Lewis Leathers is a brand name of the oldest British motorcycle clothing company. D. Lewis Ltd,L for Lewis, L for Leathers, Steve Myatt, Classic Bike Guide magazine, July 2005. p. 14 to 19 manufacturer of leather jacketsArena, Issues 17-18, Emap Metro, 2002 which was established in the late 19th century.
The company supplied early aviators, motorists and motorcyclists with protective clothing against the cold and damp British climate. In the mid-1950s, D. Lewis produced the Bronx leather jacket, one of the first products aimed directly at the post-war teenage fashion market, which was widely adopted by the Ton-up Boys and Rockers of the 1960s, becoming associated with the 59 Club and sponsoring leading motorcycle and TT racers of the day.
History
D. Lewis
Originally a family business called D. Lewis, started in 1892 as a gentlemen's outfitter or "wardrobe company", At that time, the company produced gents suiting and raincoats in the east end of London. D. Lewis became a Limited company in 1929 under the stewardship of brothers Nathan Jones, David and Lewis Isaacs on Great Portland Street in London's West End, they also had Birmingham, Sheffield and Liverpool which traded under the name of N Jones. It was during the 1910s that the company started making and retailing specialist clothing for what was then considered the "gentlemen's" sports of aviation and motoring producing their wares in Watford.
At the time, Great Portland Street was known as "Motor Row", the primary location for purchasing automobiles and related accessories in the early years of the 20th century.Michael Worthington-Williams, "Warren Street and the London motor trade", in Aspects of Motoring History, Edition 6, Society of Automotive Historians in Britain, October 2010. It had no less than 33 showrooms located along it, including companies such as: Benz Motor, Jaguar, Austin, Morgan Motor and the Indian Motorcycle Company.,Allan Ford & Nick Corble, You Can't Wear Out an Indian Scout, Chalford, Amberley Publishing, 2009, p. 11 accessed on 2011-07-09 and accessed on 2011-07-09 as well as being the center of the clothing trade.
Aviakit
Initially used as a telegram address ("Aviakit Wesdo") in 1929, in 1930 the company introduced Aviakit (short for "aviation kit")Biker: Truth And Myth: How The Original Cowboy Of The Road Became The Easy Rider Of The Silver Screen by Bill Osgerby, The Lyons Press, 2005 as the brand name for its aviation clothing, which it had already been selling from the first quarter of the century and acting as contractors to numerous governments around the world including the Netherlands, India, Belgium, South Africa and Greece. It went on to produce clothing for the Royal Air Force (RAF) during World War II including made to measure outfits for officers. The product line was also to include boots, goggles, and crash helmets identical to those made by Everoak.
Its garments were worn by Spitfire test pilot Sir Alex Henshaw and RAF fighter pilots during World War II. The name still appears in Lewis Leathers jackets, boots, gloves and other products to this day.
Post-World War II
Following the end of hostilities, although handicapped by petrol rationing, D. Lewis started selling ex-RAF clothing to de-mobbed motorcyclists and then, in the early 1950s as rationing ended, started to develop more casual items into their ranges, expanding into shops in Sheffield, Birmingham and St Albans. By 1953, its advertising claims were that the company was already the largest motorcycle clothing and accessory company in the UK and abroad.Cycle World Magazine, Jan 1975 "World's largest mail order motorcycle catalogue", p.103.
The company's products came to represent the high end of the market, out of reach of many individuals, also serving the circuit racing fraternity offering repair and replacement right hand boots which commonly wore out on England's clockwise racing circuits.Scratching – Racing Earning your degree at the University of Brands Hatch, Cycle World magazine, 24 November 2010 by Steven L. Thompson
Lewis Leathers It was not until 1960 that the company registered the name by which it soon became most commonly known, 'Lewis Leathers'. This brand name was introduced on a new range of leather jackets aimed at the youth market and, in 1962, it aligned itself with the burgeoning 59 Club in London, Hackney Wick. As the Mods and Rockers clashed at English seaside resorts, Lewis Leather clothing was to be seen on both sides of the conflict.
In 1982, the company was sold to the Newbold Brothers; it was then sold to Richard Lyon in November 1986. In 1991 its classic designs were to be researched and re-created by Derek Harris. After trading from the same location for 101 years, the Great Portland Street shop closed in 1993. That same year saw the launch of a small 'Retro Range' of Lewis Leathers jackets with lining, labels and hardware all as found on the jackets seen during the 60s and 70s. The release of this range and its subsequent marketing in Japan, USA and the UK coincided with vintage Lewis Leathers jackets becoming increasingly sought after in JapanLeathers that's cool for ever, The Mutton, The Times 3 February 2010Lewis Leathers × Hysteric Glamour, Mikako Sakai, Rolling Stone Japan, 2 January 2012 where they are promoted for their authentic connections to the rockers of the 60s,Pride and Glory: The Art of the Rockers' Jacket, Horst A. Friedrichs, Lars Harmsen, DAAB Media Gmbh, 2012. / Interview with Professor Colin Fallows leading British Punks,Punk Rock: So What?: The Cultural Legacy of Punk by Roger Sabin, Routledge, 1 Jun 2002 p.146The Roxy London Wc2: A Punk History by Paul Marko, Punk, 2007 . p.111 Rock musicians and fashion icons, and are often highly customised.
