The Rise of the Leather Jacket
The leather jacket has become something less of a functional item of clothing and more of a symbol over the decades. Much like the reversed-baseball cap, the leather jacket is usually worn by a certain type of individual. It has become something of a multicultural phenomenon these days, though American culture arguably has a large part to play in this. Leather jackets come in a large variety of different styles and can be associated with many aspects of different subcultures and counter-cultures.
It all started with the military aviators of the First World War. These dandies often dilly-dallied around in sheepskin-lined leather jackets, dubbed ‘bomber jackets’, as they were suitably warm and lightweight attire for the cold and cramped conditions of biplane cockpits, especially when worn with cashmere knitwear. This was traditional for both world wars, and by the end of the second, the fur-lined leather jacket meant that someone was unmistakably a pilot.
Then came the bikers. In the early years after the Second World War, many veterans of the war formed motorcycle-based coalitions and took to drifting about the United States, living as outlaws. The leather jacket became their symbol, as much like the pilots, the bikers enjoyed the combination of warmth and lightweight comfort that it gave them. The leather-jacketted motorcyclist has now become something of a romantic icon of rebellion in popular culture.
After the biker craze had swept to the UK and the dust was starting to settle, the punks came along. Dyed mohawks, piercings, safety-pins, tattoos, loud and fast music and, of course, leather jackets. The punk movement had hijacked the leather jacket to great success, and had woven it with patches and covered it in Tippexed scrawlings to truly make it theirs.
What came after the punks? Goths and metalheads, of course! But that doesn’t mean that you can’t wear a leather jacket without being branded with one of these labels. After all, a leather jacket can be a very modern and sophisticated-looking garment, especially if worn with a cashmere sweater. Get a leather jacket and go get ‘em, rebel!
The leather jacket has become something less of a functional item of clothing and more of a symbol over the decades. Much like the reversed-baseball cap, the leather jacket is usually worn by a certain type of individual. It has become something of a multicultural phenomenon these days, though American culture arguably has a large part to play in this. Leather jackets come in a large variety of different styles and can be associated with many aspects of different subcultures and counter-cultures.
It all started with the military aviators of the First World War. These dandies often dilly-dallied around in sheepskin-lined leather jackets, dubbed ‘bomber jackets’, as they were suitably warm and lightweight attire for the cold and cramped conditions of biplane cockpits, especially when worn with cashmere knitwear. This was traditional for both world wars, and by the end of the second, the fur-lined leather jacket meant that someone was unmistakably a pilot.
Then came the bikers. In the early years after the Second World War, many veterans of the war formed motorcycle-based coalitions and took to drifting about the United States, living as outlaws. The leather jacket became their symbol, as much like the pilots, the bikers enjoyed the combination of warmth and lightweight comfort that it gave them. The leather-jacketted motorcyclist has now become something of a romantic icon of rebellion in popular culture.
After the biker craze had swept to the UK and the dust was starting to settle, the punks came along. Dyed mohawks, piercings, safety-pins, tattoos, loud and fast music and, of course, leather jackets. The punk movement had hijacked the leather jacket to great success, and had woven it with patches and covered it in Tippexed scrawlings to truly make it theirs.
What came after the punks? Goths and metalheads, of course! But that doesn’t mean that you can’t wear a leather jacket without being branded with one of these labels. After all, a leather jacket can be a very modern and sophisticated-looking garment, especially if worn with a cashmere sweater. Get a leather jacket and go get ‘em, rebel!
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