Customize your vest or jacket exactly how you like it — material, style, fit and features. Answer a few quick questions and our team reaches out to build it with you.
Request Received
Thanks — your custom build request is in. A First MFG specialist will contact you within one business day to finalize the details.
What type of custom product are you interested in?
What style of vest / jacket do you want?
What type of material do you want?
Do you want a standard fit or custom measurements?
What features do you want? (Select all that apply)
Best way and time to contact you?
Any special details about your custom build?
Where should we reach you?
All fields required. No payment now — this is a request; our team confirms pricing & details before anything is built.
1. Order Placement/Consultation
Place your order with essential customisation and share your design vision with us, so we can clearly understand what you’d like us to create for you.
2. Design Consultation & Review
A dedicated design consultant is assigned to you, carefully reviewing your order, suggesting thoughtful refinements or add-ons, and confirming every detail with you before proceeding.
3. Illustration Creation
We create a hyper-realistic visualization of your design and share it with you, so you can review, suggest changes, and feel confident before production begins.
4. Measurements & Verification
Your consultant guides you through the measurement process with simple instructions and video guides, ensuring accuracy and carefully verifying everything before moving into production.
5. Production
Once everything is approved, your custom leather jacket moves into production, where a skilled craftsman brings your design to life with precision, care, and close attention to detail.
6. Approval & Delivery
Once you’re fully satisfied with the final piece, your jacket is carefully packed and dispatched, ensuring it reaches you safely and exactly as expected.
Custom Builder Guide: How to Design a Custom Motorcycle Jacket or Vest
Building custom motorcycle gear sounds exciting until you're staring at dozens of options wondering where to start. Leather type, stitching colors, quilted patterns, accent panels, liners, and it adds up fast.
This guide walks you through every choice in our custom builder so you know exactly what you're selecting and why it matters. Whether you're designing your first custom piece or your fifth, you'll find the information you need to build gear that fits your vision and your ride.
Before You Click "Start Building"
Know Your Measurements
Custom gear only works if the fit is right. Measure your chest, waist, shoulders, sleeve length, and torso length accurately. Wear the shirt or layers you'd typically ride in when measuring. If you're between sizes, note that our team can adjust patterns accordingly.
Have a Vision (But Stay Flexible)
Walk in with an idea of what you want, like color, style, vibe, but stay open to combinations you hadn't considered. Sometimes the best builds come from experimenting with the preview tool.
Budget for Quality
Custom builds cost more than off-the-rack gear because they're made specifically for you. Understand that premium leathers, intricate quilting, and additional features increase price. You're paying for craftsmanship, not mass production.
Feature-by-Feature: What Each Option Does
Top & Bottom Material — Your Foundation Choice
What This Means:
This is the primary leather or fabric that forms the body of your jacket or vest. It's the most important decision in your custom build because it determines weight, protection level, durability, and how your gear ages over years of riding.
What It Covers:
The top material covers the main exterior panels, chest, back, shoulders, and sleeves (on jackets). The bottom material option lets you choose a different material for lower panels or accent sections if you're building a two-tone design.
What It Offers:
Full-Grain Cowhide: Maximum durability and abrasion resistance. Develops a rich patina as it ages. Best for serious riding protection and long-term wear.
Drum-Dyed Cowhide: Color penetrates through the entire hide, so edges and wear points stay consistent. Ideal if color uniformity and clean aesthetics matter to you.
Buffalo Leather: Thicker, more textured, visually distinct. Holds up under extreme conditions and makes a bold statement on the road.
Lambskin: Softer, lighter, more flexible. Great for fitted styles or riders prioritizing comfort and ease of movement over heavy-duty protection.
Denim, Canvas, Mesh, Twill: Breathable fabric alternatives for hot weather riding or casual styling. Lighter weight and more affordable than leather options.
Exotic Textures (Snake, Dragon, Croc): Textured embossed leathers that add bold visual interest. Purely aesthetic detailing, not actual reptile skin.
Stitch Colors — Small Detail, Big Impact
What This Means:
Stitch color refers to the thread used to sew seams, panels, and construction details throughout your jacket or vest. This seemingly small choice has a significant visual impact on the overall look of your custom piece.
What It Covers:
All visible seams across the garment, shoulder seams, side panels, sleeve attachment (on jackets), front closures, pocket edges, and any quilted or decorative stitching you've selected.
What It Offers:
Matching stitching creates a clean, seamless appearance where the leather takes center stage. Contrasting stitching makes seams pop and adds bold character that highlights construction details.
Popular Combinations:
White or cream thread on black leather (classic high-contrast biker aesthetic)
Orange or red thread on brown leather (vintage Americana vibe)
Black thread on tan leather (understated but defined look)
Matching tones (sleek, professional finish)
When to Match: If you want the leather to be the star and keep the design clean and unified, match your thread color to your leather.
When to Contrast: If you want stitching to add visual detail,edge, and make construction elements part of the design story, go bold with contrasting thread.
