Coach Leatherware No. 01
Coach (2013)

Coach Leatherwear No. 1 (2013) is one of three different numbered leather-themed fragrances issued as an expansion on the "Leatherwear" concept, and ostensible replacement for Coach Leatherwear (2009), which was a poor-selling masculine fragrance that launched the line. Most complaints centering around the original Leatherwear had to do with it containing absolutely no leather notes whatsoever, and it went ignored because Coach itself was centered mostly around women's handbags at the time. This fragrance and its two brethren were meant to rectify this problem, presenting three different shades of leather light to dark, giving male fragrance buyers a choice of proper leather scents from a brand that's supposed to be known for its leather goods. The big deal breakers here for these fragrances were more or less timing, lack of advertising, and no real interest in traditional leathers among the target customer demographic. Of the three, I think No. 1 is the most "classic" of the three, and the violet notes in particular make this the most-floral of the lot, for better or worse; so take that into advisement when seeking these out. There are a lot of things which use violet notes in the leather world too.

With Leatherwear No. 1 being the lightest of the trio, I was expecting something aldehyde-based, more tannery in texture, a la Knitze Ten (1924) or English Leather by MEM (1949), and I was not disappointed. This isn't the stiffest petrol leather out there, so don't think Hermès Bel Ami (1986) or Dior Fahrenheit (1988), but Coach Leatherwear No. 1 does lean a little bit more towards the latter with its petrol violet note vibe which lingers for the duration of the wear. The rest of No. 1 is dusty-spicy with nutmeg and coriander, topped with grapefruit, and based out with Iso E Super, pyralone, oakmoss, and vetiver, being oily but not super powdery thanks to some late inclusion of saffron and labdanum, plus the lingering nutmeg over violet. Performance is about average, and this was made in 2013, so don't expect oakmoss like in vintage Cabochard de Grès (1959), cuz it just ain't happenin' McGhee. Leatherwear No. 1 will scratch the leather itch, however. Best use is basically whenever since bright leathers such as these are more versatile weather-wise than anything darker or more-realistic to the smell of actual leather goods. Fans of the many midcentury leather-themed barbershop scents will find No. 1 most appealing methinks.

Leatherwear No. 1 is the lightest and most affable of the three Leatherwear numbered scents, but nobody was really shopping for throwback leather chypres in the designer segment back in 2013, the era when post-aquatic blue freshies and sweet clubbers were dominating the segment. Something like this was downright niche when it landed, and it didn't take too long for Coach to realize they had yet again missed the mark, even if they had done something far more memorable and artistic than the original Leatherwear fragrance co-launched by Firmenich and Estée Lauder. All three of these are long discontinued, only having lasting a brief two years on the market, selling for way too much money from scalpers who think they have something special on their hands because anything discontinued is "raaaaaarrreee" (ooh... aah...). With so many options in the leather category - especially ones that veer more classically chypre as this one does - that you can seek out without undertaking an eBay truffle hunt, Coach Leatherwear No. 1 is another "for rich collectors only" shindig that'll more likely end up sitting as pretty shelf decoration in the backdrop of 2000+ bottle collections of YouTubers, than actually being worn. Thumbs up.

Stardate 20180822:

To me this is a cousin of vintage Fahrenheit with some boot polish in addition to the normal petrol.
The leathery aspect comes from the boot polish.
Good stuff.

Nutmeg, vetiver
And the scent of oiled leather
Make this a keeper.

Coach Leatherware No. 1 is definitely the freshest-smelling of the Leatherware trio, and I regard it as almost a fougere leather without any actual lavender.

I mostly get leather with the spicy, herbal elements of coriander and saffron. Pleasant but daring enough to annoy some, as my understanding is that this tends to be the least popular of the trio.

It's not strictly masculine, given the mix of elements in it. It's arguably not a very "pure" leather in that respect, but certainly leathery enough to still be easily regarded as leather-dominant.

Performance is solid without being quite as strong as No. 3, but still solid for an EDP. Discontinued in 2015, I'm glad to have this as part of my collection even though it's certainly not my very favorite leather.

8 out of 10

This is a very masculine wearable leather. Great for warmer weather. It is a nice combination of leather with Vetiver and nutmeg. Agree that projection is average.
I have been reaching for this scent often after being alerted to its discontinuation here on BN. Happy to have picked up a bottle for my collection.

Starts of with a nice citrus that is assisted by a green note. The leather kicks in about 10 minutes later with saffron and light woods. Really good fragrance. Longevity and projection are average. 7.5/10