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Best mouton for collars?

Sir Jacket

Practically Family
Messages
855
Location
London, United Kingdom
Who do loungers think makes the best quality mouton collars for leather jackets? I hear John Chapman of Goodwear uses old fur coats because he thinks modern mouton doesn't cut it (either not plush enough or too dense and lacking water repellent qualities).

Real McCoy's also seems to use some very nice wool for its ANJ-4, for example.

As importantly as the above question, could one obtain good quality mouton independently, do you think?

I am thinking of a black Hercules type jacket with gold mouton.
 

devilish

A-List Customer
Messages
473
Location
Devon
John does indeed use vintage coats he collects from charity shops. The collar on my GW 55-J-14 is lovely stuff. It's gradually fading to that golden brown collar seen on some period jackets.

If I were you, that's where I'd start looking too. Charity shops, Etsy or EBay. Seems nobody really wants those kind of coats much these days and can be had relatively cheap. Cheap enough to not care about cutting them up to make a collar for a nice leather anyway.
 

Sir Jacket

Practically Family
Messages
855
Location
London, United Kingdom
John does indeed use vintage coats he collects from charity shops. The collar on my GW 55-J-14 is lovely stuff. It's gradually fading to that golden brown collar seen on some period jackets.

If I were you, that's where I'd start looking too. Charity shops, Etsy or EBay. Seems nobody really wants those kind of coats much these days and can be had relatively cheap. Cheap enough to not care about cutting them up to make a collar for a nice leather anyway.

Thanks, @devilish. Do we know what sorts of vintage coats John uses, exactly? What should you be looking for?
 

El Marro

My Mail is Forwarded Here
Messages
3,605
Location
California
Look for "mouton fur coat" on eBay and you will find plenty to choose from. I bought a vintage woman's coat for $30.00 with a very nice chestnut brown fur. Aside from a couple small bald patches most of the coat is in perfect condition. I have used it to replace the collar on two G-1s I own and I probably have enough mouton for another 10 or so.
 

Sir Jacket

Practically Family
Messages
855
Location
London, United Kingdom
Look for "mouton fur coat" on eBay and you will find plenty to choose from. I bought a vintage woman's coat for $30.00 with a very nice chestnut brown fur. Aside from a couple small bald patches most of the coat is in perfect condition. I have used it to replace the collar on two G-1s I own and I probably have enough mouton for another 10 or so.

Thanks for tip. I wonder if Aero would use someone else's mouton.
 

robrinay

One Too Many
Messages
1,490
Location
Sheffield UK
I've got an old mouton 'beaver lamb' coat from a charity shop and it looks great from the fur side but from the skin side you can see it's made of lots of smaller pieces - same principle as on a mink coat - a special sewing machine is used to join the small furs to make the appearance of a 'continuous' fur. This makes cutting out a collar in one piece quite hard. I've got another made from large pieces of lamb - much better! so be careful when buying old mouton fur coats for collars.
 
Messages
17,512
Location
Chicago
Alan at Johnson Leathers made this snap on for my jacket. It's super plush mouton. If I lean my head to the side I fall asleep.
IMG_2049.JPG
 

photo2u

Call Me a Cab
Messages
2,363
Location
claremont california
Who do loungers think makes the best quality mouton collars for leather jackets? I hear John Chapman of Goodwear uses old fur coats because he thinks modern mouton doesn't cut it (either not plush enough or too dense and lacking water repellent qualities).

Real McCoy's also seems to use some very nice wool for its ANJ-4, for example.

As importantly as the above question, could one obtain good quality mouton independently, do you think?

I am thinking of a black Hercules type jacket with gold mouton.


Long Ago, I purchased some mouton from john. I knew I would need them in the near future. I think that old fur coats are excellent source for nice mouton. I also thinking that the mouton material from this old coats have such a nice feel for them
 

jeepjeep13

One of the Regulars
Messages
233
Hey just saw this old thread and wanted to piggyback off of it if I can by asking a similar question; how does mouton age? Obviously I have seen really old jackets with fur loss, etc. I guess I’m trying to figure out how to keep mine from staying plush and soft vs eventually becoming wire like, short and curly.
 

Deacon211

One Too Many
Messages
1,012
Location
Kentucky
Hey just saw this old thread and wanted to piggyback off of it if I can by asking a similar question; how does mouton age? Obviously I have seen really old jackets with fur loss, etc. I guess I’m trying to figure out how to keep mine from staying plush and soft vs eventually becoming wire like, short and curly.

Others would know better, but my recollection is that modern mouton tends to be like that. For whatever reason, the way that older mouton was processed keeps it straighter though it will still age over time.

That’s why so many repro makers use old coats; if they can source enough of them to meet demand.

I have also heard that old mouton can still show fur loss and one maker told me that they really wring a piece out to ensure that the needles don’t come off the tree-as it were-before it gets sewn on the jacket.

I’m sure more knowledgeable folks will have more to say on the matter.


Sent from my iPhone using Tapatalk
 

Pio

New in Town
Messages
21
Location
London - UK
I would like to replace the mouton on one of my old Aero jackets. Is there anyone you could recommend here in the UK that could do such a job?
 

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