Here's the black motorcycle vest I handmade for Toshi to be worn over his black leather jacket. Making it fit amounted to making the arm holes larger. Soon after viewing my web site and ordering this vest - Toshi, from Niigata City, Japan visited me at my home where he seen a pair of braided leather chaps that go with this. He wanted a vest with big arm holes that would fit over his black leather motorcycle jacket. Before I had a chance to start making it, he announced that he was coming to the USA and would like to stop in Bemidji to see me. Besides visiting my shop and us exchanging gifts, Toshi and I traveled to Itasca State Park, the headwaters of the Mississippi River. Accompanying us was Billy Bush, a Native American friend of mine and a long time resident of the White Earth Indian Reservation. Along the way we stopped at Bemidji Woolen Mills where owner Bill Batchelder gave us a nice tour of his store and products.
custom leather biker vest
This vest was built with top quality, full grain moccasin cowhide leather. The seams, edges, and pockets were braided with 1/4" wide lacing that was cut from the same leather that the vest parts were cut from.
Over the last 40 years, I've custom built hundreds of vests - you can see over 50 of them on my vests home page. While they are all braided, that's pretty much where their similarities end. After seeing the many features I can offer, folks contact me with their own ideas/designs and we discuss how I should build one for them. Each vest ends up truly being a unique, handmade, long lasting, one of a kind piece.
