1%13 LEATHER 3

A matter that had stuck with me for a long time became a thing of the past.

The beginning has arrived.

UK 82 / Harajuku 83

Breathe in the Strange Gas with all your might.

Ted’s, Punk, and London, all with alarms that won’t stop ringing.

Driving west on the Ome Kaido with the sound of sidecars blasting

Shortly before the fall of 2019 arrived, I was in Harajuku

It’s not that I’ve been waiting for this day for years.

But it’s not just an idea.

It spoke to me two years ago, around spring, as it always does.

1%13 Leather 3

This is one of the final Japanese London types.

The 1% Leather 3 is a special kind of leather jacket that crystallizes London, punk, and rock ‘n’ roll, and is not like any other leather jacket on the market today, in 2021. In the midst of turbulent times, it still retains an unchanging message today. Emerging from Japan’s unique underground sound culture, 1%13 develops an unknown logic that cannot be explained by words alone.

This is London, punk, and rock ‘n’ roll in leather jacket form.

Leather
The development of 1%13 LEATHER began in 2009, and the first leather jacket was released the following year in 2010. The material used was natural buffalo leather, which can no longer be imported. Four years later, in 2014, the second model was released under the new theme of 1%13’s response to British-made sheep leather, using Australian sheep leather, which was chosen for its quality and strength. It is a sub-species of the best leather jacket, incorporating all kinds of ideas. After seven years, the third model, which will be released in 2021, was decided to be released in cowhide leather, which is the ultra-royal leather, after assembling various hypotheses based on a vast amount of data and ideas. The most significant feature is the choice of pure domestic leather processed in Himeji, which is the only leather that is highly regarded overseas, as a basis for raising the level of domestic industry that continues to appeal in this confusing period when the Japanese economy is stagnant due to the Corona. This cowhide leather, which is the latest next-generation leather that combines the inherent toughness of cowhide with the softness of sheep leather, is a material that is extremely well suited to the body. It is not an exaggeration to say that this latest specification, which changes to the shape of your body from the moment you put it on, is “the second skin of the modern age. The latest technology and careful chrome-tanning process will overturn the concept of leather jacket from the very beginning. This is the ultimate leather that only the chosen ones are allowed to experience.

Style
In June 1985, I saw a picture of Colin of G.B.H. wearing a leather jacket with the collar up against the backdrop of an empty urban area in the magazine “Punk on Wave” and it stuck in my mind. I have kept the strong impact I received in my boyhood, and with reference to my own stud jacket with epaulettes, I have created a new style that is extremely traditional to the extreme, incorporating all kinds of rock ‘n’ roll content into the very basic, typical “the long jacket”. This is the ultimate original style, traditional to the extreme and subgenre to the extreme. The specification and shape of each part has its own trend in each period, but this time, 1%13 focuses on the regular type of leather jacket from the “early to mid 80’s” which has never been paid attention to before. The new type of leather jacket is neither vintage nor rare, but a new type of jacket that is neither vintage nor rare, but a perfect example of tradition and standard, and a new type of jacket that is neither vintage nor rare.

Eri
The upper collar is a compact type that can be turned up or down. It is an excellent item that can be worn by anyone without being exaggerated. The lower collar is a golden size calculated backwards from the size of the upper collar and shoulder circumference. The weak point of the smoothness of the leather in the collar is solidly raised by placing a special adhesive core on top of it. The lower collar, where rivets and badges are attached, is treated in the same way to increase its standard strength.

Sleeves
The shape of the sleeves tapers gently toward the wrist, making them neither too thick nor too thin. This is a London style that functionally shuts out cold air from entering from the outside, while adding a FETISH feel to the look. The lining inside the sleeves is lined with the slipperiest cupro fabric, with an emphasis on ease of removal, and the color is kept tight and daringly black. The amount of padding was completely adjusted after three sample fabrications, while carefully considering mobility and warmth retention.

Cuffs
Gusseted cuffs are a sign of wild rock ‘n’ roll. However, just pulling them out is not enough. To prevent the metal parts from coming into direct contact with the skin, sharply sized guard leathers are placed for comfort. The length of the zipper also incorporates the spirit of TEDDY BOY by sampling from leather jackets of the 50s. This slightly longer zipper is a revolutionary shape that, when left open, allows for easy on/off even with large triple pyramid wristbands and wrist jingles.

External Pockets
The vertical and horizontal zippers are the symbol of the classic London type. The leather slit that conceals the metal part is linked to the taste of the sleeves with a rounded edge that evokes FETISH. The zipper pulls are flat zips on both G.B.H.’s Colin and my leather jacket, but I replaced them with the basic Lonjan ball chain to bring it back to the basics. Of course, the change of flat zipper is welcome. The fabric selection for the inside of the pockets is a cupro fabric, which was chosen in conjunction with the fabric inside the sleeves, with the highest priority given to durability and slipping during use. The color is a vintage champagne gold, which is reminiscent of the ultra-classic leather jacket with a touch of elegance every time it is used. Like LaRocca’s leather jackets, the leather jackets that are obsessed with invisible places represent not only ruggedness but also rock ‘n’ roll sex appeal. The lower front pockets are of the 1986 type, with a slightly higher position. This was inspired by his own white-collared leather jacket. The deep-bottomed pockets, while style-conscious, are made to hold as much as possible, and the pocket pouch is lowered to the very edge to improve hand warmth and storage capacity. We also tested a prototype of a high-point style upper pocket that could accommodate a hand, but the position of the pocket placed an unnecessary burden on the wearer’s actual mobility and warmth, so we decided to keep the pocket as a standard pocket. Of course, we also included high storage as an additional plan for functionality, and the wide and deep specification makes a difference to the vintage version.

