SCHOTT NYC x THE BIKERIDERS

RECREATING THE VANDALS JACKET

The Bikeriders captures a rebellious time in America when the culture and people were changing. After a chance encounter at a local bar, strong-willed Kathy (Jodie Comer) is inextricably drawn to Benny (Austin Butler), the newest member of Midwestern motorcycle club, the Vandals led by the enigmatic Johnny (Tom Hardy)

Much like the country around it, the club begins to evolve, transforming from a gathering place for local outsiders into a dangerous underworld of violence, forcing Benny to choose between Kathy and his loyalty to the club.

”Our jackets were there in 1953 when "The Wild One" came out, we were there in the 1960's when "The Bikeriders" the book came out and so it makes perfect sense that we should be there for the making of this movie. ”
-Jason Schott

”From the moment I started researching for the film, Schott was front and center. The history was all there. It's exciting when an American brand that has been around since the teens is still in existence and even more exciting when the quality is still there. Motorcycle enthusiasts know their history - they know the brands that were legitimate and they know when you've done it right. It was important to me to do right by them! Schott helped me do that.”

- Erin Benach

BRINGING IT INTO FOCUS

"The movie is a love letter to grease monkeys, gearheads and free spirits who appreciate a little dirt under their fingernails" says Jason, fourth-generation member of the Schott leather jacket dynasty.

He remarks how honored we are to have worked with costume designer Erin Benach dressing many of the characters in the film in our PER70, a heavyweight cowhide motorcycle jacket, and 626VN, our hand-vintaged Perfecto^® jacket.

She meticulously crafted the well-worn, and individually customized club jackets down to the handmade patches. "The degree to which Erin captured the essence of the motorcycle culture in the 1960's is remarkable. She should be commended for her attention to detail. Relining vintage jackets is a detail most won't pick up on but is the right thing to do for the period."

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LIMITED EDITION LEGEND

We jumped at the chance to work with Erin to create an exclusive limited edition jacket inspired by club leader Johnny's D-pocket motorcycle jacket.

"First step for me is always research!", Erin Benach exclaims. "I wanted to know every detail of leather jackets from the 60s and back even earlier. I pay attention to details like the kinds of leather, zipper and lining used back then. A great source for me was this book Rin Tanaka: Motorcycle Jackets: A century of Leather Design".

This led to a creative solution to a tricky problem. Just how she was going to differentiate Johnny's style from the other members of The Vandals in a way that was true to characters? "I liked separating him from the rest of the guys by using '50s silhouettes and older style jackets. Using this particular D-pocket style jacket helped distinguish him from the rest of the bikers."

"This was a brilliant move by Erin. While the movie takes place in the 1960s, Johnny's jacket is already a decade or so old by that point in time", Jason points out. "It's a subtle way to show he's already been on the road longer than almost anyone else in the club."

Choosing such a vintage jacket style comes with its own set of hurdles though...

"When we decided to recreate Johnny's original jacket we had very limited time and we only had images of the front of the jacket from fittings so we had to make an educated guess on the back based on an initial conversation with Erin and a deep dive into the history of D-pocket jackets from our archives" Jason remarks. "When we finally received the jacket that Johnny wore in the film from the wardrobe department and saw it in the film we were very pleased to see that we nailed it!"

"I chose the leather for the collaboration jacket based on how I knew it would break down," Erin shares, indicating the pebbled cowhide used, "for me the lived-in quality and the way it molds to the wearer's body is the best part of style. I wanted each person to have a chance to break theirs in and make it their own.

In reference to the cowhide, Erin continues, "I knew that this particular kind of cowhide breaks down well without it taking too much time- for mine it was 5 or 6 wears and it started to feel like a second skin."

Jason reflects on the specific details that come with recreating a seven-decades old style from scratch. "Following the vintage pattern and sourcing 1950s style Conmar chain pull zippers, we interpreted the jacket in a heavyweight pebbled cowhide that is soft to the hand but sure to stand up to whatever you put it through." Tracing the origin of these details back through Schott's century-long history, he continues, "the jacket has a period-authentic back length of 24 inches, to avoid bunching and tugging while riding. We added an iridescent burgundy rainglow lining, which is a nod to the red linings of the time." He points out the D-Pocket, an invention of his great-grandfather, Irving Schott, is featured in our first Perfecto motorcycle jacket designed in 1928.

"The bottom of the jacket is quite different from anything else we've ever produced. The first thing that stuck out to us, besides the striking D-pocket, was the stitched-on bottom band with belt loops." Motorcycle jackets were made to be used, and that often comes with modifications by the user that pop up on vintage pieces from time to time, from personal touches like additional patches or studs, to tweaks on utility like this belt alteration.

”We've never made anything like this. But the most unique elements of this jacket are on the back, the distinctive ”V.” on the top back yoke, the hidden belt channel is very unique, it's something we've never done before!”

-Jason Schott

Explore the first run of 100 pieces now

On the road again

To shoot our limited edition Vandals jacket, we traveled 3 hours with photographer, Sean Madden, to upstate New York to visit our friend Hunter Davidsohn in Binghamton. Hunter has been building custom Harley Davidsons similar to those featured in the film for 17 years out of his own garage. We took a few of his favorites out for a spring ride in The Vandals jacket with our friend Tim Warner.

”I like sleepers. It's like a stock looking bike or car that isn't flashy and you wouldn't expect to perform a certain way, so one might underestimate it. Everything looks historically correct but the inside of the motor has a lot of tricks done to it.”

-Hunter Davidsohn

With the original Danny Lyons book in hand, we paid homage to the original story by recreating some of the most iconic and moving imagery from the book. One of our favorite elements of The Bikeriders film was how they brought Lyons' images to life.

Hunter built the red 1937 Harley Davidson UH in his living room during the pandemic. He explains, "This is what I would call a primitive chopper, a 50s or early 60s version of what a chopper as we know it might have evolved from." He used a 80ci prewar first year Big Twin Flathead motor in a 1936 Knucklehead frame. To further modify the original, he added an extended VL front end with a 19" VL front wheel and 18" rear, Flanders bars, and cut-down stock-narrow brace rear fender.

"The black 1950 FL Panhead I built in my basement and assembled the motor in my bedroom. The goal was to make a stock bike that breathed fire and could compete with modern bikes off the line", Hunter explains. He used a 93 ci stock looking motor in a 1957 frame with 1949 front end, and a 49 rear fender on 18" wheels.

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$1250

$1250

568

VANDALS JACKET

$1250
from $1075

from $1075

626VN

VINTAGED FITTED COWHIDE LEATHER MOTORCYCLE JACKET

from $1075
$1260

$1260

PER70

MEN'S VINTAGED FITTED MOTORCYCLE JACKET

$1260
$95

$95

BLTV

HORWEEN STEERHIDE BELT

$95

Shop The Vandals Jacket exclusively available online and at our NYC, LA and SF stores

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