Anthony Bourdain’s legendary leather jacket is getting a second act, proving once again that some fashion trends refuse to die—especially when they’ve been around the world, eaten questionable street food, and survived Anthony Bourdain.
The battered leather jacket famously worn by Bourdain during his No Reservations years has been identified as a Kenneth Cole design from the brand’s Fall/Winter 2003 collection. Now, more than two decades later, Kenneth Cole himself has confirmed that a version of the jacket is being brought back.
The news follows a recent investigation into the origins of Bourdain’s jacket, which had developed an almost mythical status among fans of the late chef, writer and television host. Cole told GQ that the company is working on bringing back “Bourdain’s jacket,” or a version of it, although the exact details remain under wraps.
And no, that beautifully beaten-up look apparently wasn’t necessarily manufactured that way. According to Cole, Bourdain may have simply worn the hell out of it. Which feels extremely on brand.
Bourdain wore the jacket while traveling the globe, turning a relatively ordinary piece of menswear into one of the most recognizable parts of his wardrobe. His personal jacket later sold at auction for thousands of dollars, a considerable upgrade from its original retail life.
There’s still no official release date or price for the new Kenneth Cole Bourdain leather jacket, so don’t start refreshing the shopping page just yet. But the revival is already generating plenty of excitement among Bourdain fans and vintage menswear obsessives.
The appeal isn’t really about owning a celebrity jacket. It’s about capturing a particular kind of effortless cool: black leather, sunglasses, cigarettes, airports, dive bars and absolutely no interest in looking like you tried too hard.
Anthony Bourdain never needed a fashion stylist to tell him what looked good. He found a jacket he liked, wore it everywhere, and accidentally turned it into an icon.
Now Kenneth Cole wants to do it all over again.