Harris and Lyon continued to expand the range of authentic retro-styled jackets,Lewis Leathers by Marcus Ross, Jocks & Nerds magazine, July 2011 their efforts leading to collaborations with leading fashion designers such as Comme des Garçons in 2002.Japanese Fashion Designers: The Work and Influence of Issey Miyake, Yohji Yamamoto and Rei Kawakubo by Bonnie English, Berg, 25 October 2011, . p. 80 In 2003 Lyon announced his retirement leading to Harris, whom, after 12 years researching and working on its designs, took over the company and established an office in Japan opened by 59 Club Japan leader, Koji Baba. The London branch was re-opened close to the original premises in Whitfield Street, part of London's Fitzrovia.Time Out Magazine: Lewis Leathers, 3-5 Whitfield Street, Fitzrovia, London, W1T 2SA.
D. Lewis Ltd and Lewis Leathers garments were always produced in England, initially in WatfordFlight magazine, 1958 or St Albans, and from 1958 to 1982, in Copperfield Rd, East London. In the 1970s, a small factory in Sheffield was also used. In 1982 all production was moved to Northampton, returning to London in 1993 where it remains until the present date.
From the late 1950s, Lewis Leathers advertised to motorcyclists and also in popular musical publications such as the NME and Melody Maker. Lewis Leathers were also official suppliers to police motorcyclists in the UK.
Bronx jacket
While still advertising itself to the flying market, in May 1956 D. Lewis launched its most iconic jacket, the Bronx Jacket, an update of a 1930s flying jacket. Aimed at the teenage market, following the effect of the banning of Marlon Brando's movie The Wild One, the Bronx was to become the British equivalent of the Schott Perfecto.The Fashion Reader: Second Edition, Linda Welters, Abby Lillethun & Linda Welters, Berg, 2011, , "In Britain, a similar jacket was made by Lewis Leathers ... the genuine article as made by the Schott Brothers" p. 454 Coinciding with the huge increase in popularity of motorcycling and the Mods and Rockers era, the company continued to expand its range of black leather jackets which also started to appeal to fashion conscious rebels.
The Lewis Leather jackets differed from their American counterparts such as the Perfecto motorcycle jacket in that during the mid-1950s in the United Kingdom, many young riders were influenced by the riding style of their racing heroes, which was crouched right over the tank, arms forward holding onto clip-on handle bars. In order to wear an American style jacket, various modifications needed to be made such as expansion pleats down each side of the back and the buckle had to be covered in leather, as the brass buckles found on most American styles would have scratched the tank.Derek Harris, Interview with Professor Colin Fallows, Prof of Sound & Visual Arts, Liverpool John Moores University, 2012.
It became the jacket of choice for the rocker generation and is still in production more than 40 years later.Black Leather Supermodel, Dave Edmonds, Alternative London magazine, March 2005
A further development of the original Bronx jacket was the Super Bronx Twin Track version with an additional zip-track fitted allowing it to expand, enabling the rider to wear bulkier warm clothing in winter.
First appearing at the September 1965 Brighton motorcycle show,Motor Cycle 23 September 1965 Brighton Show Round-up, p.432 "The Super Bronx jacket is provided with two-track zips. What's that? The right side of the jacket has two lines of zips parallel to each other about two inches apart. In warm weather, one uses the zip on the far side; come chilly autumn days, a sweater goes underneath, the second zip track is brought into use— and, hey presto, the jacket expands to fit snugly, without any bursting at the seams. A further feature of the Super Bronx is seven pockets;" Accessed 2013-08-30 it was designated 440TT, with the advertising legend proclaiming "unobtainable elsewhere", and together with the standard Bronx designated 384, the two variants continued in the range from 1966.Motor Cycle 27 October 1966 p.1. 'Lewis Leathers full page advert' "Super Bronx Jacket No. 440TT (Pat. applied for) £13.19.6" and "Bronx Jacket No. 384 £11.11.0" Accessed 2013-08-30
Other models and products
Other jacket designs included the Dominator, famously worn by Sid Vicious; the Lightning, worn by Steve Jones and Iggy Pop; the Cyclone, worn by Chrissie Hynde of The Pretenders;Junya Watanabe & Lewis Leathers, La Colette magazine No 2, Summer 2003 p.29 the Corsair; and a cheap plastic replica called the 'Bomber'. Other products included helmets, wax cotton waterproof clothing, boots, T-shirts, gloves, goggles and other motorcycle related items such as scarves and face-masks.
Lewis Leathers in popular culture The influence of the D. Lewis brands Aviakit and Lewis Leathers spread beyond the UK to Europe and Japan and to wherever there were British motorcycle scenes.Motorcycle Jackets: Ultimate Biker's Fashions A Schiffer Book for Collectors Series by Rin Tanaka, Schiffer Publishing Limited, 2003, It advertised widely in the US, selling via mail order, becoming popular amongst leading motorcycle journalists,Leanings 2: Great Stories by America's Favorite Motorcycle Writer, Peter Egan, MBI Publishing Company, Cycle World Magazine - Jan 1979 - Page 88Cycle World Magazine - Jan-Feb 1977 - Page 90Cycle World Magazine - Jan 1976 - Page 94Cycle World Magazine - Jan 1980 - Page 82Cycle World Magazine - Jan 1975 - Page 124 and others and achieved a legendary status for its connection to the 'folk devil' Ton Up Boys and the 59 Club.Lewis Leathers. Dice Magazine, Saturday, 29 December 2012. which it attended fortnightly during its heyday and sponsored.Cowboy's Fifty Nine Club Story: A History of the First Thirty Years, Michael F. Cook, Archallagan, 2007,