Bolongaro Trevor

For a leather-jacket-led British label, they tend to punch above their price. The brand was built by people who know the category cold, and a good biker or racer from them gives you that worn-in, slightly grungy London feel without the premium markup of bigger names. If a real leather jacket is the wardrobe piece you want to get right, this is a sensible place to look.

It is a fair comparison because the two are directly linked. Kait Bolongaro and Stuart Trevor were the original founders and designers behind AllSaints before launching Bolongaro Trevor in 2006, after selling their AllSaints shares. So you get a similar British, slightly subcultural sensibility from the same hands, which is exactly why shoppers cross-shop the two on leather jackets.

Leather jackets, above all, alongside a broader British wardrobe. The label is built around that core piece and draws its design inspiration from Victorian London and vintage military wear, which gives the collections their distinctive heritage-with-an-edge character.

The brand was launched in 2006 by Kait Bolongaro and Stuart Trevor, a couple who had founded and designed for AllSaints. They started Bolongaro Trevor after selling their shares in that company, bringing their established design credentials to a new label under their own names.

The Jalil family. Father and son Muhammad Arshad Jalil and Omar Jalil bought 50% of the business in 2014, and in 2016 Stuart Trevor and Kait Bolongaro sold the remaining 50% to them. The two founders are no longer involved with the brand, so today's collections are made independently of them.

Its aesthetic is rooted in two reference points: Victorian London and vintage military wear. That mix is what gives the leather jackets and wider range their heritage British feel, blending old-world tailoring cues with utilitarian, military-inspired detailing.

Start with a leather jacket, since that is the brand's signature and where its strengths are most obvious. A classic biker or racer shape is the most versatile entry point and the cleanest way to judge the label's leather and fit before you branch into the rest of the collection.

Yes, the brand built a notable celebrity following. Wearers have included Daisy Lowe, Gwen Stefani, Courtney Love, Liam Gallagher, Leighton Meester and Helena Bonham Carter, along with bands such as The Who and The Libertines, which fits the label's rock-leaning British identity.

It has long been a British high-fashion presence, including a stock history at Selfridges and its own London stores. The brand has been sold internationally in cities such as Tokyo, Paris, Stockholm and New York, and as of recent years has been available across Europe and the US, so authorised stockists and the brand's own channels are your safest bet for authenticity.

Yes. It is a British fashion brand, founded by a British design duo, and its whole identity leans into that, from its Victorian London and military influences to its roots in the London fashion scene. It has shown at London Fashion Week and remains tied to that British heritage even after changing ownership.