Leather jackets: investment or costume?

Leather is all over this season's collections. Mystylebox lists leather among the outerwear designers built their autumn 2026 shows around, alongside trench and double-breasted coats.1 TheDoubleF's colour report sees chocolate brown on floor-length leather trench coats and recommends mixing it with soft materials.2 A leather jacket is the more everyday version of that idea, and the classic question is how much to spend.

We compared four real jackets at four prices, as listed on 7 October 2026. Nanushka lists in pounds and Toteme in Swedish kronor; we converted at the ECB reference rate of 6 October 2026.3

Under: Nanushka Chasin, €288

A shirt jacket in regenerated leather, in chocolate. Regenerated leather is made from leather fibres bonded into a new material; it is lighter and cheaper than full hides and behaves differently over time. As a shirt jacket it is relaxed and easy, a good first step into leather.

Middle: Nanushka Jada, €810

Also regenerated leather, cut as a real jacket, in grey melange and black. The step up is the shape: a structured jacket that holds its line.

Over: Toteme grained leather jacket, €1,457

Grained leather in dark brown. Grained leather has a textured surface that hides scratches, which is exactly what you want from a jacket you plan to wear for ten years.

Way over: Toteme zip leather jacket, €1,640

The clean zip-front version in brown. What the extra money buys over the cheaper jackets is the hide itself, the weight and the finish of the cut.

Investment or costume?

Plain, brown or black, right at the shoulder: investment. Anything else: costume.

An investment jacket meets three conditions. It is plain, without trend details that date. It is brown or black, colours leather wears best as it ages. And the shoulder seam sits at your shoulder; leather cannot be altered there. Meet all three and the expensive jacket is cheaper per wear than the cheap one, because you will wear it for a decade.

A costume jacket is the opposite: a strong trend detail, a fashion colour, a fit that depends on this year's proportions. It can be fun, but buy it at the lower price.

Our verdict

If you will wear it three times a week for years, buy the best plain brown jacket you can afford. If you want leather for a season, the regenerated shirt jacket is the smart, lighter buy.

How to wear it

Over a hoodie and jeans for Street; over a lace dress for Dark Romance; over a white shirt and tailored trousers for the office.