Rick Owens Giacca In Pelle – Naska Biker

Colour is the first thing here and it should not be underestimated. A dusty pink leather jacket is a harder object than a black one, in the sense that it cannot be worn thoughtlessly and cannot be justified by neutrality, and that is exactly why it is interesting. The shade is muted and slightly grey, closer to a faded terracotta than to anything sweet, and on lamb leather it takes light unevenly and reads differently across a sleeve than across a back.

The construction is the house doing what it does with a biker. The back hem drops below the front, so the jacket covers more of you from behind than the silhouette suggests from the front. The collar is cut wide, which means it works two ways: zipped to the throat it is a funnel, and open it falls back as a broad revere. And the sleeves carry the knit inserts on their undersides, which is the same solution used on the Classic Biker, putting the stretch where the arm bends and keeping the outer sleeve clean.

Why we selected it

Most of what this house makes, and most of what we sell, is black. We took this because it is the same level of construction as the black jackets and it is the one a customer remembers, and because a store that only stocks the safe colour of everything is not doing its job. The asymmetric hem and the two-position collar also make it more versatile than the colour suggests, which is the argument we usually end up making about it.

Naska is one of the recurring names on the house’s biker jackets, and this is the version with the dropped back hem.

Materials and construction

One hundred percent lamb leather with one hundred percent wool, and a one hundred percent cupro lining. Made in Italy. Colour: Dusty Pink. Asymmetric hem, longer at the back, a wide collar that zips up or drapes open, and knit inserts on the underside of the sleeves.

Fit notes

Lamb is soft immediately and will relax a little further at the shoulder and elbow. The knit inserts allow the sleeve to be cut closer than leather alone would permit, so the arm can feel snug without restricting. The back hem sits lower than the front, so the jacket covers more than it appears to and the length will read differently from behind. It layers over a fine knit, not a heavy one.

Styling

Against grey, charcoal, or black rather than against another colour, which is what lets the pink read as considered rather than as a statement. A straight trouser and a boot. Leave the collar open unless it is cold, because the wide revere is the better half of the design.

Care

Not at home and not at an ordinary dry cleaner: leather cleaning and refinishing are specialist work, and a pale, dyed leather is less forgiving of mistakes than a black one. Wipe the smooth leather with a barely damp cloth, keep it out of direct sun, which will fade this colour faster than wear will, and hang it on a broad hanger. Our care guidance covers conditioning, and its position is that less is safer than more, which matters twice over on a pale hide.

Related pieces

The Giacca Classic Biker Jacket shares the knit-insert construction in black. The Brad Jacket is calf leather, and the Giacca In Pelle Hollywood is blistered lamb leather in pale blue. Everything we currently hold from Rick Owens is listed together.