The company was started by Mr D Lewis who had premises at 124 Great Portland Street, London. The original items bore this label.The company was started by Mr D Lewis who had premises at 124 Great Portland Street, London. The original items bore this label.
Lewis Leathers made their name after WW2 selling motorcycle gear. Although Lewis were a London company they had shops in various towns including one in Birmingham at the old bull ring, shutting many years before the place was demolished. Lewis were well known for their high quality leathers bearing the label Aviakit inside and an oval Lewis Leathers patch externally, but as prices increased in the eighties they introduced a cheaper range which although it bore the same label, was of noticeable lower quality. This coincided with the shops and trademarks being sold to a series of owners.
There are two manufacturer of motorcycle clothing using the name Lewis. One is Lewis Leathers, whose vintage products may be found for sale as secondhand / used items. The other is Lewis who is currently making motorbike clothing, so their items may be new or used. There is nothing wrong with second brand but they are not the vintage garments you may be expecting to buy, checkout the Buyers Guide below.
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A typical example of the Lewis Leathers high quality range. This "Monza" jacket was made in the late seventies -> eighties. A padded jacket with a cross over (Lancer) front and racing collar, has double thickness padded leather on the shoulders and elbows. The sleeve pocket is very typical of this period of jacket design. The leather soft and surprisingly light weight. The internal Lewis Leathers label says 'Real Hide' and 'Distributed by Aviakit Products'.
The "Phantom" jacket is very similar in design to the "Monza" with the same double thickness padded leather on the elbows and shoulder. There is no rear seam between the armpits and the patch shape on the back is different. The oval Lewis Leathers badge is on the shoulder placing its manufacture in the late eighties. The leather is hard, thick and shiny. Earlier versions had a central front zip and the oval label was on the chest.
The Lightning came in two styles the plain jacket and the version with fringes along the back and down the sleeves.
Over the years, Lewis Leathers produced many styles and slight variations to the same style. In the section we show a number of pictures these. Years ago, Black was the most popular choice for motorcycle gear. Here we show some of the colours available.
 
Jacket Zips up the Men's side. |
 
Jacket Zips up on the Women's side. |
The majority of sellers on EBay are honest and straight forward but a few are unscrupulous. Some shops have proved to be less than honest in their description especially describing the gender of the garment. Here are a few tips for buyers.
Anyone can buy one of these and attach it to a jacket of a different manufacturer. Not all garments had an external oval or square leather 'Lewis Leathers' label, so it is important to check the internal label too.The intended gender of the jacket may be judged by looking at the position of the zip on a lancer fronted jacket. If the jacket has a central zip the direction of the collar strap may guide you. On a Man's item of clothing the part of the garment on the wearers left wraps over the top of the right hand side and presses down (on press-studs) or zips up.
Keyword spamming is against EBay policy, if you see an item where this is happening, scroll to the bottom of the screen and click on 'Report this Item' link.
Here are examples of the internal and external Lewis leathers labels. These products from the 1950's-80's are of most interest to the vintage biker.
These are typical labels found on Lewis garments. As this company are making contemporary clothing, these are not collectors items.