We reckon one of the biggies for us for 2024 will be a new, non-waterproof jacket from a brand nobody has ever heard of. That brand is Brema. And the jacket is called the Silver Vase.
Brema is an old, off-road, motorcycle clothing brand.
They were never really much known outside Italy. The brand was founded at the very end of the sixties, and their gear became popular in the seventies and eighties.
Breathability and comfort were always at the heart of the brand. They found novel ways of incorporating armour into their jackets and pants. But it was bold colours and the prominent use of the brand name that set Brema apart.
As a brand, Brema never totally disappeared from the scene, but there is no doubt that there came a point at which its star was no longer in the ascendancy!
It was a relationship with another famous, Italian motorcycle brand, Spidi, that brought Brema to the fore again. Spidi make some of the most stylish motorcycle clothing that money can buy; and it is this collaboration that has brought us the jacket we are discussing here. There will be other jackets and garments in the future.
We have never really come across a jacket quite like the Silver Vase. There's nothing similar out there to compare it with. But to try the Silver Vase on is to become a convert.
In some ways, it is not dissimilar to the Klim Marrakesh. But in many ways it is not like it at all.
Like the Marrakesh, it is not equipped with a membrane. This makes it highly breathable, although we would suggest that the Marrakesh, with its looser weave would flow more air. The Marrakesh is also a tougher jacket; the kind of jacket that you really could travel the world in. The Silver Vase is sleeker, more urbane; ostensibly far more stylish and fashionable.
But it is still a proper motorcycle jacket. It is rated AA under EN 17092 for abrasion resistance which, given how comfortable and easy it is to wear, is not unimpressive. It comes equipped with CE armour in the elbows and shoulders, as indeed is required in any CE approved motorcycle jacket. There's a pocket for a back protector, and we would recommend a Level 1, Velcro-equipped, D3O protector.
The jacket comes with no thermal liner and, as we have explained, no waterproof membrane. This is a jacket for the dry and the warm. But its stretch component will easily accommodate layers. And in the rain, a Scott Ergo Pro waterproof over-jacket will work perfectly.
The other components are all fairly straightforward. Four external, flap pockets, one of which is angled in the style of a classic, time-card pocket. You get one internal pocket. A poppered front placket. An adjuster mechanism at the waist. And the Brema logo in leather sewn onto both sleeves.
Truth be told, there's not much else to say about the Silver Vase. In many respects, it's about as simple and straightforward as a motorcycle jacket gets. But it's also about as stylish as a motorcycle jacket gets. And if there was an EN rating for comfort, the Silver Vase would be accredited AAAA!
This is a jacket you just have to try on. We've spent years telling people just how comfortable the Marrakesh is to wear and ride in; and it is. But in the Silver Vase the Marrakesh may have met its match. The Brema isn't really an alternative to the Klim. It does the some of the same things. But it's a very different kind of jacket; it's a much cooler jacket.
Try one on. But we can tell you now; do that, and you won't want to take it off. This really is a very lovely, motorcycle jacket!
