Today’s Fade Of The Day is a special one. We’ll focus less on the patina of Schott jackets and more on their life-saving potential.  Thanks to UK’s Pete Sullivan for sending in these pics and sharing his patina adventures with us.

Pete’s had this jacket for 26 years now. This isn’t just Pete’s everyday outerwear, it’s also his motorcycling jacket, which protected him during a 70-mph+ spill on the motorway. There’s a reason “riding leathers” are preferred, and thanks in part to the Schott you see here, Pete was able to stave off serious injury. A slide at that speed is certainly not recommended for your personal fade goals, but as you can see, it sure helped develop some serious patina on the leather.

Health is more important than fades, but the spill did leave him with an amazing looking jacket. He had to make some repairs afterwards, namely new elastic cuffs and waistband, but after years and years of wear this tough piece of outerwear is still going strong. Here’s to 26 more years of wear, Pete!

Schott NYC A-2 Leather Flight Jacket

• Material: French lambskin
• Material weight: Unknown
• Material source: France
• Made in: Unknown
• Additional Details:
  • Escape map lining
  • Hand warmer pockets
  • Zipper
  • Knit ribbing
• Available at: Schott NYC for $640