The Ramones didn't know they were starting a whole fashion trend.

In 1977 the Ramones released their first album, a self-titled LP that revolutionized music, that depicted them all wearing matching leather jackets on the cover. Since then the black leather and massive steel zippers have defined the image of punk in the public opinion. But there were leather jackets before the Ramones. And they were not the only punks to wear them. So you want to look like a punk? You had better know a thing or two about what you’re wearing. So I’m going to tell you how.

Originally people began making clothing out of leather as armor. Cows hides are already nearly impossible to damage without using excessive force, so tanning and treating that hide can make a comfortable and durable piece of clothing. Leather armor was the forefront of military technology in the bronze age, and was the Kevlar of its time.

American war pilot, Bud Fortier, shows off his leather jacket for the camera. It protects the pilot from shrapnel if something goes wrong, and it's warm and toasty even at 20,000 feet.

In World War II the leather jacket dominated the images and iconography of the American war effort. Aviators were heroes of the public eye, strapping themselves to lawn chairs that flew and risking life and limb to protect their country from the airborne menace of both Tojo and Hitler. Pilots like Norman “Bud” Fortier, who is pictured to the left, were the toughest, bravest Americans at the time, and saying otherwise was likely to get your face bashed in anywhere in the country.

By now the leather jacket had accumulated both the implication of being armor for barbarians, and uniforms for the tough-as-nails servicemen who returned from war victorious.

The next people to proudly display the jacket in front of the world were James Dean and Marlon Brando. Both pristine example of American masculinity, James Dean wore his brown leather jacket off screen because of his of racing cars- a habit that eventually killed him. Brando instead wore his leather exclusively on the silver screen in the legendary film “The Wild One”. Both contributed to the ascending popularity of the article of clothing.

Throughout the 1950s and 1960s leather jackets became associated with greasers, a subculture in the US and UK that was focused on rock and roll music, powerful cars, girls, and violence. As a precursor to punk, greaser subculture was heavily emulated in the early days of punk rock. The beginning of leather jackets as a symbol of rock stardom, though, was actually the Beatles. Before they came to the United States with matching haircuts and neat suits they were rocking the working-class pubs of Liverpool wearing leather.

In the 1970s punk was born. The ragingly popular TV show “Happy Days” depicted Henry Winkler as tough-as-nails smooth-talking Arthur “The Fonz” Fonzarelli, and perennially popular John Travolta sported one all through the Hollywood blockbuster “Grease”. This all happened around the first bursts of punk.

Joan Jett sporting her signature leather vest.

For a while the Ramones had a monopoly on leather jackets in punk rock. The Sex Pistols, the only other punk band making headlines around the world at the time, had actively avoided the look. Thus, during the 1970s wearing a leather jacket was still retro, and that retro aspect is what gave the Ramones a distinctive look. But then Sid Vicious joined the Sex Pistols, and his iconic overly-studded jacket became integral to the aesthetic of the genre. With the leather jacket a central theme in the look of both of the titans of punk rock in the late 1970s, it was not difficult to see the next logical step in the progression of punk fashion. Leather jackets were everywhere, modified with railroad spikes, patches, or safety pins. For more on how the Ramones and Sex Pistols effected punk fashion, check out How To Look Like A Punk Vol. 4 – The Early Years

Nowadays, though, it’s not so much the jacket as the leather. If you want to look like a punk, don’t just emulate what other people have been wearing. That’s a real good way to look like a poser. Instead, try thinking up new ways to wear leather that evokes the same kind of imagery, without looking like just another jerk wearing a cliche. Joan Jett, for example, popularized the leather vest, an awesome variation on the leather jacket trend. There are lots of attributes to leather jackets that convey different images. Wearing one with a sheepskin collar will remind people of pilots and Indiana Jones, whereas one covered with studs is more reminiscent of the Los Angeles punk scene. Long leather tassels are distinctly American biker. Larger padding and thicker material is typical of leather jackets designed for utility whereas fashion designers prefer the slimmer, sleeker models.

Overall if you want to look punk come up with your own style. That doesn’t mean you can’t borrow ideas from other people or build off of other peoples looks, but make sure that the end product is one hundred percent you.