Leather Jacket as Style Icon

The leather jacket has been a popular style icon since the 1950s and it’s not difficult to see why. These jackets impart a cool, classic statement no matter whether the wearer is male or female. Although leather is available in a variety of different colours, black or brown jackets are the most popular staples in most modern wardrobes. The original flight jackets worn since the early 1900s were reserved for the military and aviators, they soon became known as “bomber jackets” and their heavy insulation meant they were renowned for warmth, particularly at high altitudes.

How the Stars Popularized the Leather Jacket

Whether the leather jacket was worn by Steve McQueen or James Dean was immaterial, every man wanted to emulate these style icons and be seen to be some kind of Rebel Without a Cause. It’s been the same throughout the decades, as pop stars, film stars and trendsetters have adopted the leather jacket for regular, casual wear and a moody man dressed in jeans, sparkling white T-shirt and a classic biker leather racket always has a certain charm.

Leather is Not Just for Jackets

Leather has stood the test of time and is used to create a variety of different garments in modern times. The most critical aspect in the leather making process is ensuring the animal skins are professionally cleaned before being refrigerated, salted or stored in brine. When the skins arrive at the tannery they undergo the traditional tannage process which can use either vegetable tannage or mineral tannage techniques. Vegetable tannage generally produces leather that’s suitable for handbags or furniture, while mineral tannage techniques use chemicals to produce a softer leather that is more flexible and can be used to create garments. When the finished leather has been dried it undergoes the softening process and is then customized to meet buyer requirements, by cutting, dyeing and finishing to specification.