While fashion trends are constantly changing and new things come and go, there are certain items that always manage to stay in style. Leather jackets are one of these items. The particular style or cuts that are popular at any time may change. However as whole leather jackets of some sort are always popular. Today the variety available come in such a wide variety that no matter what your style may be, there is a leather jacket that will suit your wardrobe. Of course there are the always popular biker styles and bomber styles, but your options don't stop there. You can find styles for everyday casual wear as well as formal occasions. For the business person, options are even available as part of a formal suit.
The use of leather as a protective article of clothing can be traced back to the cave man who found that they could use smoke to dry the hides of animals. They would use plants that were available to them to help preserve these hides. These hides would then be used as rudimentary articles of clothing which would provide superior warmth and protection compared to those fashioned from plants that were available. In essence, these were the first leather jackets known to man. While these techniques were obviously very crude, they laid the ground work for the advanced techniques used in leather crafting today.
In modern culture, leather jackets first became popular in the early 1900's with the bomber style jacket worn by aviators and members of the military. These jackets were worn as part of a uniform to help protect against the harsh conditions encountered at high altitudes. These bomber style jackets were valued for both their comfort as well as their durability.
In 1953, the movie "The Wild One" starring Marlon Brando introduced the iconic look of the biker jacket to popular culture. This started a trend tying Hollywood's stars to leather jackets which has been used many times since in movies when portraying a character as "cool". In the years since the release of "The Wild One" we have been given a wide array of memorable lead characters that were all decked out in their jackets of various styles. During the 1970's and 1980's the TV Show "Happy Days" featured one of its main characters "The Fonz" as the icon of what was cool, and of course rarely was "The Fonz" seen on screen without his motorcycle jacket. In 1978 John Travolta wore a leather motorcycle jacket to play the character Danny Zuko in the classic movie "Grease". Of course who can forget Arnold Schwarzenegger in the role of the T-800 in the 1984 smash hit "The Terminator' and its sequels. Harrison Ford donned a brown leather jacket in his portrayal of the iconic character "Indiana Jones" throughout the entire series of movies. The list of Hollywood superstars wearing leather to portray legendary characters goes on and on.
These jackets of course are also much more than a fashionable article of clothing. Leather motorcycle jackets or biker jackets are actually designed to function as a piece of safety equipment to help protect the motorcycle rider. These jackets are typically made of thicker and heavier grade leather in order to protect the rider from the various hazards they can potentially encounter while riding motorcycles. Motorcycle riders value these types of jackets for their protective nature and durable design. Leather motorcycle jackets come in a variety of styles and designs. Some of these leather motorcycle jackets incorporate additional padding or armor in strategic locations throughout the jacket to help protect the rider. This padding is placed in high impact zones in case of the event that the rider loses control of the motorcycle and ends up going down. Many people who do not ride motorcycles also value the motorcycle jacket both for their style as well as the fact that they are very durable and will last for many years of wear.
Many Italian fashion designers have also included leather into their lines of clothing. These jacket designs brought the leather jacket to areas of culture where other designs would not fit in. The variety of Italian designer jackets offers a style of leather to suit almost any occasion and almost any wardrobe. These jackets are available in a wide variety of designs for both men and women. Styles of jackets are available to suit clothing styles ranging from daily casual wear through to formal occasions. While traditionally leather jackets were only available in brown or black, today they can be found in virtually any color or combination of colors desired.