I tell you this, when I read that WL started a petition to keep Ken out of the factory, I was astounded. Surely, as the owner, Ken has every legal right to go whenever he wants. Surely just starting a petition would be grounds for dismissal? I'd have taken the petition and fired every name on it. But, y'know, I'm kinda petty that way.
-
The Fedora Lounge is supported in part by commission earning affiliate links sitewide. Please support us by using them. You may learn more here.
Aero Leather Clothing trial update
- Thread starter Sloan1874
- Start date
I tell you this, when I read that WL started a petition to keep Ken out of the factory, I was astounded. Surely, as the owner, Ken has every legal right to go whenever he wants. Surely just starting a petition would be grounds for dismissal? I'd have taken the petition and fired every name on it. But, y'know, I'm kinda petty that way.
- Messages
- 15,563
- Location
- East Central Indiana
Didn't I read in the testimony that Amanda and Holly seemed to clash somewhat after Holly questioned or offered to innocently help WL with a better eBay program before his shady auctions were revealed..??
Featured products
-
John Lofgren Monkey Boots Shinki Horsebuttt - $1,136 The classic monkey boot silhouette in an incredibly rich Shinki russet horse leather. -
Grant Stone Diesel Boot Dark Olive Chromexcel - $395 Goodyear welted, Horween Chromexcel, classic good looks. -
Schott 568 Vandals Jacket - $1,250 The classic Perfecto motorcycle jacket, in a very special limited-edition Schott double rider style.
If as suggested WL was planning to poach the staff for AL then a petition would have been another manipulative tactic to help compromise the staff and back them into a corner. If your boss puts a petition in front of you, it would be hard to resist. No one wants trouble with the boss if they can help it.
Superfluous
My Mail is Forwarded Here
- Messages
- 3,995
- Location
- Missing in action
As I review the underlying events, I cannot help but focus a bit on Toohey's involvement. WL let Toohey make jackets using Aero's machinery. Why? What was the purpose? What leather was Toohey using? What happened to the jackets that he made? What happened to the revenue from the jackets made by Toohey?
At or or about the same time that WL was organizing a mass exodus from Aero to AL, WL was allowing Toohey to make jackets at Aero. Thereafter, WL helped to create AL and, low and behold, Toohey became AL's Managing Director. Coincidence? I think not!
At or or about the same time that WL was organizing a mass exodus from Aero to AL, WL was allowing Toohey to make jackets at Aero. Thereafter, WL helped to create AL and, low and behold, Toohey became AL's Managing Director. Coincidence? I think not!
It was Edith Yardley who started it, WL and AS didn't sign it themselves - make of that what you will - but yes I'm told that it took the partner of one of the machinists to point out that they would face disciplinary action as a result of it and so they pulled their necks in.
As far as I know, JM is still at AL, he wasn't fired. He certainly knew all about the storse stuff, though he and the others insisted they never saw Will take anything. As far as JL goes, it's hard to know what happened or why, but Michael Rocks said that Lauder looked upon the staff payroll as a problem and was constantly trying to cut numbers, so I guess his wife would be a relatively easy subtraction to make.
Toohey's involvement is unclear, in as much as he had worked for Aero before but had left some time earlier - the 90s, I think. It could well be that Lauder was simply helping his mate out by letting him earn some money off the books using Aero's facilities and materials. The 108 jackets he made, as far as I know, were sold under the Aero label, mainly steer ones, and it's believed the majority went down south to London for sale there. Given the question mark over the number of cash in hand sales made by Lauder during his time as MD, I'd say it's difficult to know where the money was going, especially if the jackets were being made by somebody who wasn't officially on the payroll.
Last edited:
Edward
Bartender
- Messages
- 25,084
- Location
- London, UK
I rather think Jimi Hendrix might have scared the horses a bit in Mailland too.
First I saw of her was on a repeat off Happy Days, in which she appeared on and off as... a leather-clad, female bass-player. Which I'm sure was a stretch. Sadly, I think she's gone a bit senile: last I saw of her was an interview in the music press a couple of years ago, in which she claimed that there had been "no" female bass players other than her.
His wife's pay was made up for in other ways and she didn't have to work. I wonder if she received a severance package?
Yeah, #Steve_Toohey_of_Alexander_Leathers has slipped mostly under the radar in this trial.
The current MD of Alexander Leathers is a former Aero employee, who, whilst not employed by Aero, was being let into the factory at 4 a.m. by convicted criminal Will Lauder, and the two of them founded Alexander Leathers together.
There's more to that story than has been disclosed in court I'd wager.
Steve Toohey must know who Alexander Leathers mystery designer and pattern maker is.
I e-mailed Alexander Leathers for information about thier designer a week ago. Still no reply.
