Ever since I first got into punk and metal music around the time I was 11 years old, I've always wanted to at least once look like one of those stereotypical punks with mohawks wearing a pair of Dr. Martens or combat boots and those gnarly battle vests or (leather) jackets with spikes, studs and patches.
Unfortunately I never got my hair shaved mohawk-ready, as my parents were strictly against it... so I had to swallow my tears and continue being their obedient yet passive-agressive daughter...
... until one day I decided to push the boundaries a bit.
I picked up a waterproof marker and a pair of yellow-ish jeans that were laying around in my closet and drew an anarchy sign on them. After adding the words ''Punk, raisk*!'' and ''J.M.K.E.'' (one of the most legendary bands in Estonian punk subculture), I decided to stop and walk around in them a couple of days, see how my parents react.
To my own astonishment they didn't really react very negative, so I took the freedom of continuing to decorate my pants with lots of different band logos and names.
I wore the jeans with pride until they broke inbetween the legs, as my pants usually do.
At last! A battle vest!
Another part of the dream was fulfilled when a friend of mine back from my birth town gave me his unfinished battle vest to keep.
Still, something incomplete wasn't enough.
Lucky for me, one of my childhood friends has snail mail as a huge hobby. As she participated in some package swaps and exchanges, having noted that she's interested in rock music, she received different patches of punk and metal bands, some of which I purchased from her, some I got for free. Arriving home with my new patches, I picked up my thread and needle right away and stitched 'em on the vest.
It wasn't the most lasting seam, as some of the patches started opening up as time went on, but I kept fixing them to the fabric no matter what.
These BOOTS are made for walkin', and walkin's what they do...
Fast-forward to a year or two later, I had moved in with my significant other (now also father of my son) and found my first job as a cashier in the busiest grocery store in the country. After a month of working hard, learning to use the cash register, etc, I got my first payment and I knew what I was spending most of it on... a pair of sweet-ass combat boots (ALPI-3 model) by a local designer - AIPI.
AIPI's boots have a really high reputation amongst punks, metalheads and others alike in Estonia, as the quality of their footwear is astonishing. They can last up to 5-10 years, maybe even more, depending on how you treat your precious little ones. Not only are they long-lasting, they're orthopedic!
DIY! Do-it-yourself!
As another half a year had passed, I finally thought of acting as a proper member of the DIY-culture and making my own patches. With an idea in my mind, I bought some paint brushes and fabric paint and started bringing my idea to practice.
I wanted my first patch to be a gift to my dude, so I mashed up two of his most favorite things - black metal and old school video games.
As a result, Black Metal Link was born:
I can confirm my loved one was flattered.
Sadly, even though I had promised myself I would, I haven't made any more patches... but as hope dies last, I'm sure this won't be my last and only self-made patch.
How I got my first proper leather jacket
Couple of months later on a hot summer morning, I was scrolling through Facebook when I noticed some guy giving away two decent leather jackets to the first person who would get to his home fence and take them.
Not stopping to think any longer, I got dressed and hurried my hungover arse onto the tram, hopped off a couple of stops later and continued my journey by bus. Luckilly I made it out of the bus right before my agonizing hangover and the lack of fresh air would've made me vomit. After walking for about a block, I reached the fence. Being the first and only one there, I grabbed the leather jackets and returned home the same way as I had left.
One of the leather jackets (Cartini; seen on the first picture of this post) fit me like a glove, the other one (more like a coat than a jacket) really didn't. Neither did it fit my significant other. I'm not that into leather coats anyway. I don't know why, but we still kept it until like a week ago when we threw it out during ''spring cleaning''... at the start of January.
What's changed in the mean time
Not long after, I quit my job at the grocery store and spent 4 months unemployed until I finally got a job as a guard at a military base. As I got pregnant about the same time as getting the job, I managed to work there for only about half a year until I took my pregnancy- and maternity leave (2 months before the little guy was born), which I've been on ever since.
* raisk - (slightly vulgar) - used to represent displeasure or anger, approximately translates to ''f*ck'', but not quite as severe. Homonyms: carcass, garbage, waste (ajaraisk - waste of time).