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Leather Shielding Jacket

Name: Leather Shielding Jacket
Brand: Vollebak
SKU: JKT217BRNXSM
Price: 3695.00 GBP
Availability: InStock

A leather bomber that blocks radio waves, microwaves and remote access to your phone.

CHF 3,695

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XXL

Model is 6ft 1 / 187cm with a 38 inch / 96cm chest, and wears size Medium.

Lined with EMC shielding technology
Fitted with a phone shielding pocket
Cut from supersoft vegetable-tanned nappa leather
Based on the iconic A-2 flight jacket
Made in London

Long before the Curiosity Rover was sent to Mars to search for signs of life, it had to be tested here on Earth. So NASA created an electromagnetic shielding tent designed to completely block out external electromagnetic radiation during testing… like someone sending a text, turning the microwave on, or chatting with the James Webb telescope.

We’ve now taken the same kind of technology and used it to line the Leather Shielding Jacket, a re-engineered version of the most famous leather jacket ever made. It’s cut from black nappa sheep leather, a fine-grain hide prized for its softness. And it's been tanned using plant-based tannins, which makes it more breathable and means it will age gracefully, developing a gradual patina over time.

The lining is embedded with pure silver that blocks radio waves and microwaves in the frequency range 30MHz to 10GHz – which includes WiFi, Bluetooth, Ku-band satellites and radar systems. And it comes with a hidden phone shielding pocket that works like a Faraday cage, blocking access to your devices, whether they’re switched on or off.

Technical details

Lining: 100% silver-plated polyamide

Lining blocks electromagnetic waves in the frequency range 30MHz to 10GHz

Shielding effectiveness of 51.5–61.1dB across the range, equivalent to over 99.999% attenuation

Antimicrobial

Internal phone shielding pocket

Double-layer front pockets with zipped interior pocket and snap-closure outer pocket

Sleeve zip pocket

Covered two-way centre-front zip with narrow storm flap

Two-piece collar

Gunmetal Riri zips and snaps

1x1 Italian ribbed knit cuffs and hem

Black nappa vegetable-tanned sheep leather, 1mm thick

Jacket weighs 1342 grams

Specialist leather clean

Made in London

Lining: 100% silver-plated polyamide

Lining blocks electromagnetic waves in the frequency range 30MHz to 10GHz

Shielding effectiveness of 51.5–61.1dB across the range, equivalent to over 99.999% attenuation

Antimicrobial

Internal phone shielding pocket

Double-layer front pockets with zipped interior pocket and snap-closure outer pocket

Sleeve zip pocket

Covered two-way centre-front zip with narrow storm flap

Two-piece collar

Gunmetal Riri zips and snaps

1x1 Italian ribbed knit cuffs and hem

Black nappa vegetable-tanned sheep leather, 1mm thick

Jacket weighs 1342 grams

Specialist leather clean

Made in London

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Built with the same kind of electromagnetic shielding technology used by NASA

Long before the Curiosity Rover was sent to Mars to search for signs of life, every single one of its components had to be tested here on Earth. So NASA created an electromagnetic shielding tent designed to completely block out external electromagnetic radiation during testing… like someone sending a text next door, turning the microwave on, or chatting with the James Webb telescope. A specialist lab built this electromagnetic compatibility shielding tent to protect Curiosity during testing, completely blocking out all external electromagnetic radiation to prevent disruption. And we’ve now used the same kind of technology to line the first Leather Shielding Jacket.

This jacket is lined with the same kind of electromagnetic shielding technology used when testing the Mars rovers.

Made with black nappa leather

Cut from black nappa sheep leather, the jacket uses a fine-grain Italian hide prized for its softness, elasticity and uniform surface. Nappa – the name originates from Napa, California, the site where a German immigrant tanner first refined the process during the late 19th century – is one of the softest leathers there is. Because it's only lightly coated, the natural grain and a subtle depth of colour stay visible, so it feels more like skin than a finished surface. And compared to cow leather, sheep leather has a lighter, tighter fibre structure, which means it drapes more fluidly while still holding its strength.

Vegetable-tanned so it will age gracefully

Where most nappa is chrome-tanned, ours is vegetable-tanned, with plant-based tannins replacing chromium salts to create a more breathable leather that ages gracefully – developing a gradual patina and more character the longer you wear it. At 1mm thick, it's engineered to balance low weight with structure, staying flexible without giving up durability. And it's all produced at an Italian tannery whose controlled finishing prioritises consistency and long-term performance. They make the kind of leather you'll more often find in fine gloves, footwear and the interiors of expensive cars than jackets.

Cut from supersoft sheep leather, the Leather Shielding Jacket is a re-engineered version of the iconic A-2.

Constructed with silver that reflects electromagnetic energy

The jacket’s lining starts with a base of lightweight ripstop nylon. This is then metallised using a process in which pure silver is grown into the material rather than simply applied as a coating. It means the silver is deeply embedded into the fibres. And as silver is both electrically conductive and antimicrobial, it can reflect certain types of electromagnetic energy while killing bacteria at the same time.

