Why you shouldn't buy this entry-level leather jacket

Question from a reader : "I don't have a very big budget but I would really like to be able to afford leather. I found this one, for €250. It doesn't seem too bad to me, No? So, do you think it’s worth it?

Answer : "Listen, in all honesty, it's really not good leather, but unfortunately for this budget, I'm probably not going to be able to offer you anything better..."

Ouch. Disappointment. Feeling of confusion for the reader, and frustration for us at not being able to give him the answer he wanted...

To tell the truth, it always gives me a little pang in my heart when a reader asks us what we think of this “cheap” leather that they found on the web.
Because at BonneGueule, we have always advised you not to purchase entry-level leathers. It's quite easy to understand, especially on shoes: you know that it's a part that wears out quickly with lots of walking. We therefore lose more money over time if we do not invest in a quality minimum to make it last. For the benefit of “profitability”.

But for the jacket, ultimately it doesn't wear out that quickly, so why do we insist on telling you "No, at this price, avoid buying leather altogether"?

It's all the more frustrating, for you and for us, since I've already read responses such as...

"But you're crazy! €250 for a jacket is already HUGE, and you call that "entry level"? We don't live in the same world, guys!"

So I decided to explain to you the reasons for our position, which can sometimes seem a little drastic.

Good or bad leather? It's hard to know without seeing it in real life...

Leather is expensive

I may be knocking open doors here, but let's start by recalling the essentials. Leather is expensive for two reasons:

• The “non-renewable” animal origin of its raw material (skin)

To make leather, you have to raise an animal, feed it, care for it, slaughter it and treat its skin. And unlike the different woolens that exist, it is only taken once per animal.

And to make matters worse, an animal's skin is full of irregularities and imperfections (veins, scratches, hollow areas, etc.). Which involves first and second choice pieces. And even almost unusable pieces.
So obviously, anyone who wants to buy good leather also pays for this selection, in the same way that at the butcher you will pay much more for a bib than for offal.

Compare this to plant-based fabric, for example, where the base material simply needs to be planted, grown and harvested. You immediately understand the difference in price of the material, even before processing.

Pretty leather scraps from a French tannery. Make no mistake: it may hang vertically, but that doesn't mean leather grows on trees.

• ...And its expensive, long and laborious transformation process (tanning and other stages).

Without even mentioning all the intermediate stages (slaughter, skinning, preparation of the skins) which also complicate the task, tanning is long (weeks, months or even years in vats) and expensive.

For those who want details, Jordan explains it all in depth in the first part of his buying guide for the shoe . It's quite simple: more or less everything that applies to the difference in quality between different shoe leathers applies to jackets (even if we will favor slightly different types of leather to have more suitable thicknesses ).

There you will find all the information that will allow you to understand what is at the origin of the price of a leather, and how this price can also vary enormously from one quality to another .

Cheaper leather is not what you dream of

Yes, but there you have it, it’s clear that despite everything I’ve told you, cheap leathers exist.

However, it is not without compromise. The more the price of leather falls, the more concessions are made: skins which are less and less good choices, and which end up being very wrinkled or covered with scratches and hollow areas...

Or the tanning done in a hurry which gives leathers with a strangely “soft” rather than “supple” feel. And whose dubious odor smells more like "dead animal" than leather.

And when everything is smooth and perfect, it is perhaps even worse: you end up with skins that have been completely sanded, corrected and coated, from which you can no longer distinguish anything from the original appearance, to imitate more uniform leathers. (better quality, when there is no "cheating"). Only, it's so uniform that it ends up looking like faux leather. And that's a shame, because you're still paying the price (even entry-level) of real leather, which is much higher.

In fact my point is to tell you that, when you dream of having a leather jacket, you think more of this:

An Officine Générale Italian grained leather jacket. Sold for over €1100.

Or this:

Mel Gibson's perfecto in Mad Max. Not possible to find the brand, but probably a Schott from the "real line" made in USA which has been customized. And so around $800. Edit: we are told that it is not a Schott but an imitation!

Or even this:

This jacket is pretty pretty, isn’t it?
Well, even at Mr P. (the brand of the Mr Porter eshop, with a rather interesting quality/price ratio) which does not charge crazy margins, it is priced at... €850.

Only, what you don't necessarily know is that these leathers that you see in magazine photos, in films, on influencers' Instagram accounts, or in photos of brands on the web...

Well they are often either high-end leathers , or very, very retouched photos.

In other words, you decide to buy the "cheap" version of an object that you want, without realizing that what actually arouses your desire in the first place are precisely these qualities and this aspect that you only find it in leathers with a larger budget.

And so instead of what you dreamed of, once the jacket has been purchased, you end up with this instead:

A very poor quality example, just so you understand what I'm talking about (it's even more visible on color than on black). Obviously, there are in-betweens, but it's rarely very famous under €500.

Or even this:

The Schott perfecto... But in its version made in Asia at €300-400. It's not the ugliest on the market, but frankly, to look like that... Wouldn't your money be better spent elsewhere?

Or even this:

Busy designs are very popular with brands that make entry-level leather for the simple reason that they mask the “poorness” of the quality of the skins. The leather is very wrinkled, the light socket is dull and if you ask me it's not going to improve over time.

In short, the promise made to you by purchasing leather is not kept. Moreover, you risk being even more disappointed with the jackets because:

• On a screen, the difference is difficult to see. And even in real life, it takes a lot of practice to be able to make the comparison without holding two similar jackets side by side.
• It is quite simple to stretch, iron (yes, with a hot iron) and thoroughly treat the skin so that it has a more beautiful appearance, smooth and shiny... At first. Only time will tell you whether you made a mistake or not.

