The Harley-Davidson Museum Announces Black Leather Jacket Exhibit

The Harley-Davidson Museum is opening a new exhibit dedicated to an iconic piece of motorcycle culture: the black leather jacket.

The “Worn to be Wild: The Black Leather Jacket“ exhibit will showcase the ubiquitous article from many riders’ wardrobe.The exhibit includes over 100 artifacts including jackets designed by fashion houses such as Jean Paul Gaultier and Gianni Versace, as well as jackets worn by celebrities such as Elvis Presley.

“The leather jacket symbolizes different things for each person who wears it, whether they are a motorcyclist, celebrity or a top designer,” says Bill Davidson, vice president of the Harley-Davidson Museum. “This summer, the Harley-Davidson Museum is excited to introduce all these unique stories in one place through the Worn to Be Wild: The Black Leather Jacket exhibit, and for the first time, showcase how this one garment has become an icon in pop culture and fashion.”

The Harley-Davidson Museum will hold the exhibit June 16 to Sept. 3, after which the exhibit will travel to other locations over the next few years. The first stop will be the EMP Museum in Seattle in October. The “Worn to be Wild” exhibit will be the first created by the Harley-Davidson curatorial staff that will travel other museums.

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