The $1 Million Jacket and a Midlife Crisis: Why Jensen Huang’s Signature Look Has Become a Target for Mockery

For nearly two decades, the black leather jacket has been Jensen Huang’s trademark. The founder and former CEO of Nvidia made it as recognizable a part of his image as Steve Jobs’s black turtleneck or Mark Zuckerberg’s T-shirts. But following a high-profile scandal involving the billionaire’s alleged affairs, his favorite wardrobe staple has unexpectedly become a source of ridicule, with critics now calling it a symbol of a midlife crisis, The Guardian reports.

This week, Huang stepped down as head of the tech giant amid reports of several alleged romantic relationships. Almost immediately, online attention turned to his unchanging wardrobe.

The Cut published an article with the provocative headline “Jensen Huang’s Leather Jackets Confessed Before He Did,” suggesting a connection between the billionaire’s love of expensive clothing and his alleged infidelity. Meanwhile, New York Times journalist Anand Giridharadas questioned whether an expensive leather jacket worn by a middle-aged man had become the new symbol of falling victim to a romantic trap.

Social media users were quick to seize on the subject. Memes began circulating, including an AI-generated image of a leather jacket lowered to half-mast on a flagpole outside Elon Musk’s SpaceX headquarters. Another fabricated photograph showing Huang in a studded leather jacket also went viral, with many initially mistaking it for a real image.

There were also jokes about divorced fathers. “The Jensen leather jacket discourse reminded me of how two years ago I went to a party wearing my favorite biker jacket and a good friend said: ‘Great jacket. Shame you’re divorced,’” one X user wrote.

Huang has spoken openly about his passion for leather jackets on numerous occasions. In a September interview with CBS, he revealed that he owns between 30 and 40 of them. His wife, Lori, helps him choose what to wear.

The billionaire’s collection includes everything from fitted biker jackets with multiple zippers to crocodile-embossed designs and more understated, minimalist styles. Huang has worn them to technology conferences, social events and Nvidia presentations. In 2021, he even appeared on the cover of Time magazine wearing a black Tom Ford leather jacket.

In July, one of his signed Tom Ford jackets sold for $960,000 at a Sotheby’s charity auction — more than ten times its original retail price.

According to writer and stylist Peter Bevan, the leather jacket has allowed Huang to give his image a touch of rebellious attitude.

The garment's history is indeed closely tied to protest culture and rock 'n' roll. Marlon Brando popularized the black biker jacket in the 1953 film The Wild One. James Dean made it part of his on-screen and everyday style, while David Bowie wore a leather jacket on the cover of his 1977 album Heroes. The look was later cemented by Patrick Swayze in Dirty Dancing, John Travolta in Grease and Harrison Ford as Indiana Jones.

By choosing a black leather jacket over a traditional business suit, Huang seemed to be making a statement: he was not an ordinary corporate executive, but an independent leader who refused to follow conventional rules.

“Essentially, Huang is saying: ‘I’m not an ordinary billionaire executive. I’m a cool billionaire executive,’” Bevan explained.

In an October interview with CBS, the entrepreneur also revealed a practical reason for his preference for black clothing. Wearing the same style every day, he said, helps him avoid decision fatigue.

“Black is the absence of choice. It’s nice to wear the same thing every day because there are no surprises. Other people have to make three or four decisions, and I’ve eliminated that. When I wake up in the morning, I can immediately focus on the things that really matter,” he explained.

Huang’s fondness for leather jackets has not gone unnoticed by his fellow tech executives, either. In 2024, Mark Zuckerberg shared a photograph of himself swapping outerwear with Huang. Later, at the SIGGRAPH conference in Colorado, the Meta founder presented him with another jacket.

“It’s black, leather, shearling-trimmed. It’s a real look. This guy definitely needs a chain, too,” Zuckerberg joked.

In return, Huang gave him the black jacket he was wearing that day. He explained that his wife had bought it especially to commemorate the conference. “Now it’s worth more because it’s pre-worn,” Zuckerberg quipped as he tried on the gift.

However, Bevan believes that even the most expensive designer pieces cannot guarantee a flawless look. Huang’s jackets, he says, are genuinely the kind of pieces that fashion connoisseurs would appreciate. But a brand-new leather jacket can often look too deliberate and quickly acquire associations with a midlife crisis.

The biggest mistakes men make when choosing this type of clothing are excessive shine, an overly new appearance and a fit that is too tight. As an example of an unsuccessful combination, the stylist points to television presenter Jeremy Clarkson, who favors a black leather jacket paired with flared jeans.

Other men, however, have successfully made leather jackets an integral part of their personal style. Lenny Kravitz, who, like Huang, is now in his sixties, prefers distressed designs with a worn-in finish. John Malkovich opts for loose-fitting brown jackets, while rapper A$AP Rocky has made the leather bomber one of the signature pieces in his wardrobe.

For men who lack youthful looks or natural rock-star charisma, Bevan recommends considering cotton Harrington jackets. In his view, they offer the same relaxed attitude without the midlife-crisis associations.

Huang himself, however, may have to reconsider his longtime fashion trademark as early as next week. While his black leather jacket helped him strike a confident, informal note at technology conferences, the same look may be considerably less appropriate at the US congressional hearings where he is expected to testify.