After the passing of our former proprietor Mr Derek Harris in June 2025, we continue to find inspiration in his words and personal style. In an interview for the Japanese motorcycle magazine Roller in 2022, Derek Harris offers some insight into how he became the world’s leading authority on Lewis Leathers.

15 April 2026

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Derek Harris: The head of Lewis Leathers. He is also famous for his world-class Lewis Leathers collection, which is so large as to be “nearly complete.” Using his deep knowledge, he pays careful attention to the goods produced, ensuring top-notch quality control.

SPECIAL INTERVIEW— Derek Harris (Lewis Leathers CEO )

The brand’s current head is also a world-class Lewis Leathers collector

Lewis Leathers is a leather brand representing the UK, and in late 2022, Derek Harris, the head of Lewis Leathers, paid a visit to Japan.

Under Derek’s leadership, the brand has continued putting out new products while keeping the spirit of the good old days alive.

We interviewed Derek, who is also a world-class Lewis Leathers collector.

All text ©ROLLER / WELLER magazine JAPAN @roller_magazine, rollermagazine.com

All photos ©Kentaro Yamada

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As the leader of Lewis Leathers, Derek has a hectic schedule involving visiting dealers throughout the world. First, we asked him to give us a bit of background.

“I have been the owner of Lewis Leathers since 2003. Up to that point, my work had been connected with Japanese businesses and primarily involved introducing fashion brands related to UK youth culture. For example, I was the one who brought brands like George Cox and Londsdale to Japan, not to mention Lewis Leathers, of course.”

Lonsdale is a brand known for their ‘60s sports products, and George Cox recently collaborated with Lewis Leathers on some shoes. They have a unique rubber sole that is well known even in Japan as part of punk fashion. Derek said he spent his formative teenage years in the London area in the ‘60s and ‘70s.

“I directly experienced the punk culture associated with the summer of 1976. Then, punk was a really small subculture, and I was lucky to have had the chance to be alive during that period. Thinking about it now, it was such an exciting time.”

In addition to punk, he was also passionate about football as a teenager, something that was basically a given for people his age. We asked him how he first came across Lewis Leathers.

“I think it was the middle of the ‘60s when I first noticed Lewis Leathers. Actually, there were two things that brought them to my attention. The first was, of course, the rockers. When I was a kid, my neighborhood was a place they used to ride laps through, and they would come through on the weekends wearing their Lewis Leathers. The second was football magazines. At the time, Lewis Leathers was putting ads in a variety of magazines in addition to bike magazines. I always saw Lewis Leathers ads on the pages of football magazines, and as a result, even though I didn’t know much about other leather brands at the time, items with the Lewis logo on them felt very familiar to me.”

Derek spent around 2 hours with us for the interview. The jacket he is wearing here is a new item that is planned to be released in the future. It has a sharp silhouette that almost looks like it was based on the design of a ‘60s denim jacket. The teacore horsehide is beautiful. 988 Western Jacket

After witnessing first-hand the golden age of UK youth culture, including rockers and punks, he later became a Lewis Leathers collector.

“In the mid-‘70s, seeing The Clash wearing Lewis Leathers had a big impact on me. I thought, ‘These guys aren’t wearing a fashion brand, they are wearing biker jackets!’ I couldn’t afford one at the time, but years later, I got one used. It was a 60 Corsair. Then, I obtained a 384 Bronx, and that is how my collection got started.”

Derek told us that he currently has around 400 items in his vintage Lewis Leathers collection, one of the largest in the world. Not limited to jackets, it includes other Lewis Leathers items including boots and helmets.

“At the beginning of the 1980s, the management of Lewis Leathers separated from the Isaacs, the founding family, and the company passed through the hands of a number of owners. They made changes to the classic items and to the patterns that had previously existed, and the brand’s overall style changed. I couldn’t bear to see what was happening, and I started visiting the Lewis Leathers stores and factories in around 1991. When I was there, I gave them unsolicited advice about what they should do with their products (laughs). At that time, I already had considerable knowledge of the Lewis Leathers vintage archive. I had been steadily building a collection of bike magazines from the 1920s onward, and I had carefully checked which products had come during what periods. I had even borrowed vintage Lewis Leathers catalogues from Johnny Stuart, the author of Rockers! I diligently researched Lewis Leathers’ history and the context in which each product was released. These were things no one was aware of at the time, and I worked to make the details of the brand’s background clear.”

Derek was originally connected to Lewis Leathers as a die-hard fan who, driven by his extraordinary passion, dug through the brand’s history. One might say it was inevitable that he would eventually become Lewis Leathers’ current leader. As long as he is in charge of Lewis Leathers, we can rest assured that the products will not waver, for there isn’t anyone alive who loves the UK’s world-class leather brand as much as he does.