Varsity & Letterman Leather Jackets

The varsity jacket is a North American icon — and it is usually a compromise: a wool body with leather only on the sleeves. Our letterman jackets remove the compromise. Both styles in this collection are cut from genuine leather throughout, body and sleeves, with the collegiate architecture kept intact: striped ribbed collar, cuffs and hem, a snap-button front, welt pockets and a quilted lining. The unisex version comes in black with a classic relaxed body; the women's version is cognac, slightly cropped and shaped, the letterman silhouette translated rather than merely resized.

One deliberate omission: there are no letters. No borrowed school crests, no fake team initials, no invented championships. The varsity shape has outgrown its origins — it is now simply a great jacket pattern, and it looks cleaner and more grown-up unlettered. That also makes these the most giftable jackets we sell, and the easiest to wear across generations: the pattern reads youthful without costume, and in full leather it reads premium rather than novelty. If you want the collegiate energy without the fancy dress, this is the category.

Varsity or bomber is the natural comparison — the shapes are cousins. The bomber zips; the varsity snaps. The bomber's trims are plain; the varsity's are striped, which gives it a sportier, more graphic register. A leather bomber is the more versatile smart-casual piece; a leather varsity is the more distinctive one, and surprisingly easy to style: over a hoodie and sneakers for the classic read, over a white tee and straight trousers for something cleaner, or — in the women's cognac — over a dress to cut the sweetness.

Both jackets are genuine cowhide, quilt-lined for shoulder-season warmth, priced at $319 (unisex) and $309 (women's) in USD with approximate CAD, sizes XS–XXL. The unisex fit note is simple: men take their usual size; women who want the classic relaxed fit take their usual size too, or size down for a closer fit. Full measurements are in the Size Guide.

All-leather varsity versus the classic wool-body version. The traditional letterman pairs a melton wool body with leather sleeves — lighter, cheaper, and honestly fine as a seasonal piece. An all-leather varsity, like both jackets here, trades that lightness for substance: it is warmer (leather blocks wind that wool lets through), far more durable at the body where jackets actually wear, and immune to the pilling that ages wool bodies within a few seasons. It is also heavier — you feel the quality every time you pick it up, which most owners come to like. The decision is really about horizon: for a jacket in the rotation for two or three years, the classic construction serves; for the buy-once version of an American icon, full leather is the answer, and the price difference between the two constructions across the market reflects exactly that. Our sizing note: the quilted lining adds warmth without bulk, so no need to size up for winter layers.

A final word on weight: an all-leather varsity is a substantial garment, closer to a coat than a windbreaker in the hand. That substance is the quality cue owners point to most — and once it is on your shoulders, the cut distributes it so evenly that what you notice is the warmth and the line, not the weight.