Why Pay a High Price for Leather?

Leather clothing has been in the fashion industry for a very long time and seems to

stay in trend. The styles may vary; whether it’s biker wear or fashion wear but all in all it seems

that putting your money towards purchasing a leather jacket is money well spent.

Why Leather?

Leather is a durable and lasts alot longer than synthetic materials so you can expect to get a lot

more out of your money. The nature of leather means that the older it gets the better the jacket

will actually look; adding a popular vintage look. There are now so many different types of

leather to choose from the main ones used for clothing are: cowhide, buffalo, lambskin and

sheepskin. Not to mention the vast variety of colours, if you are looking for natural hides than

brown and black are the most commonly available. To get most other colours the hides are

dyed. ( Image by Charles Dusty )

Biker Wear

Motorcyclists use leather jackets as a source of safety, the thickness of the leather helps

protects bikers from road burns and debris. The most popular hides used are buffalo and

cowhide, these are generally thicker than most other hides and also a tad bit more expensive.

Most biker jackets come with all the features bikers look for such as air vents, double lining and

pockets to place protective armours in. Apart from deciding on the safety features, bikers also

focus on style of the jacket, there are so many different styles available such as the famous

brando or easy rider. The different collar styles such as mandarin collar or flap back collars or

whether you like belt length jackets or ¾ length. Motorcyclists also match with leather trousers

which also help protect them from road burns and flying debris on the road. Not to mention it will

help keep you warm during the winter.( Image by motor jacketsusa )

Fashion Wear

Men’s designer jackets are becoming increasingly popular in leather; every single new movie

launched in Hollywood will show the lead actor wearing a leather jacket. Celebs are always

seen out in leather apparel. When it comes to fashion wear the price is affected in different way

than to biker wear. In fashion wear youwould look for a leather which is more lightweight and

less rigid; so lambskin or sheepskin would be the better option. Then there’s the brand name,

the bigger the brand the higher the price. Most high street shops or online stores will sell at a

third of the price compared to high end labels.

Shopping Advice

Leather Jackets are everywhere; online and in store so it is very easy to get charged a high

price for something which is not 100% real leather. For examples, some men’s designer jackets will be made from a mixture of materials so it is always good to read the label and see what the jacket is actually made from. When buying online, read the descriptions and if it is not mentioned what type of leather the jacket is made from then contact the seller first before purchasing.

To sum up, leather has always been an expensive material to buy if you are looking to buy

100% real leather then you will have to pay the extra price but in return you will get a long term

investment as the older it gets the better it will look. I think It’s safe to say that leather jackets

made for biker wear are worth the cost mainly based on the increasing the safety . You do not

need as many jackets as jeans or shirts so to spend a little more on buying one or two a year is

worth it.

Working in the leather industry for many years Kelly Richards knowledge of the authenticity of

leather and the social fashion trends is vast.