Want to buy or sell something? Check the classifieds
  • The Fedora Lounge is supported in part by commission earning affiliate links sitewide. Please support us by using them. You may learn more here.

How long does it take for a Leather Jacket to show patina?

user290389023

New in Town
Messages
48
I just bought my leather jacket, and i wear it every day. How many years does it take fore a jacket to start showing a bit of patina?
 

navetsea

I'll Lock Up
Messages
6,883
Location
East Java
Its full grain, black leather,
a very long time, think decade long when it is just dyed black through the suede and finished by black top coat which what usually the case when jacket is advertised as fullgrain black leather.

shorter if you ride motorcycle daily in the sun and rain.
 

Carlos840

I'll Lock Up
Messages
4,944
Location
London
Its full grain, black leather,

That doesn't really mean much, there are hundreds of different black full grain leathers with different characteristics and a lot of them will age differently...
Some black leather will take years to show any kind of wear (think Vanson comp weight), some will show wear in a couple weeks (CXL is a good example), some will probably never show any patina (Lost World Leather)

It also depends what you actually mean by patina. Some people call leather grain and creases patina, i disagree.
To me patina is a combination of top coat rubbing off, and dirt rubbing on. Not all leather will get a patina...
 

navetsea

I'll Lock Up
Messages
6,883
Location
East Java
yeah but when something is advertised as fullgrain black without mentioning aniline dyed, or naked, or brown overdyed, probably it is just black through and through and coated with weather resistant topcoat, that will one day fade to grey.
 
Messages
17,517
Location
Chicago
It also depends what you actually mean by patina. Some people call leather grain and creases patina, i disagree.
To me patina is a combination of top coat rubbing off, and dirt rubbing on. Not all leather will get a patina...
Very true...the term patina has somehow been equated to grain and crease when it actually has nothing to do with either. Patina in my opinion has more to do with color loss vs retention.
 
Messages
10,649
Indeed. And on that basis, I prefer my black leathers never to show any patina.

I agree, though I do like wear in the typical high-use areas of the jacket.

Pretty much the only jackets I believe still look exceptional with overdone patina are vintage Cals.
 
Messages
15,563
Location
East Central Indiana
img_1281.jpg img_1280.jpg
 

Seb Lucas

I'll Lock Up
Messages
7,562
Location
Australia

Edward

Bartender
Messages
25,084
Location
London, UK

That ooks cool to my eye in thed abstract, but I'm not sure I'd ever get out the door, what with deciding whether to wear brown or black boots. And then probably losing hours online looking forboots that would exactly match.... :D

Nice - the thing about patina like that is it lets people know your jacket has been a firm friend for many years. The stories and adventures it hints at are not to be trifled with. This is not the jacket worn by an accountant on 8 weekends a year.

Of course you can always get a pre-worn jacket and pretend... :D

If it's done well enough - like the Eastman 50 cal stuff, forinstance, nobody would know the difference. Mind you, if all that matters to thed wearer is how it is perceived by other people, is there truly any difference between those scenarios?
 

user290389023

New in Town
Messages
48
I noticed a scratch on my leather jacket, probably just removed some kind of coating, considering its very tough, and it turned sort of grey with a tint of blue... Is that what my jacket will look like when it starts to wear?
 

Forum statistics

Threads
109,407
Messages
3,080,250
Members
54,311
Latest member
stfxpari
Top