I e-mailed Alexander Leathers a week ago to ask if MD Steve Toohey is the same Steve Toohey that Will Lauder was letting into the Aero factory at 4 a.m.
Still no reply.
I think Alexander Leathers investors/owners need to understand that thier factory management are tainted, the staff they poached from Aero are tainted, and thier mystery designer is likely non-existent, making thier designs of dubious origin. The brand is so badly tainted, they should consider scrapping it, scrapping thier tainted staff, and employ new management and designers with original ideas IMHO.
If they do that, then they stand a fighting chance of re-branding the operation and taking some market share.
The way things stand, there are just too many question marks over thier whole set-up for me to consider putting my hand in my pocket for thier products.
They just don't have anything like the customer good-faith that Aero has.
In fact, for me to ever consider owning an Alexander Leathers jacket, I would need proof that it wasn't made from counterfeit or stolen Aero designs. I would need to meet the designer, and he would have to be able to show me his preliminary sketches, and design detail diagrams. I'd want to see photos of the design in its development stages that showed how the design evolved as it went from being a sketch on a piece of paper, to final version going into production.
That's what I'd want for my money.
Last edited:
ProteinNerd
My Mail is Forwarded Here
- Messages
- 3,902
- Location
- Sydney
Personally I think its time this thread was locked. There is nothing more productive to come of it, the trial is over, he has been convicted and sentenced and there is no way in Hell that anyone from AL is going to make any sort of official contribution to this thread or probably TFL forum again.
I think its time we all moved on and focused on appreciating quality leather jackets again.
I think its time we all moved on and focused on appreciating quality leather jackets again.
- Messages
- 15,563
- Location
- East Central Indiana
Has AL ever posted on the FL..?? I don't remember any of their posts.
Yes..I think some of us seem to be repeating ourselves with possibly big expectations that will never happen.
ProteinNerd
My Mail is Forwarded Here
- Messages
- 3,902
- Location
- Sydney
I thought maybe they had...but I might be confusing them with our old friend Drifter Productions...
Who are 'Drifter Productions'?
ProteinNerd
My Mail is Forwarded Here
- Messages
- 3,902
- Location
- Sydney
He is/was someone associated with AL somehow...it was never quite clear exactly what his connection was but he claimed to be the AL rep in the USA or something like that.
He also used to sell AL jackets on eBay under the name Aero Adventures to get around the whole trademarked name restrictions eBay put in place. He included Aero Adventures in the title name so people searching for Aero jackets would get a hit for his listings even though they were AL jackets.
He also used to sell AL jackets on eBay under the name Aero Adventures to get around the whole trademarked name restrictions eBay put in place. He included Aero Adventures in the title name so people searching for Aero jackets would get a hit for his listings even though they were AL jackets.
- Messages
- 15,563
- Location
- East Central Indiana
He posts here on occasion selling Alexander jackets mainly on eBay using the Alexander name...and also the Aero label to get more hits on his auctions.
- Messages
- 15,563
- Location
- East Central Indiana
Oops..missed your last post PN.
- Messages
- 15,563
- Location
- East Central Indiana
Yeah..kinda deceptive wouldn't you say?
Several members criticized him about using the Aero name but he never responded.
Come to think of it...He might as well advertise 'Aero' jackets made by AL. Wouldn't be too far off....
Several members criticized him about using the Aero name but he never responded.
Come to think of it...He might as well advertise 'Aero' jackets made by AL. Wouldn't be too far off....
tropicalbob
My Mail is Forwarded Here
- Messages
- 3,954
- Location
- miami, fl
He's apparently from Arkansas, but he lists on his resume under "Languages Spoken" the word "Gaelic." And I thought I had some funny stuff on my resume.
- Messages
- 15,563
- Location
- East Central Indiana
Funny..!!
The Celtic language of Ireland & Scotland...
[video=youtube;sWBUnixqX5g]https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=sWBUnixqX5g[/video]
The Celtic language of Ireland & Scotland...
[video=youtube;sWBUnixqX5g]https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=sWBUnixqX5g[/video]
Superfluous
My Mail is Forwarded Here
- Messages
- 3,995
- Location
- Missing in action
https://www.linkedin.com/in/bobbylanphier
https://www.linkedin.com/pub/robert-bob-lanphier/12/253/379
http://www.styleforum.net/forums/posts/by_user/id/165084
http://www.drifterproductions.net/Welcome.html
http://stores.ebay.com/drifterproductionsltd/
http://www.thefedoralounge.com/show...R-who-Jacket-in-Horween-Chromexcel&highlight=
http://www.thefedoralounge.com/show...upply-Horween-Chromexcel-horsehide&highlight=
http://www.thefedoralounge.com/showthread.php?71816-Aero-ebay-frustrations
Similar threads
