldiers stationed in or passing through Alaska would take their government-issued gear to local embroiderers — often working out of small shops near military installations — and have custom scenes stitched in as a record of where they'd been. The embroidery style here is consistent with that of other known Alaska souvenir pieces from the same era, suggesting that the same shop or craftsman may have worked on multiple jackets in the collection. Signs of wear consistent with a jacket that has lived a full life.
Details:
- Vintage Canex Canadian military-issue drizzler jacket
- Navy shell, fully lined
- Alaska Last Frontier embroidery — mountain goat and alpine scene on back, dual walruses on chest
- Embroidery visible through interior lining
- Full zip closure, stand collar, front pockets
- Size L — measures 22.8" chest, 24.8" length, 19.7" shoulder, 24.8" sleeve
- Mid-century military souvenir jacket
- One of a kind — no restock
