The world of leather jackets is a fashionable and unique one. Leather jackets are meant not only for comfort, design, and practicality (read: keeping you warmer) but are a fashion statement. The jacket that you choose speaks to you and about who you are as a person. Therefore, the consideration you put into it is one we take seriously.

There are all different kinds of leather jackets. Today, we are going to delve into an entire sect of leather jackets – bespoke.

The definition of bespoke is an adjective, meaning that it is made for a particular customer or user. Bespoke can apply to a variety of things alone within the clothing realm, such as suits, dresses, and of course, leather jackets. Custom leather jackets are custom made for the user, making them unique and individual for the wearer.

How do these differ from just getting a regular leather jacket? Custom leather jackets cater to everything you want to choose, such as size, color, and finishes. Every company has a different process for making their bespoke jackets. Here are various steps that are involved with making a bespoke jacket:

 Learning about the consumer – the aspects of a bespoke jacket are unique and individual. Some companies, when you are placing an order for your jacket, have you fill out a form. This form has all pertinent details to the jacket order, such as your measurements for the size, the color you prefer, and things such as zippers, sleeves, and any other kind of extra necessity. Then you order a regular leather jacket, the jacket is already pre-made, the decisions final, the look distinguished but not unique. For a jacket already made, all you have to do as the customer is choose the size and occasionally the color, if there are a few variations. Everything else is set in stone. For a bespoke jacket, the opposite is the case. Some companies may even have the client come into their store so that they can measure and speak with you. They use this time to find out about you as well. What is your budget? This is an important question to ask and have the answer to so that the company knows what is within the realm they can work. If you have a higher budget, there are more freedoms afforded in your designs. On the opposite side, a lower budget is something the company should always respect and learn to work within. If you are ordering online, setting your budget can help you filter and sort the results by price. In person, your options will be catered to you once the person you’re working with knows how much can be spent.

What is your style? There are so many different leather jacket styles that exist out there, and those different styles make the base for what you will be wearing. Do you prefer a bomber jacket? A biker jacket? A racer jacket? The list goes on, and figuring out your style that you want to wear long-term is the first step in figuring out what kind of jacket will be created just for you. And if you don’t know, now is as good a time as any to see past jackets for ideas. Even though they are not bespoke, looking at jackets that are available for consumers is a great way to begin laying the foundation of your jacket’s look. If it is your first custom leather jacket (or first leather jacket in general), researching the various styles may help you make your decision. At the end of the day, the classic styles always exist as a starting board to design your jacket.

Once you have figured out the style of jacket that you want, the sizing is next. If you were purchasing an already made jacket, there would be a process to figuring this out: first, you would have to look at a few different charts to see what size you may possibly be. You would have to make sure that you had the right size conversions for whichever county and chart you were ordering from. You may try on jackets in a store, or make sure that your retailer had a return policy. But, with a bespoke jacket, that entire process is no longer needed. Having a custom-made jacket means it is catered to your measurements, and it will fit you perfectly. This is especially helpful

Style and measurements are set. Now, figuring out the color and added touches that you want is the final step.

Making the jacket – once the company knows everything that they need to know about you, they go about making the jacket. Here are the steps that occur when making custom leather jackets:

1. Materials – having the materials to make the leather jacket is an important first step. The kind of leather and any other materials that are being used for aspects such as the lining, flourishes, and buttons and zipped have to all be available.
2. Tracing – there are various pieces that make up a leather jacket. based on the measurements that you gave the company, each piece if traced out of the leather or other material.
3. Cutting – the pieces are then all cut out so that they can be assembled later on to create the jacket.
4. Interfacing/ Fusing the Leather – interfacing is a textile used on the unseen side of the material, in order to make the garment more rigid. It is the way your jacket goes from being a malleable piece of leather to being something that can be shaped and worn against someone’s body. It strengthens the fabric, especially in places where there may be buttons attached. Fusible interfacings work with leather, but differently than they do with fabric. For leather, they must choose an interfacing that fuses it to correctly and quickly. Interfacing usually involved positioning the interfacing on the leather and then fusing it to the leather with a lift and press cloth.
5. Assembling the Jacket- once the interfacing and fusing are done, the assembling of the jacket begins in various steps. The jacket is laid out, and then put together by:

• Sewing the collar
• Adding zippers
• Sewing the leather shell
• Sewing the lining
• Setting sleeves
• Finishing up the remainder of the lining
• Topstitching, which is a sewing technique that describes where the line of stitching is designed to be seen from the outside of the garment.
• Attaching the snap hardware
• Bagging the lining, which is when the maker of the jacket matches the seams of the lining and the coat body. It is a ready-to-wear technique in which the entire lining is sewn in by machine.

