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Aleather jacket is ajacket-lengthcoat that is usually worn on top of other apparel or item of clothing, and made from thetanned hide of various animal skins. The leather material is typicallydyed black, or various shades of brown, but a wide range of colors is possible. Leather jackets can be designed for many purposes, and specific styles have been associated with subcultures such asgreasers,motorcyclists, andbikers,gangsters,militaryaviators (especially during and directly afterWorld War II) and music subcultures (punks,goths,metalheads,rivetheads), who have worn the garment for protective or fashionable reasons, and occasionally to create a potentially intimidating appearance.
Most modern leather jackets are produced in Pakistan, India, Canada, Mexico and the United States, using hides left over from themeat industry. Fabrics simulating leather such aspolyurethane orPVC are used as alternatives to authentic animal hide leather depending on the needs of the wearer such as those pursuingvegan lifestyles or for economic reasons as synthetic fibers tend to be less costly than authentic leather.
In the early 1900s, aviators and members of the military wore brown leatherflight jackets. One of the first modern leather jackets, the type A1, was created by Chapal in 1925.[1] During theSecond World War the garments became known as "bomber jackets" and were heavily insulated and prized for their warmth. The jacket was often part of an overall uniform ensemble meant to protect bomber pilots from exposure to the extreme climate conditions found at high altitudes and often incorporatedsheepskin, using the intactfleece on the inside for warmth.
RussianBolsheviks commonly wore leather jackets, which became a quasi-uniform forcommissars during theRussian Civil War, and later for the members of theCheka.Yakov Sverdlov allegedly initiated this practice.[2]
Antelope,buckskin,goatskin,sheepskin,horsehide and cowhide are the hides most commonly used to make leather jackets. As soon as the skin is removed from the animal at the meat processing plant, it is refrigerated, salted, or packed in barrels of brine. It is then sent to the tannery, where the skins undergo a series of processes designed to preserve and soften the hides.Sewing materials such asthread,lining, seam tape,buttons,snaps andzippers are generally bought from outside vendors and stored in the garment factory.
In the latter half of the 20th century, the leather jacket—in many forms—achieved iconic status and general acceptance through an inextricable[citation needed] link toHollywood. Such jackets were popularized by numerous stars in the 1940s and 1950s, including actorJimmy Stewart (who had actually commanded a U.S.bombersquadron duringWorld War II) in the filmNight Passage (1957).[3] The brown leather jacket has become ade rigueur part of the wardrobe for the Hollywood adventurer, fromGary Cooper inFor Whom the Bell Tolls toHarrison Ford in theIndiana Jones film series.
A leather jacket could be used to shape a character, providing an important ingredient used to define the very essence of 'cool'. Prime examples include thePerfecto motorcycle jacket worn byMarlon Brando'sJohnny Strabler inThe Wild One (1953),Honor Blackman asCathy Gale onThe Avengers,David Hasselhoff asMichael Knight inKnight Rider andMichael Pare inEddie and the Cruisers duo (1983 and 1989). All these served to popularize leather jackets among American youth from the "greaser subculture" of the 1950s and early 1960s. Later depictions of this subculture feature viaThe Fonz from the television seriesHappy Days, produced in the 1970s and 1980s, but set in the 1950s and 1960s (Fonzie's leather jacket is now housed in theSmithsonian Institution), and in the film duosEddie and the Cruisers andGrease. Flight jackets, also (occasionally with fleece collars, as seen in the filmTop Gun (1986), have remained fashionable for decades.
In the 1990s, a variety of leather jacket patterned after aneight ball, referred to as aneight-ball jacket, was briefly trendy. It occasionally resurfaces as a retro fashion item.[4]
There are many more examples of iconic leather jackets worn in popular culture, such as theSchott Perfecto worn by theT-800 character of theTerminator films and the longer ¾ length blazer coat style worn by other actors such asSteven Seagal, byWesley Snipes asBlade in theBlade films, byKeanu Reeves andLaurence Fishburne asNeo andMorpheus inThe Matrix films, byRichard Gibson as Herr Otto Flick on the television sitcom'Allo 'Allo! and byMark Jordon as PC Phil Bellamy on ITV'sHeartbeat. These jackets often become emblematic of their respective characters, symbolizing their personas and contributing to the visual identity of the film or tv show.
There is a substantial difference between leather jackets made for fashion purposes, and those worn for protection, such asmotorcycle personal protective equipment. Leather jackets designed for protective use aresafety equipment and are heavier, thicker, and sometimes even equipped with armor, thus they are a practical item of clothing regardless of the symbolism invested in them by popular culture. A leather jacket primarily designed for fashion purposes would not be much protection in a motorcycle accident because of the jacket's flimsy construction. Motorcycle jackets often have more substantialzips, weatherproof pockets and closures, higher collars, and are styled to be longer at the back than the front to protect the kidneys of the riders from the cold while the rider is bent forward over the motorcycle.
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