bghe87aj7j

The story of the Perfecto, a timeless jacket

undefined undefined 22 avril 2015 undefined 00h00

undefined undefined 28 décembre 2023 undefined 14h04

The Editor

The Perfecto is part of the pantheon of timeless clothing. Its story begins in the United States and crosses the Atlantic to leave its mark on Europe with its black leather.

The Schott brothers, Irving and Jack, founded the brand in 1913 in the Lower East Side, a legendary neighborhood in New York where famous figures of the underworld like Al Capone, Johnny Torrio, and Lucky Luciano began. The brothers were part of the large Eastern European Jewish community that was massively established at the beginning of the 20th century. Specializing in rainwear, Schott received an order from Harley-Davidson in 1928 to protect bikers from bad weather. The Perfecto was manufactured for this purpose: a offset zipper closure that doubled the leather thickness, snaps to fold down the collar, zippered cuffs, a waist belt, reinforced back, and even a small pocket on the side for toll change. Its name is a tribute to Cuban cigars.

Favorite ins of Irving.

.
See this post on Instagram

A post shared by Harley-Davidson France (@harleydavidsonfrance)

It becomes legendary in the 1950s after the release of the movie "The Wild One" where Marlon Brando, leader of a biker gang, wears the now famous Perfecto. James Dean solidifies the legend with "Rebel Without a Cause". Quickly, the motorcycle jacket becomes a symbol of rebellion and counter-culture.

American and English schools prohibit it and make it the absolute symbol of rebellion among younger generations. However, the jacket is still rare in Europe.
See this post on Instagram

A post shared by Marlon Brando Estate™ (@marlonbrando)

This is where Joseph and Maurice Jablonski come in, two Ashkenazi brothers whose company, Groupe JaJ, had already imported jeans to the old continent in the 1950s. They are, in fact, the exclusive distributors of Levi Strauss until the California brand reached its own notoriety in Europe.+

In the 1970s, Ornienne bought back their contract. The two Parisians sensed the potential of the jacket in a post-1968 society and signed an exclusive contract with the Schott brothers in 1972. [Embed] ![Image](image-url)
See this post on Instagram

A post shared by Sex Pistols 🧷🇬🇧 (Video&Art) (@sexpistols.punk)

The Perfecto is no longer just for bikers, it can be seen everywhere. The punk movement greatly contributes to its popularity and often customizes it with badges or studs. Renaud associates the "thug" side of the jacket with social revolt, the Ramones or the Sex Pistols constantly wear it, making it timeless.

30 years later, the Perfecto has lost its rebelliousness. Many brands have fashionized and popularized it like Zadig et Voltaire, Gerard Darel, or The Kooples. The jacket has changed hands but its legend lives on, so closely linked to the history of the previous century.

We also talked about the crazy history of the bikini here.