The iconic biker jacket and the men who wore it best.

If there was a fight over the coolest piece of clothing in men’s style, the leather jacket would surely trounce every other contender. That’s right, we see your newfangled chest rigs and utility vests, and we raise you a garment that’s been swaggering around idly smoking a cigarette for nigh on a century: the Schott Perfecto. Aside from its cooler-than-thou credentials, the astonishing thing about the jacket’s design is that it’s hardly changed since 1928, when a plucky Mr Irving Schott had the bright idea to make a lancer-front motorcycle jacket, name it after his favourite cigar and then sell it at Harley-Davidson in Long Island, New York. In fact, the only thing that’s different about it these days is the price. When the first biker jacket hit stores, it retailed for a rather reasonable $5.50; nowadays it’ll set you back quite a bit more than that, but like all the best sartorial investments, it’ll last you a lifetime.

The jacket’s enduring popularity likely has a lot to do with the fact it’s been immortalised on the screen and stage countless times in its lifetime. But if the sight of a youthful Mr Brad Pitt nonchalantly rocking the Perfecto isn’t enough to convince you, read on for further proof. On the occasion of the inimitable biker’s 90th anniversary, we present to you the men who’ve gone hell for leather (ie, worn it best).

“What are you rebelling against?” “Whadda ya got?” might be one of the most iconic exchanges in cinematic history, but 1953’s The Wild One also gave the sartorial world a gift: Mr Marlon Brando riding around Wrightsville, California on a Triumph Thunderbird 6T. Like the movie’s tagline (“Jazzed-up beats on a bust-up bing!”), it’s fair to say the script and premise are somewhat dated by 2018 standards, but the Perfecto jacket Mr Brando and his Black Rebels Motorcycle Club donned never has. It’s a look that spawned a thousand imitations (see Mr James Dean, who was accused of stealing Mr Brando’s look in 1955’s Rebel Without A Cause) and prompted US and British school systems to ban the article in question. As you might have guessed, their attempts at suppression were ineffective.

The geographical and sociological origins of punk is a contested arena: those who subscribe to the American school of thought will point you in the direction of Messrs Johnny, Joey, Dee Dee and Tommy Ramone as proof of the US influence. But back on British soil, The Clash reign supreme – they weren’t dubbed “The Only Band That Matters” for nothing. However you cut it, one thing we can all agree on is that the leather moto jacket probably did as much for the scene as the genre itself, and came to define punk as a way of being (and dressing). Exhibit A: Mr Joe Strummer wearing his love-worn Schott Perfecto back in 1977.

By the time Mr Bruce Springsteen’s Born To Run hit shelves in the mid-1970s, the leather jacket was as aligned with rock ‘n’ roll as it was with the punk scene. Shot in 900 frames by Mr Eric Meola, the album’s black-and-white cover – featuring the musician, Fender Telecaster in hand, in his Perfecto – would fast become one of music’s most iconic images and references. On tour, too, The Boss wore his jacket on stage and occasionally treated fans to a glimpse of him replicating the pose. They’d respond by copying him. In more ways than one, it seems.

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