Quilted Texture — Depth and Dimension
What This Means:
Quilting is a stitching technique that creates raised, padded patterns across leather panels. It adds texture, structure, and visual interest to otherwise flat surfaces while also providing subtle reinforcement to those areas.
What It Covers:
You can apply quilting to specific panels such as shoulders, upper sleeves, side panels, yokes, or lower back sections. Quilting placement is customizable based on your design preferences, you're not required to quilt the entire garment.
What It Offers:
Diamond Quilting: Classic, symmetrical pattern that works on any style from traditional biker to modern streetwear looks.
Box Quilting: Modern, geometric grid pattern that gives a structured, contemporary appearance.
Honeycomb Quilting: Unique hexagonal pattern, less common, eye-catching and distinctive.
Channel Quilting: Linear, streamlined parallel rows popular on cafe racer and vintage-inspired styles.
Best Practice: Use quilting strategically on one or two areas for visual impact. Avoid overquilting across every panel, too much texture can look busy and detract from the overall design.
Accents — Breaking Up Solid Color
What This Means:
Accents allow you to assign different colors or materials to specific sections of your jacket or vest, creating contrast and visual breaks that add depth, detail, and a custom two-tone or multi-tone appearance.
What It Covers:
Accent options can be applied to collars, cuffs, pocket flaps, armbands, shoulder panels, trim details, or any designated accent zones in the builder interface.
What It Offers:
The ability to create distinctive color combinations that highlight your jacket or vest's structure and make your design truly unique:
Black jacket body with brown collar and pocket flaps
Brown vest with tan armband and black trim details
Two-tone panels that follow the garment's construction lines for a custom racing or vintage look
Best Practice: Stick to two or three colors maximum across your entire build. More than that and the design loses visual focus and starts to look chaotic rather than intentional.
Inside Liner — Make It Personal
What This Means:
The liner is the interior fabric layer of your jacket or vest. It's what you see every time you put your gear on or take it off, and it offers a space to express personality without affecting the exterior appearance.
What It Covers:
The full interior of your jacket or vest, chest, back, and sleeves (on jackets). The liner sits against your base layers or shirt when you wear the garment.
What It Offers:
Solid Colors: Clean and simple. Match or contrast with your outer leather for a cohesive or striking look.
Plaid Patterns: Classic, heritage-inspired designs that work especially well in reds, blues, blacks, or earth tones.
Bandanna Prints: Traditional biker aesthetic available in multiple colorways, red, black, blue, and more.
Checkerboard: Bold graphic statement available in black and white or color variations.
National Flags: Show pride and heritage with flag-themed linings from various countries.
Camo Patterns: Woodland, desert, or urban camouflage for a tactical edge.
Custom Upload: Use your own artwork, motorcycle club logo, family crest, or personal design for a truly one-of-one interior that no one else has.
Tips for First-Time Custom Builder Users
Start Simple: Your first build doesn't need every feature maxed out. A solid base with one or two standout details often looks better than overloading options.
Use the Preview Tool: Take advantage of the real-time visual preview. Rotate the design, change combinations, and see what actually works before committing.
Think Long-Term: Trends change, but classic combinations last. If you want gear you'll wear for years, lean toward timeless choices rather than trendy details.
Ask Questions: Not sure which leather works best for your riding style? Wondering if a certain combo will look good? Call (800)-537-3030. Our team has built thousands of custom pieces, we can guide you.
Remember Fit Comes First: The coolest design in the world won't matter if the fit is off for you. Please double-check your measurements and sizing before finalizing your order.
Custom Consultation FAQ's
Start with full-grain cowhide for durability or drum-dyed cowhide for color consistency. Both are proven materials that work for most riders and riding styles.
We don't offer sample kits, but our preview tool gives accurate color and texture representation. If you're uncertain, call our team, we can describe materials in detail based on your needs.
Change it. The preview tool is there so you can experiment risk-free. Try different combinations until something clicks. There's no limit to how many variations you can test.
Use the preview tool to compare. If you're stuck between two options, contrasting stitching makes seams stand out; matching stitching keeps the focus on the leather itself.
Yes, but use restraint. Mixing one quilted area (like shoulders) with smooth panels works well. Mixing multiple quilting patterns on one piece can look chaotic.
Only if you have a clear vision. Accents add detail, but a clean single-color build often looks sharper than a poorly planned multi-tone design. Start simple, then experiment on future builds.
Solid colors and plaid are classics. Bandanna prints are popular among traditional riders. Custom uploads are gaining traction for club members and riders wanting unique personalization.
Once your order is submitted and production begins, changes aren't possible. Review everything carefully during the design phase; materials, colors, sizing, all of it.
Our team reviews all custom uploads before production. If resolution is too low or the image won't print clearly, we'll contact you to request a higher-quality file or discuss alternatives.
Any question?
If we still haven't answered your question, you can contact us below and we will get back to you as soon as possible.