What was your first leather jacket?

[Yango]

When I was 16 I won $1000 on a scratch ticket someone gave me for my birthday. Spent most of it on a black Danier lamb leather (mall store) jacket.
Looked like this

https://ibb.co/KNxxP8T] [/url]

How did yours hold up?

I bought a similar jacket from Danier back in 2000, on sale for about $250 (marked down from $500).
They advertised that it came with a lifetime guarantee.

Within a year the zipper broke and the lining was full of holes. They accused me of abusing the jacket, and begrudgingly replaced the liner and zipper.

Less than a year later it was falling apart again (this time the lining in the pockets were like swiss cheese along with the liner). Same story big argument to get them to honour the guarantee, but they fixed it.

So, once again it steadily fell apart in fairly short order. And this was just from regular wear. I still wore it, and the holes in the liner got bigger and bigger, I sewed the holes in the pockets at least a dozen times, the pull on the zipper broke again, so I put a length of leather lace through the slider… and this continued for years.

Then at some point I stopped wearing it, tried to give it away and had no takers. I even considered throwing it in the clothing recycling bins… so it sat in my closet for a couple of years.

One day I happened to be in a biker’s clothing store, and met this kind older gentleman who told me that he made almost all the leather goods in the store. I told him about my jacket, and he told me to bring it to him.

He put in a new heavier quilted liner, replaced the zipper with a much better one, replaced the liners in the pockets with heavy durable material, and even replaced the leather side adjusters that I’d cut off… and all this for less than a hundred bucks.

That was about 16 years ago, and the jacket is still my go-to every winter! Still no holes in the liner!

Shout out to Screamin’ Eagle. Two thumbs up.

 

[mumpy]

Belstaff for me

 

[OldSchoolAndrew]

My first leather jacket was a suede A2 I got for my 12th Christmas back in the 90s.
The first one I bought myself was the Filson Leather Short Lined Cruiser. Had it for about 5 years and still love it. Pairs well with my walnut Stratoliner.

 

[TelemarkTumalo]

I remember it well. I was riding a Kawasaki GPZ750 in 1981. A good friend of mine had this cool as eff black leather jacket and gifted it to me as it was a bit small on him and he didn't ride. I loved that jacket and had it for 10+ years. Alas, got lost in a move across country. I cannot remember the brand, but it fit like a jacket should. It lasted me through three motorbikes, thousands of miles of riding, snow, rain and desert heat. I hope that whomever has it now, is still wearing it with a smile on their face.

 

[Konrad Seifert]

I did not exactly purchase it, because my dad paid, but this was the leather jacket I chose when we visited the Schott store while on a trip to New York in the early 90s. I only wore it for about two years because I quickly grew out of it. Now, 30 years later, I'm debating with myself whether I should sell or keep. If anyone has an idea how much I could possibly ask for it I would highly appreciate the input.

 

[Herrvallmo]

My first ever leather was my dads old jacket, still have it but I rarely wear it as my dad was a big guy back in the days(and was never that great with getting clothes that fits well lol) so it really don't fit me well.
It's also starting to crumble from time(and being some shitty mall leather lol) but I still love it!

The first ever leather I got myself(still have it at my folks place) was a Mission biker-crosszip I got while visiting Gothenburg for a metal festival(-07 if I remember correctly). I wore that jacket all year round for years, but It's also a real piece of shit jacket, but one that have a huge place in my heart and will never be thrown out.

Not my example but it's this model, I'll se if I have some old pictures of me wearing it.

Cheers!

 

[Konrad Seifert]

My first ever leather was my dads old jacket, still have it but I rarely wear it as my dad was a big guy back in the days(and was never that great with getting clothes that fits well lol) so it fits me huge.
It's also starting to crumble from time(and being some shitty mall leather lol) but I still love it!

View attachment 663457 View attachment 663458

The first ever leather I got myself(still have it at my folks place) was a Mission biker-crosszip I got while visiting Gothenburg for a metal festival(-07 if I remember correctly) It's also a real piece of shit jacket, but also one that have a huge place in my heart and will never be thrown out.

Not my example but it's this model, I'll se if I have some old pictures of me wearing it.

Cheers!
View attachment 663463

This wasn't Metaltown Festival with Slayer Meshuggah and Marduk by any chance?

 

[Herrvallmo]

This wasn't Metaltown Festival with Slayer Meshuggah and Marduk by any chance?

