There are two fashion pieces I’d sell my soul for anytime: A modern, pretty black dress & a rocking black leather jacket.
At the moment I have two leather jackets in my possession, both simple biker jackets with certain details and the cut I like. But let’s not fool anyone, I am not particularly the “classic” girl so it was just a matter of time till I got bored and wanted to customize the hell outta them.
Of course, you can go and buy a designer leather jacket,
which is already customized, or have it customized at some place for you. But if you are into a little bit of DIY action and lean towards not going bankrupt after this months credit card bill, then I might have a couple of cool options for any level of creativity (so no worries if you are not exactly Andy Warhol) and budget.
Go for it and if you customize any of your jackets please tag me on Instagram or Facebook because there will always be a next jacket I need inspiration for.
Your jackets need some Rock'n Roll, Baby
Painting with leather paint
Don’t panic, though you might need a minimum of skill with a generic paint brush, you can do it as it is easier than you might think.
What you need:
– a draft on paper and a pen/paint that can be removed with water
– a leather jacket of your choice (old or new)
– Angelus leather paint (in white or any other color)
– Paint brushes suitable for your design
How to:
Of course you can go full on creative with the leather paint right away on that jacket if you are crazy enough, though I highly recommend first making up your mind about the full design and then sketching everything onto the jacket with a water removable pen or ink (for example a chalk pen or any water based paint). That way if you screw up you can just wash it away and start new. I used photoshop to make the font design and then printed it out on paper.
When you are happy with your draft it is time for the leather paint. Use brushes that are rather fine in the beginning until you figured out how the paint is behaving on your jacket. Very important: Only paint in thin layers, let it dry and then add layers to make the paint opaque (just follow the instructions on the Angulus leather paint bottle). The white paint took me about 4 layers to look like that so don’t think you ruined your jacket after the first one.
When you are happy with the opacity you just let everything dry for at least 24 hours and voila, your jacket is a custom piece and ready to be taken out to the next rock concert.
Back Patches
If you are scared of ruining your leather jacket because you were born with 2 left hands no worries, back patches might be your thing.
You can find a huge variety of back patches especially made for leather jackets online. I got the “Bitter Things” patch from a super cool small label called Hallow Collective (they ship worldwide). It is basically a piece of fabric with the design printed on and cut already into the right size for the back of your jacket. All you have to do is to fold the edges so it does not frazzle and then sew it onto the jacket (I highly recommend using a sewing machine for durability and a clean look. If you don’t own one maybe one of your friends does or you just give it to a seamstress, who can take care of it for little money).
You should check out Hallow Collective’s online store with a lot more very cool patches.
Accessories, Buttons & Pins
If you want to add some more details to your jacket or you are at war with any creative activity then accessories, pins & buttons are your best bet.
You can find them in many shops locally and online stores, of course. Mine are also from Hallow Collective, the black rose enamel pins were the first reason I fell in love with that label and got me lots of compliments so far (no surprise, they still make me happy every time I put on the jacket). You basically just pin these anywhere you want. Most favor the collar, sleeves or bottom of the jacket but you do you, boo.
And lastly, the one customization method that you can reverse without holes or be ruining anything is adding a scarf. You can simply wrap it around the sleeves or knot it somewhere to a zipper or pocket for a maximum of Rock ‘n Roll vibes, ladies & gentleman. Mine is from the recent collaboration between Zadig & Voltaire
and the amazing tattooer Virginia Elwood.
