{"product_id":"german-horsehide-leather-interwar-alpine-jacket-1930s-zipp-and-ries-hardware","title":"Vintage 1930s German Horsehide Leather Interwar Alpine Jacket","description":"\u003cp class=\"font-claude-response-body break-words whitespace-normal leading-[1.7]\"\u003eA German horsehide leather jacket in deep chocolate brown, single-breasted and zip-fronted, dating almost certainly to the late 1930s or early 1940s. The construction, hardware, and leather all point firmly to serious German manufacture, a quality piece built for active outdoor use and made to last.\u003c\/p\u003e\n\u003cp class=\"font-claude-response-body break-words whitespace-normal leading-[1.7]\"\u003eTo understand this jacket it helps to understand the world it came from. Germany in the 1930s had a deeply embedded culture of outdoor sport and mountain activity. Skiing, hiking, and alpine pursuits were not leisure activities for the few but a central part of working and social life for a broad section of the population. The jacket built for that world had to perform. It needed to block wind, resist abrasion, move with the body, and survive repeated hard use in all conditions. Horsehide, with its exceptional density, natural water resistance, and ability to outlast virtually every other leather, was the material of choice for anyone who took their outerwear seriously.\u003c\/p\u003e\n\u003cp class=\"font-claude-response-body break-words whitespace-normal leading-[1.7]\"\u003eThis jacket carries every detail of that tradition. The cut is relatively short and close, designed to move rather than to drape. The elasticated rear waist panel cinches the jacket to the body without hardware, keeping it anchored during physical activity. The single angled chest pocket is positioned to be reached without removing a glove. The two lower front zip pockets each carry original leather pull tabs. Nothing in the construction is decorative. Every detail exists because it was needed.\u003c\/p\u003e\n\u003cp class=\"font-claude-response-body break-words whitespace-normal leading-[1.7]\"\u003eThe zips are the story. The front closure carries a Zipp branded slider with its distinctive oval stamp, and the chest pocket carries a Ries branded zip, both with original leather pull tabs. Ries was one of the principal German zip manufacturers of the interwar and early post-war period, standard specification on serious German leather outerwear of this era. The presence of both Zipp and Ries hardware on a single garment confirms German manufacture without question and places this jacket precisely within its period.\u003c\/p\u003e\n\u003cp class=\"font-claude-response-body break-words whitespace-normal leading-[1.7]\"\u003eThe leather is horsehide. The grain is dense and tight, with a characteristic rigidity and depth that cowhide or goatskin simply does not produce. The hide is dyed in a deep chocolate brown, fading through to warm tan and copper at every stress point, across the shoulders, through the sleeve seams, at the collar and cuffs, producing a patina of extraordinary tonal variation that only horsehide develops in this way. The surface has not been restored or artificially treated. What is visible is what the leather has become through decades of use alone.\u003c\/p\u003e\n\u003cp class=\"font-claude-response-body break-words whitespace-normal leading-[1.7]\"\u003eThe collar is a flat point style sitting close to the neck. The sleeves taper to plain cuffs and the shoulder construction is structured and square in the manner of the period. The interior lining was professionally replaced at some point during the jacket's life, most likely by a previous owner who valued it enough to have the work done properly, and it remains fully intact. A leather-bound internal chest pocket is present and functional.\u003c\/p\u003e\n\u003cp class=\"font-claude-response-body break-words whitespace-normal leading-[1.7]\"\u003eThe condition of the leather and structure is sound. The horsehide has survived exceptionally well. Surface wear is present at the shoulders and collar, consistent with the age and use of the piece, and is photographed in full. All zips have been professionally refurbished and lubricated in the workshop and now run correctly from end to end. The jacket has been cleaned and lightly conditioned in house. The history is in the leather itself.