The major difference between bespoke jackets and factory-made leather jackets is the individual attention that bespoke jackets get. Because it is custom, and nothing else exists like it, every aspect you choose must be don’t be a person to create the final product. For factory-made leather jackets, there are machines within today’s technology that allows several layers of fabric to be cut simultaneously. While leather is usually cut one layer at a time, the patterns that are being cut out already exits and can get worked using a conveyor system. In a bigger production of leather jackets, the pieces are moved along a production line and integrated automatic sewing machines can be used.

As with many things in life, there are pros and cons to purchasing a custom leather jacket. While the final decision is ultimately up to you, as the consumer, we’ll list a few out here:

Pros - the first pro of having custom leather jackets is the custom factor, which is, of course, the biggest draw. You create this jacket to fit you as a person, and nothing else in the world exists like it. This is a huge draw for people to express themselves, or make sure that this jacket encompasses everything they want it to.

The second massive pro to having a bespoke leather jacket is that it will fit you in the truest way that a jacket can. If you are ordering from pre-made, pre-designed factory leather jackets, there are standards sizes that are an option. We mentioned earlier that figuring out your size and measurements can be more of a process than just sending it your measure measurements, depending on what size you are. Even when you pick a size, there is the possibility that it does not fit as snugly and securely as you would like it to. Leather jackets should wear as if you have a second skin, and if you fall in-between sizes, that may not be the case. Bespoke jackets are perfect for anyone who has trouble finding jackets that fit them because you cannot get it in a mass market store.

Cons – the main con that goes along with having this kind of a jacket is the price tag. While there are affordable leather jacket companies out there, bespoke jackets are still more expensive than the factory ones. This is because of the time, energy, and effort that goes into making it, as well as because it is custom. If It was made specifically for your size, body, and tastes, chances are no one else would want it because it either did not fit them or they weren’t a fan of the jacket as one that they would wear themselves. Consider this as you are figuring out what company to go for and the design that you are going after. This is a final choice, one.

The other con that goes with having a bespoke leather jacket is the return and exchange policy on them. Because it is custom made, these jackets are usually ones that cannot be returned or exchanged. Many retailers have a policy in place to help the consumer if there was an error on the company’ end. However, in general, these jackets can’t be returned or exchanged so once you decide to purchase it, you are committing to the jacket.

There are plenty of options where you can purchase your very own bespoke leather jacket. by simply typing the search on Google, recommendations can come up. We have also reviewed other companies on this blog that do bespoke jackets. Be sure to do research and read reviews to see if it is a company you want to purchase from and the quality of jackets that they make. Companies like Independence Brothers make bespoke leather jackets and have a user-friendly interface to work with in doing so.

There are a few things to pay attention to when choosing where you are going to purchase your bespoke leather jacket as well as when you are designing it. Consider how easy it is to purchase the jacket itself. Is the design process cumbersome or easy? How is the cost of what this company charges you versus what other companies do and for what quality of jacket?

There are also a few different things to think about when you are designing your jacket. what kind of leather do you want? There are a few different types that you can use to make a leather jacket, such as deerskin, goatskin, and lambskin. If you don’t already have a preference, you can research the differences and figure out what kind of look and feel you want. You can even go into a store and check out the various types of leathers that are used for their jackets. Be sure to make sure that if you have your heart set on a specific kind of leather that the company that you are ordering your jacket from has that leather as an option.

You also have to consider what kind of hardware you want on your jacket. Are there just zippers, just buttons, or a mixture of both? What kind are available and how will it affect the look of your jacket? Again, make sure that the company that you are choosing is able to design the jacket and has the hardware that you are requesting.

Make sure you measure yourself correctly when taking your measurements for your jacket. if you measure wrong, your jacket will not fit correctly, and that is the last thing you want for an unreturnable jacket. Companies may want different numbers, but typically you always need to measure your shoulder, chest, sleeves, and waist. You may also have to measure your hips and pants as well. Watch videos and follow instructions carefully to make sure that you are sending in the correct numbers.

We feel strongly about leather jackets here and about what they can do for you as a person. Having a bespoke leather jacket adds an entirely new level to that feeling about what they can do for you. A custom jacket can be even more special to the wearer. You were involved in its creation and design and chose everything by hand. Then, a company created a jacket for you by hand. The added level of personalization can bring you a closer level of connection to your clothes. This jacket was made to fit your needs, and as we have mentioned before, nothing like it exists. What are you going to choose? Classic pieces? Bold choices? It matters because you are expressing yourself even more fully. And a jacket that molds, fits, and shapes to your body only increases confidence in the wearer. You know that this jacket fits you like a glove because it was made for YOU.

We hope this article helps you elevate your leather jacket purchasing experience, even it is just to learn about bespoke jackets. At the end of the day, you are the person purchasing this extension of yourself. Do the research and read reviews. Compare styles and cuts and comfort. Contemplate how to make the jacket your own. Find what works best for you, what you can see yourself wearing many days throughout the year. Whether you purchase a bespoke jacket, a factory-made jacket, or an Independence Brothers leather jacket, you need to make sure it is the best version of yourself in it.