The "Bango" Jacket

Bruno Suarez Bango was getting married.

Therefore, Bruno also needed a jacket. He most likely needed the jacket regardless (who doesn’t need at least one beautiful, custom leather jacket of their own?)— the wedding, however, was a pretty good way of getting him one sooner, rather than later.

Bruno is a phenomenal graphic designer & printmaker, and (now) husband to my best friend Elisabeth Heying (who is an extraordinary painter, painting materials specialist and extraordinary human all around). Needless to say, they were about to have a wedding (and a jacket!) like no other.

I started by compiling examples of various leather jackets to see what he was drawn to most: was he fond of a classic motorcycle style? Or perhaps more of a racing jacket? A flight jacket or bomber? Quilting? Studs?? Straps??? When the pandora’s box of “custom” is cracked open, the possibilities quickly become infinite.

The answer, after a preliminary test fitting and a few more conversations, was not so straightforward: something that would follow the sophisticated silhouette of a suit jacket, yet maintain the edge that all good leather jackets have. We looked at a tailored, set-in sleeve which would give him the elevated fit and structure of a formal jacket; the sharp corners of the yoke at the shoulder gave a tough line to the front that mirrored the cut at the hem, a nod and a twist to the rounded corners at the front hem of a blazer. The gentle curve across the back of the shoulders was complimented by the curved waistline. This is a detail typical to the back of motorcycle jackets, but I raised the line to Bruno’s natural waist and smoothly curved the seam down towards the hem in one continuous panel around the entire jacket.

This was not, however, a process that happened linearly: it did not flow from sketch to fabric to finished piece in such a straightforward way. While the silhouette was still being defined, the materials were also being debated. The initial sketches I drafted were far from where we ended up. As the muslin samples (and later, denim) were constructed, I carved away at the perfect fit and refined the details continuously. Both Bruno and Elisabeth gave feedback and insight on the design during our fittings and conversations (and over a few dinners and many drinks), which proved to be the best kind of collaboration— three art degrees are better than one!

What was decided fairly quickly, however, was that Bruno wanted black leather with red accents. After looking over 20 samples, Bruno chose a couple cow hides that particularly stood out to him: rich and smooth and tough. He had chosen well, but I wanted to see what else was out there— we were working from small samples ordered from a company out of state. I wondered if I couldn’t find anything better right here in Chicago.

I visited a local leather showroom, Tannery Row, and nearly floated out of my body. There were so many incredible skins, I didn’t know where to begin. The winner was clear to me as soon as I touched it though: an incredibly soft yet tough and textured horse hide, tanned by Chicago’s own Horween Leather Co. It had the perfect body, a buttery surface with a beautiful smooth grain and texture shining through. I bought it on the spot, without knowing if Bruno would also love it. (I had a pretty strong feeling he might— he did.)

I had the red leather on hand already, a unique glazed and crackled red goat skin, it struck a perfect balance with the horse hide. It was refined, edgy, unique, and most importantly, really, really cool.

After one final fitting with a denim sample, complete with red accents, I made final adjustments and completed the pattern. Everything was set— all that was left was to make the damn thing!

Once the pattern was traced and the leather was cut, nearly every edge needed to be skived, which is the process of thinning down the leather within the seam allowance to reduce bulk. After hours of hand-numbing work with the knife I was left with lots of leather shavings and some pretty lean edges. Assembling the body of the jacket was an exciting (if somewhat nerve–racking) process, seeing this beautiful garment come together piece by piece— watching as the jacket that had only existed in my head became tangible, physical and even more complex and gorgeous than I could have imagined.

The glistening, gunmetal zippers set perfectly in their red welts, the buttery seamlines both smooth and sharp, the “secret” split seam on the jacket’s center back line, the lustrous flannel–backed satin lining… It was by far the most challenging and the most rewarding thing I’ve ever made. Even more magical was how exactly right it was for Bruno, and for his wedding.

(And, naturally, Elisabeth’s own custom jacket is next on my list.)

Wedding photos by Cailynn Wolfgang