The Revolutionary History of Women’s Leather Jacket

Going back to the 2016 Academy Awards, we see the Hollywood divas in the traditional trend of beautiful glittering gowns. However, one woman, Jenny Beavan, dared to be different. The costume designer escalated the stairs to the stage in black women leather jacket, with flames and skull bedazzling on the back. Many people had a displeased look on their face, perhaps for seeing an older woman in a statement-making attire or because of the jacket itself. But for many, Jenny became the fashion hero bringing back the trend with full force. The essential point is that she refreshed the rebellious history of women’s leather jackets in many minds when she went up to take her costume designing award for her work in MAD MAX: Fury Road.

Although leather jackets have become a regular staple in modern women’s closets now, history tells us that this clothing item in a female wardrobe was a different story of a rebel back then. The sight of leathers takes us back to the feisty James Dean and Marlon Brando. In the 1950s, leather jackets meant danger, rebellion, and delinquency, even for boys. But when did these jackets started appearing in feminine attire is something many few people know. The article intends to take you through the year-wise journey of leather jackets when they became women’s favorite attire from being the symbol of masculinity and dude-image.

When it all began:

Before we look into the folds of history to see how and when women started taking an interest in leather jackets, we must run through how and when the leather jackets, in actuality, came into being. The past says that German pilots were the first people seen in leather jackets during World War I. At that time, people knew it as a “bomber jacket,” which was styled with thick collars and big round arms. The primary purpose of these jackets was to protect the pilots from the extreme weather elements of high altitude. Later, a new shape of the leather jacket emerged at the scenes by a collaboration of Harley-Davidson, a motorcycle brand, and Irving Schott, a designer. The year was 1928 when Schott popularized motorcycle jackets in black leather. The style had signature zippers and pockets across the jacket front. Even with the increasing motorcycle jacket trend, the US army still associated leathers with the military. During World War II, the US army standardized a unique “leather flight jacket” for the fighter pilots. However, once the war was over, things started becoming very interesting for the growing trend of leather jackets among women.

Rebels of the 1950s and the leather jacket

Harley-Davidson has already started recognizing women’s participation in motorcycling hobbies. However, it took a while to create leather jackets fit for a lady’s wardrobe. Finally, Harley-Davidson made a perfect piece of women's leather jacket in 1954, which is still evident in the Harley-Davidson museum 1954 Accessories Catalog. The leather jacket was known as the “Ladies Companion Jacket.” The design is currently popular as the “Cycle Queen” jacket. The catalog defined the jacket as a trend aligned with the smart lines of men’s jackets, tailored femininely to be perfect for ladies.

Interestingly, while stars like Brando and Dean were becoming an icon in heavily pocketed jackets, the women daring to wear leather jackets were frowned upon and considered bad girls. The character of Sandy in Grease is a prominent example of the concept. The 1978 movie, set in the 1950s, depicted a vivid example of the era when women wearing leather jackets were known as rulebreakers.

The women leather jackets go mainstream in the 1960s

In the 1960s, leather jackets became a symbol of “cool” for pop people like Elvis Persley and the Beatles. This was when the teen girls decided that they could look cooler in the leather jackets. The biker movies of the 1950s inspired the women fans some more. And the inspiration fueled by British “mob culture” started removing the barrier between the girls' and boys' fashion. Androgyny, pants, and a leather jacket were now a fashion for everyone. The preferred colors were black & white.

The 1970s, leather jackets rocked with women popstars 

In the 1970s, people started associating leather jackets with men like members of the Hells Angels, a combination of cool and dangerous. However, when women wore leathers, the rugged guy look made them more subversive and sassy in appearance. Female members of Blackhearts & Blondie and Joan Jett regularly showcased themselves in photographs wearing leather jackets and looking tough and cool.

The 1980s changed the definition of leather jackets for women

By the 1980s, women's leather jackets’ reputation as a rugged girl attire started fading away. Soon the garment became a staple for all women, from posters to punk kids. It was no longer the jackets that defined the woman, but the ladies defined the jackets by wearing them in different styles and settings.

This era witnessed that very few people cared about gender dressing. Huge jeans, Dr. Martens boots, and leather jackets were similar to the boys and girls.

Ladies love cool leather jackets! the 1990s slogan

The 1990s removed the label of rebellious and edgy from leather, we can thank Madonna for that. One could see leather jackets everywhere in TV programming, music videos, talk shows, movies, and more. Leather jacket on men usually defined them as a metalhead or a comedian on the Saturday Night Live. But for women, leather jackets were not symbolic apparel but ordinary clothing item that they wore without a stir. They could simply pick one at a department store, which means that leather jackets lost the power for women. However, even in this era, some women wore these jackets distinctively to make them icons. The legendary look of Cher in “Turn Back Time,” a music video from 1989, is a prominent example.

Leather jackets becoming a designer piece in the 2000s

Since the 1950s, the garment begged to be used as rugged clothing for people living on the edge. But when 2000 began, fashion designers like Gucci and Jean Paul Gaultier made these jackets into something like never before, precious. As soon as the designers discovered them as precious fashion apparel, the leather jackets lost their originality, edge, and grunginess forever. Women had to buy either the costly leather from designers or scan through the thrift stores to find an authentic leather jacket.

The current standing of leather jackets in a woman’s wardrobe

Leather jackets have never completely lost their appeal since the beginning. However, the initial iconism faded away with time. The outrageous appearance of Beavan at the Oscar night and some other female icons setting the trend shows us that the leather jackets still have the potential to become edgy again.

Leather jackets have remained associated with masculinity for years, but women have also made their distinct and loud stamp on this staple. Now when these jackets have become a staple for females too, it is the right time for brands and designers to contribute to the rebellious history of women's leather jackets some more.