Lewis Leathers

In the seventies and eighties leather trousers were a luxury due to their cost so most people wore waxed trousers or ordinary jeans. Lewis Leathers produced a range of designs some of which are featured here. The vast majority were Black although other colours were available too.

These trousers from the early Seventies have a slight flare from 8" at the knee to 9" at the ankle. The front pockets are external, being sewn onto the leg, they are all leather. The front of the legs are one piece of leather.

The rear pockets are internal, made of fabric and closed with zips. The rear has an unusual hoop shape on the seat with seams down the back of the legs as well as seams down the sides. The seat area is just single a thickness leather. There is no knee padding which the normal for Seventies motorcycle leathers.

Lewis Leathers Motorbike trousers in the Eighties changed from flares to tight fit reflecting the general trend of narrow leg jeans. The trousers taper towards the 6 ½" ankles but didn't have zipped ankles. This style are ideal for wearing inside boots.

Both the front and back of the legs are made from a single piece of leather. The front pockets are fabric, internal with slit openings. The rear pockets are internal closed with zips.

Although these three pair of jeans are substantially the same style there are subtle differences. From left to right, the older pair have chrome press-studs on the waistband and a white internal Lewis Leathers - Real Hide. The rear external oval label reads Lewis Leathers and includes the Aviakit wings.

The next later version have Black press-studs and a Black with Yellow writing Lewis Leathers label and a leather Real Hide label. The Aviakit wings have been dropped from the external label.

The last version of this design still has Black press-studs, no internal Lewis Leathers label only a Leather Real Hide one. The fly and rear pocket zips are metal instead of nylon in the others versions.

These trousers have the Monza or Phantom style of padding on the knees and hips. Unlike modern leathers they are not solid Kevlar type pads but a layer of leather with foam rubber in between. These have zipped ankles to make them easier to put on. At the front there are two internal pockets with horizontal zips. There are no rear pockets.

There are variations of this style too. One variation has open slit pockets on the front. Another has the same zipped pockets on the front and padding on the knees but none on the hips.