The case of suede leather

There is still one type of leather on which you can make an exception: suede leather jackets, or “velvet”, more precisely. Precisely because these are skins sanded on the inside of the leather (the “flesh side”), the difference in quality is less noticeable when the prices are lower. And at the same quality level, a good suede jacket is a little cheaper than its smooth equivalent. Well, if you buy the cheapest suede leathers on the market, I don't guarantee that they will be very beautiful either... But around €300, you can still get away with something that's not bad visually.

An Our Legacy suede leather jacket. €640, for good quality, from a brand distributed as a luxury multi-brand. It is therefore more affordable than its smooth leather equivalent.

In the end, you find yourself paying a budget that is certainly less expensive, but substantial, just to be able to say to yourself “I own a leather jacket”. To check a box, basically.

Except that this piece doesn't bring any charm to your wardrobe. And if you're in the habit of wearing beautiful (or even just decent) materials on your other pieces, you'll realize over time that it's a bit "stainy". And without even mentioning the risk that the jacket will age poorly.

If I had to give a limit below which I advise you not to buy leather, regardless of where it was made and its initial appearance, it would be €500. This may seem very high to you, but I didn't invent it.

A (big) ethical compromise

If, despite all these "personal" arguments, you are not convinced, let's talk about the thorny point of ethics...

It's no secret: the cheaper you buy, the more likely you are to support certain immoral production practices, whether from an environmental or social point of view.

Except that for leather, it's even worse than for the rest.

Because if usually the problem mainly concerns the working conditions of those who assemble the piece, here, it also concerns those who must produce the leather. Yes, entry-level leather is generally leather tanned in India or Bangladesh. And while there are certainly many exceptions, Things still happen very much as described in this video:

I admit that I didn't have to look far to find this report, I just had to write "leather worker bangladesh" on Google. And it's far from the only video we find.

I would also like to be able to tell you that if you find cheap leather sold as "from an Italian tannery", you might say to yourself "phew, my conscience is clear" . After all, Italy is a mecca for excellent leather, right?
Unfortunately no. Not necessarily.

Italy, with all that we owe it splendid in terms of sartorial know-how, is also home to many unscrupulous workshops and producers, fully aware of the aura that emanates from their country, and ready to resort to numerous tricks, some of which are completely illegal, in order to export “cheap” made in Italy products.

So not only will you have poor enough quality to cut prices, but it will also be produced by immigrant workers, in poor working conditions, who sometimes have nothing to envy of those of Indian or Bengali producers. All within a very questionable legal framework.

Jacket sold as "Italian leather". Maybe that's true. That doesn't prevent this jacket from struggling to hide its low quality, even with quilting everywhere.

And the worst thing is that the clothing, textile and leather markets remain very opaque. As a consumer, you will never really have a way to verify this.

In the end, there is no miracle: if you see very inexpensive leather, even Italian, you should not delude yourself too much, there is a chance that it will be to the detriment of the environment and the worker.

Ah, and two last points which have already been addressed in Jordan's article : it is also to the detriment of the environment, because chrome tanning is done without respecting the standards for storage of the toxic waste generated. And to the detriment of the conditions in which the animals are raised, because the cheapest skins clearly do not come from animals raised in a free field and fed on grass...

Anything you could buy instead...

Final argument: this money could be better spent elsewhere.

Are you shocked that people say that €200, €300 or €400 is a small budget?

So let's take the problem the other way. Let's say it's a big budget... And let's see what good things you could have bought instead.

For 200€...

A high-end denim jacket, perhaps even entirely made in Japan if you're lucky enough to come across a small discount. With a crazy canvas, which will age really well over time. And what's more, it's a piece that brings just as much character and masculine authenticity to your outfits as leather.

A Naked & Famous denim jacket in splendid Japanese denim (Okayama Spirit 3 model). And for the same budget with a bit of luck on sale you could even have Momotaro or Pure Blue Japan...

For 300€

A wool jacket, a mid-season parka, always mid-range or even high-end... Lots of possibilities. €300 is a budget that I find magical: it can be used to buy you a very strong piece, more expensive and with a more elaborate design than its basic version. (knitwear, jacket, overshirt, blazer, etc.)

This is also the price at which very expensive and highly coveted pieces fall when they are on sale or at the end of the series (coats, more wintery jackets). And if I really wanted to broaden the point, I would also talk about shoes, but we're going to limit ourselves to pieces that you could wear "instead" of leather.

Come on, for variety, a little cashmere wool knit jacket, from Pini Parma, made in Italy. At €299, ultimately, do you prefer that, or the “low cost” Schott?

For 400€

A beautiful wool coat. For this price, if you are looking for good places, you can find something well made, in a warm and thick sheet, which will last you for many years, both in terms of strength and style.
And this without even waiting for a promotion or sales. And for once, a good coat is simply essential in your wardrobe unlike a leather one.

I think you're starting to get the idea. What will bring you the most happiness on a daily basis: a beautiful coat to protect you during many winters (Drapeau Noir, €350), or leather that looks bad at worst, "passable" at best?

One last word

After reading this article, you may feel frustrated by the inaccessibility of beautiful leather, disappointed in your expectations, and upset by the last points highlighted.

All I have to say, if it's any consolation, is that I too waited and saved for several years before buying my first leather jacket, from Atelier Bertrand . Moreover, even if the brand had not given me a favorable price on the occasion of the article , I would have easily waited a few months or a year more to pay for it.
Because good leather is for life!

The author, happy in his first leather jacket, bought last year. And it’s not for lack of having seen, touched and tried a whole bunch of them years ago!

So be patient, and choose the right one, it is worth it.