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Beginnings on the Lower East Side

Schott’s history begins in the early years of the 20th century, when American cities were growing rapidly and industrial work shaped daily life. In 1913, as automobiles began to crowd the streets of New York, Irving and Jack Schott, sons of Russian immigrants, opened a small factory in the basement of a tenement building on Manhattan’s Lower East Side. The brothers started by cutting and sewing raincoats, which were sold door to door by street peddlers. They named the business Schott Bros., laying the foundation for what would become one of America’s most enduring outerwear companies.

What follows was not a straight line. It was a long and winding road though some of the most important moments in American History.

Exterior of the original Schott Bros location at 96 East Broadway NY NY

Irving Schott (center) with early Schott employees

Within a few years, the company expanded beyond rainwear. Irving Schott began experimenting with leather and sheepskin, materials better suited to colder weather and hard use. In 1915, he gave his top-of-the-line leather jackets a name inspired by his favorite Cuban cigar: Perfecto®. From the beginning, these jackets were positioned as functional garments, built for warmth, durability, and protection. That commitment to utility would remain central to the company’s identity.

As the 1920s progressed, Schott became increasingly tied to emerging forms of American mobility. The company began producing jackets for Beck, a major Harley-Davidson distributor whose nationwide catalog reached motorcycle dealers across the country. In 1925, Schott changed outerwear design by becoming the first manufacturer to put a zipper on a jacket, a practical innovation that improved fit, weather protection, and ease of wear.

A rider in an early Perfecto® Jacket

In 1928, Irving Schott introduced what would become his most influential design: the first modern leather motorcycle jacket. Retailing for $5.50 at a Long Island Harley-Davidson dealer, and named after his favorite cut of cigar, the Perfecto® motorcycle jacket was built from heavy leather with an asymmetrical front, designed to block wind and protect the rider. It was immediately embraced by early motorcyclists, who saw it as both functional equipment and a symbol of speed, risk, and independence.

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Growth, Craft, and Commitment

By 1930, Schott had grown beyond its Lower East Side origins, opening a shop and factory in South Amboy, New Jersey. During this period, the company refined its motorcycle styles, producing jackets in horsehide, goatskin, and steerhide, often featuring details such as D-pockets, ball-and-chain zipper pulls, and plaid cotton linings. Early Perfecto® labels and packaging from this time reflect a growing confidence in the brand’s identity.

The outbreak of World War II marked a major shift in Schott’s production. As the United States entered the conflict, civilian leather jacket manufacturing was halted and the company devoted its full capacity to supplying the U.S. military. Commissioned by the Army Air Corps, Irving Schott helped design and produce leather and sheepskin flight jackets, including bomber styles worn by pilots in Europe and the Pacific. At the same time, Schott produced melton wool naval peacoats for servicemen stationed at sea.

General Patton wearing his signature Army Air Corps B-6 Bomber Jacket

These garments were working uniforms built to withstand extreme conditions. Schott jackets were worn by members of the Tuskegee Airmen and by figures such as General George S. Patton. The company would continue producing military outerwear for decades, establishing a reputation for reliability that extended well beyond fashion.

Melvin Schott (left) stationed in the Pacific

The war also shaped the Schott family directly. Irving’s son, Mel Schott, served in the Pacific and was wounded at Iwo Jima, receiving a Purple Heart. After the war, he returned home, completed his education, and joined the family business, bringing firsthand experience of what durable clothing meant in real conditions.

Rebellion Finds a Uniform

In the postwar years, American youth culture began to change rapidly. In 1953 and 1954, Schott’s Perfecto® One Star jacket appeared on screen in The Wild One, worn by Marlon Brando. The image of Brando on a motorcycle permanently altered the public perception of the black leather jacket. Rather than driving sales upward, the jacket became controversial. School systems across the country banned it, associating it with delinquency and rebellion.

James Dean in his Perfecto® Jacket

The jacket’s cultural power only grew. Following the death of James Dean in 1955, the Perfecto® became closely associated with a new kind of American rebel. Dean was rarely photographed without a leather jacket, and the garment became shorthand for independence and defiance. During this period, Schott introduced variations such as the 618 model, removing the star epaulets after theft became common in stores.

As youth movements evolved through the 1960s, Schott adapted without abandoning its core construction principles. The company introduced suede and leather fringe jackets and vests, including the highly successful Model 316, after investing in specialized fringe-cutting machinery. In 1969, Peter Fonda wore a Schott café racer jacket in Easy Rider, cementing that streamlined style as another cornerstone of the brand.

One Star Perfecto® Jacket became an icon of rebellion after The Wild One's Brando made biker jackets synonymous with outlaw culture

All four Ramones rocked vintage Perfecto® Jackets on their debut album cover, revitalizing the old brando look for a new generation of rebellion

Punk, Volume, and Permanence

The 1970s marked a new chapter, driven by music rather than film. In downtown New York City, punk rock emerged at venues like CBGB, and the Schott Perfecto® became the uniform of the scene. Bands such as the Ramones wore their jackets onstage and off, drawn to their blunt, unpolished look. In 1975, Bruce Springsteen appeared on the cover of Born to Run wearing a Schott Perfecto®, linking the jacket to a different vision of American working-class identity.

Mel Schott (left) and his father, Irving (right)

Leadership within the company also evolved. Michael Schott joined in 1973, taking on production and product development, while Mel Schott received industry recognition for design in 1978. Joan Jett’s embrace of the Perfecto® in the late 1970s and 1980s helped establish the jacket as a staple beyond menswear, influencing generations of women musicians and fans.

A Larger World

Through the 1980s and 1990s, Schott remained family-run while expanding its reach. Roz Schott joined the company and later became President, while Steve Colin and Jason Schott represented subsequent generations of leadership. As global markets opened, Schott jackets gained a devoted following in Japan and Europe, where American-made outerwear was especially prized. At the same time, Schott connected with hip-hop culture, producing bold leather styles seen throughout New York City.

Continuity Into the Present

The company entered the new millennium by reaffirming its history rather than rewriting it. In 2003, Schott celebrated the 75th anniversary of the Perfecto® by releasing a limited-edition replica of the original 1928 D-pocket jacket. Collaborations followed, including a high-profile partnership with designer Jeremy Scott in 2008, which reimagined the Perfecto® as a canvas for graphic art and pop culture while preserving its construction.

Schott also invested in physical spaces. Flagship stores opened internationally, including locations in Paris and Tokyo, while its New York presence remained central. In 2023, the New York flagship moved to a historic SoHo building, expanding its footprint while staying rooted in the city where the company began.

Throughout the 2010s and 2020s, Schott jackets continued to appear in contemporary film, television, and music, not as nostalgia but as part of an established visual language. They appeared in films like The Bikeriders and television series including Sons of Anarchy, The Bear, and True Detective. Musicians across generations, from Bruce Springsteen and Joan Jett to members of The Strokes and Arctic Monkeys, continued to wear Schott on stage and off.

The Schott NYC SOHO Storefront

Looking Ahead

Today, Schott NYC remains family owned and operated. Many garments are still made in the United States, using refined versions of long-standing patterns. Leather jackets are designed to age, wool coats to endure winters, and hardware to be repaired rather than replaced. The philosophy has remained consistent: clothing should earn its wear.

In 2028, the Perfecto® jacket will mark its 100th anniversary. One hundred years since a $5.50 motorcycle jacket reshaped American outerwear. Schott approaches that milestone not as a reinvention, but as a continuation of the work begun in a Lower East Side basement. The next chapter will be built the same way the first was. With skilled hands, durable materials, and an understanding that longevity is the measure that matters.