\u003c\/p\u003e\n\u003ch3 class=\"font-claude-response-body break-words whitespace-normal leading-[1.7]\"\u003e\u003cstrong\u003eKey Details\u003c\/strong\u003e\u003c\/h3\u003e\n\u003cul class=\"[li_\u0026amp;]:mb-0 [li_\u0026amp;]:mt-1 [li_\u0026amp;]:gap-1 [\u0026amp;:not(:last-child)_ul]:pb-1 [\u0026amp;:not(:last-child)_ol]:pb-1 list-disc flex flex-col gap-1 pl-8 mb-3\"\u003e\n\u003cli class=\"whitespace-normal break-words pl-2\"\u003e1930s to early 1940s German horsehide leather jacket\u003c\/li\u003e\n\u003cli class=\"whitespace-normal break-words pl-2\"\u003eHorsehide construction, dense tight grain, exceptional durability\u003c\/li\u003e\n\u003cli class=\"whitespace-normal break-words pl-2\"\u003eBuilt for alpine sport and outdoor use, German civilian construction\u003c\/li\u003e\n\u003cli class=\"whitespace-normal break-words pl-2\"\u003eZipp branded front zip, original hardware\u003c\/li\u003e\n\u003cli class=\"whitespace-normal break-words pl-2\"\u003eRies branded chest pocket zip, original hardware\u003c\/li\u003e\n\u003cli class=\"whitespace-normal break-words pl-2\"\u003eOriginal leather pull tabs to front and chest pocket zips\u003c\/li\u003e\n\u003cli class=\"whitespace-normal break-words pl-2\"\u003eSingle angled chest zip pocket\u003c\/li\u003e\n\u003cli class=\"whitespace-normal break-words pl-2\"\u003eTwo lower front zip pockets with leather pull tabs\u003c\/li\u003e\n\u003cli class=\"whitespace-normal break-words pl-2\"\u003eFlat point collar\u003c\/li\u003e\n\u003cli class=\"whitespace-normal break-words pl-2\"\u003eElasticated rear waist panel, original and functional\u003c\/li\u003e\n\u003cli class=\"whitespace-normal break-words pl-2\"\u003eInterior lining professionally replaced by previous owner, fully intact\u003c\/li\u003e\n\u003cli class=\"whitespace-normal break-words pl-2\"\u003eLeather-bound internal chest pocket\u003c\/li\u003e\n\u003cli class=\"whitespace-normal break-words pl-2\"\u003eDeep chocolate and copper patina, unrestored\u003c\/li\u003e\n\u003cli class=\"whitespace-normal break-words pl-2\"\u003eAll zips refurbished and lubricated in house, operating correctly\u003c\/li\u003e\n\u003cli class=\"whitespace-normal break-words pl-2\"\u003eCleaned and lightly conditioned in house\u003c\/li\u003e\n\u003c\/ul\u003e\n\u003ch3 class=\"font-claude-response-body break-words whitespace-normal leading-[1.7]\"\u003e\u003cstrong\u003eGarment Measurements (Laid Flat)\u003c\/strong\u003e\u003c\/h3\u003e\n\u003cul class=\"[li_\u0026amp;]:mb-0 [li_\u0026amp;]:mt-1 [li_\u0026amp;]:gap-1 [\u0026amp;:not(:last-child)_ul]:pb-1 [\u0026amp;:not(:last-child)_ol]:pb-1 list-disc flex flex-col gap-1 pl-8 mb-3\"\u003e\n\u003cli class=\"whitespace-normal break-words pl-2\"\u003eChest (armpit to armpit): 21.5\"\u003c\/li\u003e\n\u003cli class=\"whitespace-normal break-words pl-2\"\u003eShoulders (seam to seam): 19.25\"\u003c\/li\u003e\n\u003cli class=\"whitespace-normal break-words pl-2\"\u003eSleeve length (underarm seam to cuff): 17.5\"\u003c\/li\u003e\n\u003cli class=\"whitespace-normal break-words pl-2\"\u003eSleeve length (shoulder seam to cuff): 25.5\"\u003c\/li\u003e\n\u003cli class=\"whitespace-normal break-words pl-2\"\u003eBack length (collar seam to hem): 29\"\u003c\/li\u003e\n\u003c\/ul\u003e\n\u003cp class=\"font-claude-response-body break-words whitespace-normal leading-[1.7]\"\u003eBest suited to a 39\" chest. Please compare against the measurements above before purchasing.\u003c\/p\u003e","brand":"Revive Restore Vintage","offers":[{"title":"Default Title","offer_id":54435094004035,"sku":"EB5065","price":495.0,"currency_code":"GBP","in_stock":true}],"thumbnail_url":"\/\/cdn.shopify.com\/s\/files\/1\/0786\/2232\/7107\/files\/IMG_8722_0a163506-3ccd-4624-b079-a9de2d076ed8.jpg?v=1777029479","url":"https:\/\/reviverestorevintage.co.uk\/products\/german-horsehide-leather-interwar-alpine-jacket-1930s-zipp-and-ries-hardware","provider":"Revive \u0026 Restore Vintage","version":"1.0","type":"link"}