The History of the Motorcycle Jacket and other apparel
The initial development of the motorcycle jacket began with companies like Schott who opened in 1913, and began producing motorcycle jackets during the 1920s. In Detroit, The Joseph Buegeleisen Co. started business in 1933 providing motorcycle accessories & saddlebags, and began producing motorcycle jackets in the 1940s. Other early jacket makers/retailers include Indian Motorcycles with only one model jacket, the "Ranger" for men, and the "Rangerette" for women. The woman’s model had the pocket and zipper opposite of the man’s model. Both jackets were produced during the 1940s.

An additional factor in the design of the motorcycle jacket was the Seminal influence on fashion provided by Marlon Brando in "The Wild Ones" in which his double breasted "one star" Schott jacket became the norm. Many jacket manufacturers followed suit, and added another star to the epaulet, though not necessarily a quality improvement over Schott's original.