The first motorcycle jacket was launched in 1928 by Schott NYC, the first clothing brand to create the familiar leather silhouette with added zippers. Called the “Perfecto,” the Schott jacket was an unbelievable success within the small but growing motorcycle community. Not only did the jacket look cool, it also offered zippered pockets for additional storage and a thick leather that protected riders during spills. For only $5.50, the Perfecto was hard to beat. Within a few years, other brands offered their take on the jacket. These included Joseph Buegeleisen of Detroit, Harley-Davidson, Buco, Beck, Hercules, and Indian. 

By the 1950s, motorcycle sales were booming, and both sexes were taking to the open road. Indian offered the “Rangerette” women’s jacket to complement the men’s “Ranger,” and Harley sold the “Cycle Queen” along with the men’s “Cycle Champ.” Motorcycle romanticism first peaked in 1953 with the release of the film The Wild One. Marlon Brando sported Schott’s Perfecto jacket, quickly becoming the epitome of cool. In 1969, Dennis Hopper, Peter Fonda, and Jack Nicholson donned hippie versions covered with fringe, pocket flaps, stitching, and badges in the ultimate motorcycle opus Easy Rider. Other motorcycle jacket enthusiasts of this time included Elvis, Steve McQueen, and James Dean. 

Over the coming decades, different variations of the motorcyclist jacket were introduced. Eventually, high fashion created couture adaptations of the garment. Among the first was a young Yves Saint Laurent, who launched a woman’s style made of alligator skin and fur lining in 1961. Other couture labels that have designed their versions over the years included Dolce & Gabbana, Fuel, Helmut Lang, Tom Ford, and Versace. 

Throughout the 1970s to the 1990s, Harley-Davidson and Yamaha were two of the biggest manufacturers of the motorcycle jacket. Rock-n-Roll performers like Blondie, The Ramones, and the Sex Pistols were known for wearing motorcycle jackets. A timeless look that has never gone out of style, motorcycle jackets remain the number one representation of biker culture.