A recap of the electromagnetic spectrum

To understand the science behind the material we need to take a look at the electromagnetic spectrum – a phenomenon that was iteratively discovered during the 19th century through the work of scientists like Sir William Herschel, James Clerk Maxwell and Heinrich Hertz. The spectrum shows the different types of electromagnetic radiation that allow the transfer of energy and information throughout the universe. There are seven separate groups – radio waves, microwaves, infrared, visible light, ultraviolet, x-rays and gamma rays.

From radio waves to UV rays, to gamma rays from nuclear decay

As you travel through the spectrum from left to right, each group increases in frequency and decreases in wavelength, which means increasing in photon energy but decreasing in range. At the low end of the spectrum radio waves and microwaves can travel thousands of miles and are used for things like mobile networks, satellite communications, TV signals and radar. At the other end we have ionising waves. Ultraviolet, x-rays and gamma rays can’t travel as far as low-frequency waves, but they’re powerful enough to alter atoms and damage organic matter – which is why we get sunburned, and why gamma rays from nuclear decay are so lethal.

The jacket lining is embedded with pure silver that blocks radio waves and microwaves.

It blocks radio waves and microwaves

Our Leather Shielding Jacket is part of a range of Shielding clothing we have engineered to block electromagnetic radiation. Its silver lining is engineered and tested to block radio waves and microwaves in the frequency range 30MHz to 10GHz. For context, the most common WiFi frequencies are 2.4GHz and 5GHz. Bluetooth operates at about 2.4GHz. And operating up at 10GHz are Ku-band satellites and radar systems. Measured at 51.5–61.1dB across this range, the lining reduces these signals to between roughly one hundred-thousandth and one-millionth of their original power in lab conditions.

A Faraday cage pocket for your phone

The jacket comes with its own phone shielding pocket, hidden inside the internal chest pocket, that works like a wearable Faraday cage. It completely blocks access to your devices, whether they’re switched on or off. Physically it’s engineered just like a pillowcase to totally envelop your device. Conceptually it’s more like making a pocket that’s entirely watertight… just for electromagnetic energy instead. So you shouldn’t be tracked, hacked, or even called.

How silver wipes out bacteria

Just like the copper we use to build our Full Metal Jacket, silver is powerfully antimicrobial. When bacteria come into contact with silver it releases positively charged ions which punch a hole in the cell’s membrane before moving in and completely wiping it out. The ions latch onto the bacteria’s DNA and prevent them from functioning or reproducing. It’s why silver is added to medical materials and devices around the world to help heal wounds and prevent the spread of disease.

The design is based on the A-2 flight jacket

While our Leather Shielding Jacket offers space-age protection, its design has an earlier vintage. It’s based on the A-2 flight jacket, adopted in 1931 as standard issue for the US Army Air Corps. The A-2 was engineered for open and semi-open aircraft, built with abrasion-resistant leather, knitted cuffs and waistband to seal out wind, a close fit to avoid snagging, and patch pockets designed for maps and gloves rather than hands.

Electromagnetic radiation is what allows energy and information to travel throughout the universe. Just not through this jacket.

The most famous leather jacket ever made

During World War Two air crews painted their A-2 jackets with squadron insignia, mission tallies and pin-ups, turning each one into a personal record of their service and what they were missing. War over, the A-2 became prized military surplus. Then Steve McQueen wore one in The Great Escape and made it probably the most recognisable leather jacket ever made.

Redesigning the A-2 around electromagnetic shielding

Although the design clearly references the A-2, the Leather Shielding Jacket isn’t a simple reproduction. Instead of copying a 1930s pattern, we re-engineered it and redrew the architecture of the jacket to create cleaner lines. We’ve added two large, side-entry pockets with a zipped interior pocket and a snap-fastening outer pocket. They sit flat over double-layer pocket bags cut from the same silver shielding material. There are also a sleeve zip pocket and a covered two-way front zip, while ribbed cuffs and hem echo the original A-2’s draft-sealing.

Why we’re tackling electromagnetic radiation

We’ve been working on future material science challenges since we started the company – from disease resistance and climate change, to space travel and resource scarcity. And next up is the electromagnetic spectrum. While it does a great job of helping information and energy travel throughout the universe, as we enter an era of cybersecurity breaches, geopolitical instability, the first crewed missions to Mars, and cosmic radiation exposure, it’s also going to present an increased threat.

The journey to radiation-proof clothing

Gamma rays might have turned Bruce Banner into The Hulk, but the reality is that radiation and human beings don’t go well together. Exposure to cosmic radiation will be a real threat on board future deep space missions, and we’ll need solutions to reduce radiation sickness and the risk of cancer and degenerative diseases. So while the Leather Shielding Jacket only blocks low-frequency waves for now, it’s our first step towards everyday clothing that’s fully radiation-proof.