Heck yes it was(I went mostly for Raised Fist and Entombed, good times) ! R.I.P Frihamnen haha

 

[Konrad Seifert]

Heck yes it was! R.I.P Frihamnen haha

Haha, in that case there's a small chance I almost broke my nose on your shoulder while banging crazy at Marduk's performance.

 

[Herrvallmo]

Haha, in that case there's a small chance I almost broke my nose on your shoulder while banging crazy at Marduk's performance.

Haha that would be amazing(not you almost breaking your nose ofc ), but it shows what a small world we live in lol.

I went to Metaltown 2007-2011, but the last year not being at Frihamnen was kinda sucky imo, I did get to watch SoaD and At the Gates so it was still worth it, but lost a bit of the original charm.

Thanks for making me feel super nostalgic mate

 

[Konrad Seifert]

Haha that would be amazing(not you almost breaking your nose ofc ), small world lol.

I went to Metaltown 2007-2011, but the last year not being at Frihamnen was kinda sucky imo, I did get to watch SoaD and At the Gates so it was still worth it, but lost a bit of the original charm.

Thanks for making me feel super nostalgic mate

This was my only time at Metal town. I was on a summer holiday in Sweden that year. What a great event. Yes it's a small world. Rock on brother!

 

[VansonRider]

Kett Leather

It had fringes, I had hair

View attachment 621737

Fringed biker jackets are under rated.

 

[VansonRider]

I grew up in Massachusetts, and when I found out Vanson made a jacket that used glow in the dark leather, I knew I had to have it.

 

[STPmotor]

cowhide cafe racer from 'Fog City Leather'

 

[AeroFan_07]

My first was a black version of this "JC-Pennys" monstrosity. This is "close" but not exactly it:

View attachment 621799

For all I know it might have been pigskin. Like many other Wilsons/Pennys/Sears/Mall jacket of the time, it was trying to be about 14 things at once. But hey - at least there were a lot of folks actually wearing some type of leather jacket, although most of there were cheaply made.

My first jacket I "loved" was a buddy in college's Excelled Crosszip, his actually had chains at both shoulders and an eagle hand-painted on the back. For sure something like this caused my life-long love of motorcycle jackets.


View attachment 621800

---And I have never recovered since.

My first jacket I "loved" was a buddy in college's Excelled Crosszip, his actually had chains at both shoulders and an eagle hand-painted on the back. For sure something like this caused my life-long love of motorcycle jackets.

I am sorting through old film photographs, re-packing, dating & labeling as I am able to recall where, who and what the occasions were. Suddenly I stumbled across this photo of me in my second year at community college, complete with the 1990 Toyota pickup I drove to school. Man did this take me back! Here's my buddy's Excelled jacket....

 

[ÆXander]

My first “real leather” jacket was this Belstaff Leathermaster I got off eBay used. Before that I did have a Levi’s faux leather jacket with a hoodie when I was in high school. In retrospect, it did not look great but it was a functional jacket, ha. In comparison this one fit me a lot better and looked pretty badass fwiw

 

[Kuro]

I believe the label was "Open Road", I believe I purchased it at a Wilson's Leather somewhere near San Fransico in late 1991, or perhaps it was in 1992. It was a classic double rider motorcycle jacket with a zip out liner. I was in the Navy stationed in Japan. I wore it everywhere. I clubbed in it, which is to say industrical music clubs and latter EDM. I soaked the jacked through with my sweat till it had white salt stains many times. The leather cracked around the neck and cuffs. I painted it myself with band logos on the back, Calvin and Hobbes on the front, Calvin was being mean and Hobbes was in a getting ready to pounce position.

When I returned from Japan I paid an airbrush artist to paint the back of the jacket with some artwork from Akemi Takada that I liked and Japanese script "I want to return to that day"...

It had chains and small hand cuffs hanging from one epaulet and a maroon and silver knotted rope from the other that my friend in the Air Force gave to me. When it was winter I had a wool blackwatch tartan scarf folded around the epaulet with the chains to hang over my shoulder.

I rocked that jacket for the mojority of my 20 year career, it got a lot of wear. And I wish I still had it... But I needed to let it go as it was falling apart and I was moving from a house to a small apartment. Some sacrifices were needed. Letting it go allowed me to grow into new jackets I had not considered, and learn about vintage patterns, makers etc. So it was a good sacrifice in that growth occured in place of the loss. I always feel good wearing a leather jacket. This was my first one.