06/18/2026
🫠✨Another piece I’ve been holding onto for years. A legendary San Francisco company, North Beach Leather, distressed jacket/vest. A sharp slice of 1980s swagger, this oversized biker-style jacket delivers! An absolute statement piece, West Coast cool, and rock ’n’ roll edge in a wearable vintage silhouette. It was from the iconic estate of Nan, whom I’ve mentioned several times over the years. Her household collection was unmatched- an absolute treasure trove!
The company is well known for custom garments for stars such as Jimi Hendrix, Elvis Presley, Janis Joplin, and Mick Jagger. The company has outfitted celebrities and hired them to model for it for decades.
“North Beach Leather was established by Michael Hoban and Bill Morgan in 1967 in San Francisco—in the North Beach section of town, hence the name. Hoban’s leather designs proved popular with San Francisco hippies, and a branch was soon opened in Berkeley.
By the early 2000s there were eleven North Beach Leather stores, but financial difficulties caused all but the San Francisco store to close in 2004. Hoban left the company, which was acquired by its general manager, Skip Pas.
Their pieces are known for their boldness in both color and design, as well as for their priciness, as these were quite expensive garments. North Beach Leather did custom work for celebrities including Elvis and Elton John.”
- vintagefashionguild.org
