Leather Biker Jackets History

The leather biker jacket occupies a special place in our minds. It represents danger, freedom, rebellion, rock n roll and speed.

But the origins of the biker leather jacket are purely functional and practical. Leather is the ideal material to make a biker jacket from. It is strong and durable, able to resist abrasion and it can be stretched. This means that the leather biker jacket can be made to fit closely to the body which reduced wind resistance to the biker. The surface is smooth which also aids the aerodynamic flow of the bike.

The fundamentals of the leather biker jacket are often characterised as being tight fitting with plenty of zip pockets, and a tabbed close collar which can be fastened up below the chin.

Of course those functional design elements of the leather biker jacket have filtered through into the fashion arena. Black leather biker jackets have been adopted by the music fraternity and have come to symbolise rebellion in both rock and films. Just think Marlon Brando, James Dean and Johnny Rotten.