CLOTHING
While leather has been used for clothing for thousands of years, we can trace the origins of the black leather motorcycle jacket to more recent times. Leather was worn by the earliest motorcyclists for its durability and its ability to protect the rider in case of a fall. Black and brown became the colors of choice, either because it was the natural color of the leather, often horsehide in the early years, or because it didn't show dirt and wear as visibly. Though the "biker jacket" as we know it today appeared in Harley catalogs as early as 1947, it was thrust into popular counter-culture after the 1954 release of the movie "The Wild One," starring Marlon Brando. It gained momentum when Gene Vincent came on the scene a few years later. Considered the first "real American rocker," Vincent donned biker leathers on stage and walked with a limp from a motorcycle accident. By the time a black leather-clad Elvis Presley appeared on the cover of Harley's The Enthusiast Magazine in 1956, the black biker jacket had secured its place as a fashion classic.
Passion. Rage. Lust. Peace. Leather can be all of these. The oldest clothing material known to man, yet the most fashion forward. Leather is luxury and depravation. The poor man's loin cloth, the rich man's car seat. But when that leather is black and worn by wind, it is the biker's leather. It is not so much a costume as it is a suit of armor, signifying membership in a great, leather-clad tribe, whose only criterion for initiation is mode of transportation. And that transportation must be a Harley-Davidson motorcycle.
When you buy a pair of chaps or leather pants, it's actually the start of a relationship. They will share thousands of miles with you, learning every contour of your body and the way it moves. Wind and rain, sun and dust will only bring you closer. And it's a long-term commitment. Because well-made chaps and leather pants don't get older. They just get better.
Biker Blues jeans have the coin pocket on the left side, so you can dig for toll change with your left hand and hold the brake with your right. Other than that, what makes Biker Blues different from other jeans in the marketplace? About ninety years of motorcycling and millions of miles of road wisdom.
A righteous shirt is an extremely important element of any biker's wardrobe, because, eventually, they have to park the bike and take their jacket off. And the ride doesn't end just because the engine is shut off.
Cowboys started wearing gloves to protect their hands from rope burn and cold weather. Bikers use them to protect their hands from fatigue, cold weather and as an extra layer of protection for bare skin. When a bumblebee hits your bare hand at sixty-five miles per hour, it is no longer a bumblebee. It is a yellow and black pain machine.
You can tell a lot about a person by the shoes they wear. If they're wearing boots, they are probably the adventurous type. If the boots are top-grain leather with oil-resistant soles, they are probably a motorcyclist. If they've got a spring in their step, they own a Harley-Davidson.
