Page 42 - JOA August 2020

ANTIQUES PEEK by Jessica Kosinski
ANTIQUES PEEK

Biker Attire

here are many collectibles designed to sit on shelves and be The Introduction of the Iconic
admired. But then there are the collectibles that also serve Leather Motorcycle Jacket
Tpractical purposes. For those who collect motorcycle gear, and In 1928, Irving Schott of New
especially motorcycle jackets, part of the thrill is wearing the gear and York City invented what he called
showing it off to fellow riders, as well as any other people they the “Perfecto.” It was a special type
encounter in their travels. While motorcycle boots, gloves, and jackets of leather jacket, which has since
have a shorter history than many antiques, they are no less interesting become representative of the look
to collect. So, let’s take a peek at how motorcycle enthusiasts use we all expect a motorcycle jacket
such gear not just for protection and practicality, but also to express to have today. However, that
individuality and personality. type of jacket did not garner true
popularity among motorcyclists
It All Started with the Motorcycle until the release of a Marlon
Motorcycle leathers and related motorcycle gear as we know them Brando movie called The Wild Schott NYC Perfecto 118
today did not exist before motorcycles, of course. The earliest “motor- One in 1954. One-piece racing
cycles” were essentially bicycles with engines capable of boosting their leathers for motorcycle racers were developed around the time of the
speeds. An American named Sylvester Howard Roper invented the first release of that movie as well.
steam-powered cycle, known at the time as a velocipede, in 1867.
In 1885 in Germany, Wilhelm Mayback and Gottlieb Daimler
invented a combustion engine that could be used for what we now
know as motorcycles. The two inventors were assisted by four-stroke
internal combustion designer Nicolaus Otto. Daimler later founded
what is now Mercedes-Benz. Almost ten years later, the name
“motor-cycle” became the brand title for the first bikes produced on the
German assembly line of the Hildebrand & Wolfmuller company.
That company began producing its “motor-cycles” in 1894. However,
the first American cycles of a similar sort were not produced until 1899.
That year, Charles H. Metz started producing his own version of
the engine-powered bikes on American soil.

How World War I and World War II Influenced Motorcycle Attire
During World War I, motorcycles were first used by military
members. They were a means of spreading information between camps
quickly without drawing too much attention, such as that garnered by
larger vehicles. During that time, tank corp gear was adapted by motor-
cyclists to provide some protection from the elements, as well as enemies.
Duster coats were part of the attire worn by some military motorcyclists. Marlon Brando in The Wild One
However, the end of the war saw a switch to shorter jackets.
The popularity of motorcycles for military use by American soldiers The Ornamental Nature and Expressiveness of a Motorcycle Jacket
in both WWI and WWII led to a huge boom in motorcycle riding. The Early motorcycle jackets were fairly uniform in nature. However,
largest boom in motorcycle popularity occurred shortly after WWII. The bikers soon began to embellish them with ornamentation of various
1940s was also a time when interest increased in the development of sorts. Often, that ornamentation had some sort of meaning for the
many motorcycle riding clubs. biker. For example, an ex-military member might have military insignia
or symbolism of some sort on the jacket he wore. However, around
the late 1970s and early 1980s motorcycle jacket patches began to
become not only ornamental, but also informational. Since that time,
most motorcycle jackets worn by motorcyclists have included patches
designating such information as:
• the club they belonged to;
• the territory of a particular biker club;
• the club insignia or logo.
For those reasons, it is typically fairly easy to date a motorcycle
jacket as pre-1975 or post-1975 based on its design and augmentations.

Collecting Antique and Vintage Motorcycle Leathers
Of course, motorcycle jackets were not the only pieces of motorcycle
leathers worn by motorcyclists in the earlier days of the sport. Riders
also needed hand protection, which was usually in the form of leather
gloves. Additionally, many motorcyclists started converting certain
pieces of cowboy gear into motorcycle gear in the 1960s. Leather chaps
specifically began to take off as motorcycle wear, as opposed
Tuskegee Airmen in A-2-style flight jackets
to clothing more suited to a horse corral.
40 Journal of Antiques and Collectibles