If you’ve ever looked at a style guide that involves some kind of outerwear, you’ve most likely seen the two significant facets of jacket fashion; denim and leather. There is a lot of debate regarding this rivalry. Both sides claim that they are better than the other. However, in reality, the fundamental question of being superior to others is entirely wrong. They both have a place in your wardrobe, and we’re here to discuss what makes each of them so appealing.
What To Expect In This Article?
What is a leather jacket?
As the name implies, the leather jacket is a piece of outerwear made from leather. The leather used in its construction can be both real and faux, which is usually a direct indication of the jacket’s quality. Leather might seem like a limiting material due to its toughness and difficulty to operate with, but that’s not true at all. The market is filled with countless types of leather jackets like the biker jacket, bomber jacket, and shearling jacket.
What is a denim jacket?
The denim jacket is a waist-high jacket, also known as the jean jacket, made from denim. There are many types and designs of these jackets, especially in the lining department. Fur and wool lining makes these jackets a winter king, while the thin fabric linings allow you to rock them in warmer seasons. Denim jackets are not lacking in the color department either. You can find a denim jacket in almost all colors, and blue is the most popular all of them.
Denim Vs. Leather
As mentioned earlier, the question of one being better than the other does not have a clear-cut answer. There is no apparent superiority between denim and leather. What we can do, however, is put the denim jackets and the leather jackets in various scenarios and see how they hold up against each other.
Seasonality:
Seasonality plays a significant role in our wardrobe expanding decisions. After all, no one wants to get stuck with a garment that they can only wear for two weeks in a year.
Denim:
Denim on its own is not an insulating material. The lightweight and breathable nature make it the perfect upper for summer and springtime. Wintertime, on the other hand, is an entirely different story. Luckily, denim can be easily linked with warmer materials, and variants like the Sherpa jacket are reasonably decent for winter parts of the year.
Leather:
Leather, due to its very nature, is a very insulating material. Even the lighter variants of leather, like suede leather, are warm in comparison to denim. This insulation can be taken even further with things like fur lining, making leather jackets exceptional for winter use, especially in areas where winter takes the temperature below freezing.
Versatility:
This ties in exceptionally well with the previous point, as you want your jacket to be viable in as many scenarios as possible.
Denim:
Denim jackets are great for parties and casual hangouts. You can even wear them on a day-to-day basis, with all sorts of outfits, and still, look dashing. The area where denim jackets fall short is formal and business situations. While you can wear them to the office occasionally, they are not the best option for that environment and will most likely look out of place.
Leather:
Leather jackets are the true leaders when it comes to versatility. You can wear a leather jacket to your office, to a party, on a Saturday morning walk, to grocery shopping, at a hangout with friends, and many more situations. Outside temperature does play a significant role in its useability, but you’ll find a leather jacket very useful and most scenarios.
Style:
Modern-day clothing is not just about covering our bodies. It is a way for us to express ourselves through our sense of fashion, and when it comes to style, both denim and leather are masters of their territory.
Denim:
Denim jackets have, without a doubt, the highest coolness factor in the outwear fashion industry. Denim, in general, is one of the most popular fabrics on earth. Its fresh vibe and lush nature translate exceptionally well into jacket form. You can wear a denim jacket casually, with your regular everyday clothes; or, you can craft some remarkable outfits with it.
Leather:
Mentioning the popularity of leather jackets in modern-day fashion is completely redundant. We see them everywhere on the streets, in all sorts of configurations and outfits. Making a leather jacket look good is a straightforward process. As long as you’re not pairing it with something that clashes with it heavily, just putting on a leather jacket will raise your style points up to eleven. Another major plus for leather jacket fashion is its different designs. You can go old school with a distressed bomber or contemporary with a stylish biker.
Protection:
While protection is not a major concern for us when choosing a garment, it is still a critical aspect of all pieces of clothing.
Denim:
Denim is a fabric and has all the drawbacks of being a fabric. It is better than nothing but doesn’t provide much in terms of weather protection. Rain and wet weather are especially troublesome, as denim soaks up water reasonably quickly.
Leather:
Leather not only provides excellent warmth and comfort; it is also fully water-resistant for the most part. A leather jacket can easily protect you against light showers and even high winds, making it the best outerwear for weather protection.
Durability:
We want our jackets to last long, especially since most of them are on the expensive side of things. Let’s see how denim and leather jackets fair in this department.
Denim:
At the end of the day, denim is a fabric and is weaker than leather. The lifespan of denim, however, depends heavily on your usage frequency and how you took care of it. Nevertheless, being more vulnerable than leather does not imply that denim is fragile. Itis is more durable than most fabrics, and a high-quality denim jacket will last you a minimum of five years.
Leather:
Leather is extremely tough. Especially the full-grain leather jackets are a beast when it comes to durability. Without proper care, a well-made leather jacket will last you for about a decade. If you put in the extra effort to maintain the leather properly, it can easily last for well over a decade.
Maintenance:
Taking proper care of jackets can increase their life span significantly. So, let’s see how easy it is to maintain denim and leather jackets.
Denim:
Denim is rather easy to maintain. All it needs a proper wash, and you’re good to go. Things like a damp closet don’t have any adverse effects on denim, so storing it is not a hassle either.
Leather:
Leather demands a lot higher maintenance than denim. First of all, to get it clean, you have to send it to a professional dry-cleaning service. You can’t just throw it in the washer. Secondly, leather is sensitive to damp environments, so you would have to store it in a cold yet dry place. Otherwise, it will start to mold and fall apart.
Pricing:
Pricing is single-handedly the most significant factor when it comes to purchasing decisions.
Denim:
Pricing of any kind of jacket can vary immensely from dirt cheap to luxuriously expensive, and it all depends on the quality of the jacket. A high-quality denim jacket is, by no means, cheap. But it isn’t as expensive as the leather ones. So, if you’re tight on budget, then denim might be the choice for you.
Leather:
Leather jackets have the same price variance as denim, and you can find some cheap leather jackets on the market. Good quality leather jackets are usually on the expensive side of things, more than denim jackets. Real leather is not farmable on mass, which in turn means that raw leather is a lot more costly than raw denim. But, if you are willing to pay the extra premium, the toughness of leather guarantees a better value.
Customizability:
There is a lot of pre-made leather and denim jackets available on the market. But, for folks who want something bespoke, how customizable are denim and leather?
Denim:
Denim, compared to leather, is an effortless thing to mold. A designer can transform a raw sheet of denim into any design you desire. This allows you to get completely custom denim jackets, each thread of which is laid according to your requirements.
Leather:
Leather, while less customizable than denim, offers an impressive amount of malleability. The customizability of leather jackets lies in their numerous design varieties and lining options. The option to choose the type of leather is an additional plus.
Conclusion:
As cliché as it may sound, there is no winner in this war between denim and leather. Each of these materials has its specific place in your wardrobe. Denim works in some scenarios, and leather prevails in others. But, at the end of the day, both leather and denim jackets are some of the best and most fashionable clothing items that you can buy.
