They produce a trucker-jacket that when you cut the arms off, makes for a vest that will literally last you a lifetime if you care for it right. Now Machete’s was great quality, but the company stopped making them several years back, so Levi’s is my go-to of choice.

I’ve bought two brands of denim jackets in my life, one style from Machete (Rancid owned merch company) and one from Levi.

Denim holds its strength with age, when you add studs it holds up to its weight and the contraction caused by studding (more on that later), therefore for our purposes here, I’m going to heavily suggest the tough yet semi-lightweight fabric, denim. Yes, cotton works fine if need be or if you prefer something light-weight, but I guarantee you that within the first two years it will be in tatters. Yes, you can make a vest from any type of material, but why do anything that is so fucking time-consuming if you do not intend it to last for years. In an effort to let you cultivate your own style, I’ll attempt to only add in practical tips and techniques and forgo as much style advice as possible. The key to vest making, as in any art form (fuck you, this is an art!) is to learn all of the rules that govern the subject and then immediately disregard them and do your own thing. A sort of Punk Rock craft corner if you will, and this week’s lesson is to teach you how to create your own bad ass punk rock vest in 5 simple steps. Sometimes, however, doing it yourself is easier said than done and for this reason I’ve decided to write a series of articles here on Dying Scene to help you with your DIY undertakings. From promoting shows to creating your own punk vest one of the best things about the punk scene is its DIY mentality.

Denim rocker vest