Vinyl Letterman Jacket vs. Leather Jacket

Verdict: Choose leather sleeves if the jacket is a keepsake or something you will wear for years. Choose vinyl if you need it for a season or two, want an exact school color, or don't want animal hide. That is how one letterman maker puts it. Vinyl is a plastic (PVC) coating over a fabric base, while leather is tanned hide. That one difference drives the feel, the ageing and the care.

The classic letter jacket pairs a boiled wool body with leather sleeves. Many team jackets now use vinyl or faux leather sleeves instead, even expensive ones. This page is part of our jacket types and key differences guide.

Vinyl vs leather at a glance

What "vinyl" means on a letterman jacket

Vinyl is the everyday name for polyvinyl chloride, or PVC. On clothing it is a type of artificial leather, also sold as leatherette, faux leather, vegan leather or pleather. Leatherette is a fabric base covered with a soft PVC layer.

PVC comes in rigid and flexible forms. Makers add plasticizers to make it soft and flexible, most often phthalates. That is the flexible kind used on sleeves.

Some faux leathers use polyurethane (PU) instead, and PU was more popular than PVC as of 2016. So a "faux leather" sleeve is not always vinyl. Check the label.

What a classic letterman jacket looks like

A letter jacket is a baseball-style jacket that shows school pride and personal awards. People also call it a letterman, varsity or baseball jacket.

The body is usually boiled wool and the sleeves leather, with banded wrists, collar and waistband in school colors. The chenille letter goes on the left breast.

The leather-sleeve look is old. By the 1930s, lettered wear had become wool jackets with differently colored leather sleeves and chenille letters. If you want that original look, leather sleeves are the match.

For how the letterman compares with a flight-style bomber, see bomber jacket vs varsity jacket.

The key differences

Feel and comfort

One maker, Lettermen Jackets, says leather feels softer and shapes to your body as you wear it. The same maker says vinyl feels stiffer, especially in cold weather.

How each ages: sources disagree

There is no settled answer here, so we show both sides:

• Vinyl wears badly at the elbow. Lettermen Jackets says vinyl tends to peel, crack and flake over time, mostly where the sleeve flexes, and poor vinyl can crack in the cold.
• Artificial leather is low-maintenance. Wikipedia says artificial leather needs little upkeep and does not crack or fade easily, though some surfaces rub and wear off. That claim is general, led by car upholstery, not jacket sleeves.

A leather cleaning firm adds one mechanism. With age, heat or humidity, the plasticizers in synthetic sleeves break down, leaving them sticky or flaking. Heat and damp storage are the risks to avoid.

Patches and embroidery

Letterman jackets carry chenille letters, names, graduation years and championship patches. Lettermen Jackets says leather takes this stitching better, while heavy embroidery near seams can stress cheaper vinyl.

Cleaning

PU faux leathers can be washed, but PVC types are not easily cleaned. Leather grades and how sleeves are built are topics for a construction guide such as leatherguru.org.

How to tell vinyl from leather sleeves

Use the home check suggested by LeatherCareUSA:

1. Find the underside of the sleeve material, near a seam or inside a pocket.
2. A woven fabric mesh means synthetic. A fuzzy, suede-like back means leather.
3. Flex the sleeve under a bright light. Hairline cracks lifting away from a fabric base point to synthetic.

Which should you choose?

Not every letterman is wool and leather or wool and vinyl. Clothoo, a maker, also lists all-leather, faux leather, wool-only and fleece versions.

Getting a leather varsity-style jacket made

For a leather jacket in a varsity cut, the Leather Collection custom bomber jacket page lists an Oversized Varsity Bomber cut in leather, with your choice of collar, pockets, snaps and color. Leathers on that page are lambskin, shearling, sheep or goat.

Get the shoulders right first, since a tailor cannot fix the shoulder seam later. Our jacket fit and sizing guide covers how to measure.

FAQ

What is the difference between a vinyl jacket and a leather jacket?

Vinyl is PVC coated over a fabric base, while leather is tanned hide. Turn the material over: fabric mesh means vinyl, a suede-like back means leather.

Is vinyl considered fake leather?

Yes. Vinyl (PVC) is one kind of artificial leather, alongside PU leather.

Is there a difference between a letterman jacket and a varsity jacket?

No. They are two names for the same jacket, also called a letter or baseball jacket.

Does every senior get a letterman jacket?

No. Students usually buy one only after earning a letter, often in junior or senior year. Many schools provide only the letter, not the jacket.

Related comparisons

• Bomber jacket vs flight jacket
• Common jacket collar styles explained
• Jacket vs coat
• The jacket's history is in when varsity jackets became popular.

Sources

• Wikipedia, [Letterman (sports)](https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Letterman_(sports)), Artificial leather and Polyvinyl chloride
• Lettermen Jackets, Vinyl vs leather sleeves on a letterman jacket
• LeatherCareUSA, Cleaning varsity jackets with vinyl sleeves

All read 2026-10-10.