Leather is one of those materials that is very hard to work with. It’s stiff but sensitive, and you have to take good care of it.
On the other hand, it’s not that easy to find a leather jacket that fits perfectly.
If it fits on the shoulders, it’s usually too wide around the chest and body, and vice versa. So, can leather jackets be tailored to fit perfectly?
As a general rule, it is easier to tailor a leather jacket to fit tighter. Most alterations occur near the seams of either the sleeves, shoulders, chest, and armpits of the leather jacket. However, tailors find it difficult to alter thick leather jackets and areas with multiple pockets and zippers.
You should also be aware that not every tailor can do it for you, especially if you want it done professionally and unseemingly. The price is also a bit higher than it is for fabric tailoring. I’ll answer some of the most frequently asked questions, and you can decide whether it’s worth the trouble for you or not.
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Who Can Tailor My Leather Jacket?
It’s not easy to tailor leather because it’s a lot thicker and more rigid material. Therefore not every tailor will be able to do it for you. It’s safest for you to go to a leather artisan. It’s a tailor that specializes in working with leather.
If there’s no one doing that in your area, try to find a good tailor and ask them if they can do it for you.
The tailor needs a special needle that can go through real leather without ripping it. Regular needles might do the job, too, depending on how thick the leather on your jacket is, but be aware that there’s a significant risk of damage to your jacket.
The best alterations that I have seen come from a leather artisan that alters the leather jacket by hand stitching.
When hand-stitching, the leather artisan uses a special needle called a saddlers harness needle.
I always suggest that you check to make sure that your tailor is using a harness needle.
You can get all of the details at The Best Needles For Handstitching Leather. Please read it.
I have come across several horror stories where leather jackets were ruined because the wrong type of needle was used to make the alteration.
If you want to avoid being disappointed with the results, specify precisely what you want to do with the jacket. Never do anything over the phone. Instead, go to the tailor/leather craftsman in person with the jacket to ask any questions you might have.
Every jacket model is different, and they can’t know if any zippers, pockets, buttons, or something else will come in the way of doing what you wish unless they see the jacket themselves.
Finally, if you bought a cheap leather jacket, it might not be worth tailoring, as the price of tailoring leather can rise pretty quickly, depending on what you want to do. I’ll get into the pricing a bit more later.
What Parts of a Leather Jacket Can Be Tailored?
An experienced leather tailor can alter your jacket anywhere where there’s a seam. Of course, changing the size entirely from XL to S would mean that the entire jacket has to be taken apart, cut, and reassembled, and that would cost you more than buying a new jacket. So, it would be best if you stuck to more minor alterations, such as shoulder width, etc.
The most common issue with leather jackets is the shoulder/waist ratio. If the shoulders fit, the waist tends to be too loose, and if the waist fits, the shoulders might be too narrow.
An experienced tailor can alter both. You can also tailor the sleeves if they are too short and you want them a little bit longer, or they feel too loose and cause discomfort.
Finding the correct length for the sleeves of your leather jacket can be confusing. But I have an article that makes the decision a lot easier. Read more about it at How Long Should Leather Jacket Sleeves Be?
It’s likewise possible to change the zippers or fix the lining inside the jacket if it gets ripped for whatever reason (they tend to tear inside the pockets from carrying keys, etc.).
If you want a buckle added or removed or want to sew in a patch with your bike crew logo, you can do it at a tailor’s. But, be aware that the holes where the seams were will always be visible if the patch is removed.
Can You Alter a Leather Jacket To Make It Smaller?
You can make your leather jacket both larger and smaller, to some extent. It’s much easier for the tailor to make the jacket smaller, and more extensive alterations are possible in that case.
It’s easier to shorten the sleeves than to make them longer. If you want to change the size of the jacket altogether, it can be done, too, but if you need a considerable adjustment, you can expect the price to be hefty as well.
When it comes to making the jacket smaller, it’s done on all the seams you might need to adjust.
That includes the sleeves, waist, shoulders, and chest. The old seams won’t be visible, as they will now be inside (usually, the extra leather is then cut off).
However, if you want to make the jacket larger, it can be done only by as much as there is leftover material after the tailor rips the old seams out. That’s usually only a centimeter or two anywhere where there’s a seam.
You should be aware that the holes where the old seams were will be visible and can’t be hidden.
How Much Does It Cost To Alter a Leather Jacket?
As I said, tailoring leather requires a saddler’s harness needle and a lot of experience by the tailor, so it usually costs a lot more than tailoring fabric. The prices can be more than 50% higher to do the same job. It will cost around $20 to shorten fabric sleeves, but it will be between $30 and $40 to do it on a leather jacket.
If you need the entire jacket resized to be smaller, the price will depend on each seam and piece of the jacket that has to be cut opened and sewn back together.
Therefore, it might cost you anywhere from $50 to $200. It depends on how many working hours have to be put into it.
Your safest bet is to go to a tailor, tell them what you want to do with your jacket, and then have them tell you how much it will cost.
It will vary based on every individual model, the quality and thickness of the leather, and, in the end, on every tailor individually.
