From Battlefield to Broadway - History of Leather Jackets
War costume
Long before anyone knew that the leather jackets had potential to walk the fashion parade, they were actually a part of Military uniform in world war 1.
So their journey from the battlefield to broadway has to be an interesting one.
Bomber jacket and the Bikers
It all started when in early 1928 a genius named Irving Schott decided to make changes in typical military leather jackets and instead of buttons, he put a zipper on it. The guy, at that point was totally unaware that he was doing this world a huge favor and that this leather jacket will become the greatest trend in the history of fashion.
Things got out of hand when one of the biggest motorcycle manufacturing companies Harley Davidson joined hands with Irving Schott and sold the jacket for $5.50.
Ah ! Good old times.
Ticket to Hollywood
Anyway, It was just the beginning of what later became the biggest symbol of style. The black leather jacket reached new levels of popularity when the mid-century rolled around. All thanks to Marlon Brando, the chocolate hero at that time who donned a Schott motorcycle jacket in the movie "The Wild One”
Leather Jacket, Mic and Everything Nice
It was early 1960’s when leather jackets made an official entry in the music world. The Beatles wore iconic black jackets in one of their live concerts and associated leather jacket to rock and punk music.
Fashion, Females, Feminism
F in ‘Fashion’ stands for female and I agree. But unlike other fashion trends, women came to this party a little late. With the wave of Feminism in the 1980's, a lot of ladies wore leather jackets as a sign of rebellious and unconventional. Some girl bands wore them at live concerts and the rest is history.
Leading the fashion parade
It was 1990 when Supermodels walked the ramp wearing leather jackets. That was the time when this elite costume became a street fashion and was adopted by the common people.
It can safely be said that by the end of the 90's, there was at least one person in every scene on tv shows who was wearing a leather jacket. Although leather jacket industry is continuously evolving and designers are coming up with new trends but the basic concept and theme remain the same and we love it. Don’t we?
Evolution of Leather jackets
We have witnessed a lot of trends topping the fashion charts one minute and getting lost in the rush of this continuously evolving world of style. But it’s been more than a century and leather jackets still stand strong. Designers never run out of new ideas involving leather jackets and people never get tired of wearing them.
Let’s all be grateful for this greatest fashion invention and hope that it keeps on getting more stylish and spunky. Because no matter how many new trends we come across, leather jackets can not and will not be replaced.
