Schott NYC’s story goes hand in hand with the story of American outerwear in general. Which isn’t really a surprise, seeing as the brand has been shaping — and revolutionizing — the market since brothers Jack and Irving Schott started making raincoats out of a Lower East Side basement in 1913. Take, for instance, the zipper. Schott was the first company to put one on a jacket. They also invented the leather motorcycle jacket, crafted the bombers and pea coats that kept American troops warm during WWII and beyond, and had a little something to do with that whole punk rock look that all the kids were talking about in the '70s. Now, with the third and fourth generations of the family overseeing things, and the lion’s share of the brand’s gear still being made in the States, Schott is proof that an American institution can stick to its guns and keep on kicking.