We're often asked how long it takes to break in one of our leather jackets, so we've written the following blog to give our customers some general guidance. While it would be nice for us to give a clear and definitive answer here, the amount of time needed to break in a new leather jacket varies massively depending on factors like how often you wear the jacket, what the climate is like where you are, where you store your jacket when you're not wearing it, and most importantly, what kind of leather the jacket is made from.
What type of leather takes longest to break in?
In our leather range, Horween's Chromexcel® (particularly Horsehide) takes the most time and effort to break in because of its thickness and fibre structure. Midweight - but still substantial - leathers like Vicenza Horsehide and Badalassi Steerhide take less time to break in than Chromexcel® but still have some softening up to do during the first few weeks / months of wear. A few of our leathers, like Goatskin and Battered Steerhide, require little to no breaking in at all and feel the same new as they will in ten years' time.
How to break in your leather jacket
For the jackets that do take some breaking in, particularly Chromexcel® which takes the most effort, our advice is simple: wear it as much as possible! Don't try to fake it, age it, sand it or any other method used by any other manufacturer, because this is no ordinary jacket. You don't need to be precious with it or mollycoddle it - just wear it and love it! Wearing your leather jacket in light rain and / or weather that's a bit on the warmer side does help to speed up the breaking-in process, but above all, it's the amount of time the jacket spends moving around with your body that determines how quickly it will break in and develop its own unique patina. We've even heard of some of the more hardcore leather enthusiasts wearing their jackets to bed to break them in as quickly as possible! Here's one other tip that can help to break in a new leather jacket: leave it somewhere slightly warm (but not too warm) overnight. The leather is packed with waxes and oils in the tanning process, and like any wax, it stiffens up when cold; this initial stiffness seems to be the biggest drawback customers encounter with brand-new jackets. Warmth softens the hide, making it pliable and very comfortable to wear almost immediately - and your body's natural warmth and movement will keep it pliable during normal wear, even in the coldest of climates. Wearing your jacket for an hour or two will soon warm and soften the hide, but for immediate ease of wear, nothing beats starting a frosty morning with a pre-warmed Aero horsehide jacket!
Aero Leather Jackets (Made to Order)