Buckles & Straps
The royal road. The middle position side buckle is a classic butterfly buckle that has been used on every 1% leather release. The strap length is a regular size single-use straight type. Although it was tempting to abandon the old-school roll-over style, we dared to follow the total concept of the mid 80’s standard style since it was used last time, and landed on a regular tight and compact style that is faithful to the basic theme of this time.

Epaulettes
The presence of epaulettes makes a big difference in terms of style. It is a very important part that combines toughness and practicality with an essential element for rock ‘n’ roll, which is useful for securing chains and gloves. There were several candidates for the shape of the epaulette end, but the modern curve modern style was adopted by 1% leather1. This links the shape with the chinstrap end and carries on the gene of 1% leather while measuring the overall design balance.

Back Panel
We took the London type back panel as a reference for several designs, but came to the conclusion that a three-panel wide center panel would be most suitable for compatibility with the epaulettes. This arrangement has been verified with his own tack jacket, 1% leather1, and is also suitable for studs and paint.

Inside pocket
Right/Inside pocket is a deep vertical pocket with a fixed button to hold the chinstrap. It is set a little low to accommodate the chinstrap and to allow for easy access to objects, making it both standard and functional. The left/side pocket is a modern horizontal slit pocket for convenience and functionality. It is a convenient pocket that is extremely useful for everyday use. The mobility has been tested and placed low, simple yet functional.

Chin strap
By guarding the neck, warmth retention performance is dramatically increased. In the history of clothing, this has been proven with the trench coat, and the chinstrap used in the 1% leather 2 was an original 1%13 style inspired by armor and the Mad Max 1. This time, we took it one step further and designed it three-dimensionally based on the condition when worn, improving its practicality. The gap between the neck warmer and the jacket has been calculated so that the neck warmer can be inserted to completely shut out the cold air in extremely cold weather. Corduroy fabric is used for the lining to increase warmth, and the vintage style is expressed.

Lining
We initially applied British moss green, which is close to 1% leather1, to the first sample with an eye on super vintage, but unfortunately, it did not generate a shock that exceeded 1% leather1. Unfortunately, it did not have the same impact as 1% Leather1. It was during this time that I casually went to the 2nd floor office of PUNK TRIBE and noticed the BELSTAFF lining that the DOOM stick was wearing. “I immediately went to BLACKBOOTS and asked them to collect a large number of samples of checked fabrics from various sources, and later we started to check all the fabric samples we could get our hands on and match them to the leather jacket. There were quite a few. I was really tired. I was sick of it. When the number of samples became so large that it became incomprehensible, we had to stop the work and start all over again on a new day. I have a picture on my instagram after the work, but my eyes are completely dead. I had to face such a large amount of tartan checks, and I had to do it many times by matching the fabric front to back (this is a very tedious work, and it was even more painful on my eyes). However, I couldn’t find the exact pattern I was hoping for (I was actually hoping for it, even though I understood that since Belstaff is a major company, they produce their own tartan fabric, so nothing is exactly the same), and the closer pattern was something different (of course it was). After a long and hard search, the last request was to go to Tokyo, but the chances of finding it were extremely low since we had searched for quite a few. We decided to change our mindset, and if the worst came to the worst, we might even try to steer them toward a vintage red classic, and headed for Tokyo. We headed to Tokyo, where we found the proud Japanese leather label blackmeans, which was cooperating fully in the production. Mr. Komatsu, the owner of blackmeans, searched high and low for a fabric sample, and miraculously found a dark green tartan check that was close to the image he had in mind. However, considering the texture of the fabric, it was a cotton with a different feel from that of BELSTAFF, so he further squeezed out an idea and pushed it to the next stage by quilting the main body fabric. The inner cotton used for quilting focuses on heat retention, and a new material “SOLOTEX” is used for the first time as 1%13. Those interested should check it out. 100% cotton. The lower kidney pad area is made of a classic fine-ribbed corduroy fabric to synchronize with the chinstrap.

Thanks to blackmeans Komatsu-kun for his full cooperation during the long, long road of several decades of planning, CUSHMAN Shiraki-san for his help in collecting a large number of fabric samples, and BLACKBOOTS Iwamae for his calm judgment while accepting the impossible task with all his might. This leather jacket, completed with the pure enthusiasm of all involved, is carefully assembled one by one with a series of advanced ideas that can never be imitated in mass-produced leather jackets, and with uncompromising attention to detail. The ultimate leather jacket, born from the underground culture, promises that only those who have it can experience all the details and have the best moment of their life.

1%13 has always taken refuge in and resonated with London, punk, and rock ‘n’ roll without hesitation, and is rolling full steam ahead to the next generation. Whatever the changes of the times, we declare once again that our unchanging attitude is absolute.