Cal Leathers and Al’s Leathers: are they “related”?

[Aloysius]

The thick black silky lining on Cal and AL though is the best lining no doubt.

That is the endgame lining.

 

[Rick Dalton]

Hey everyone,


I'm relatively new to the world of leather jackets, especially compared to the many knowledgeable members here, so please take this as just a humble perspective.


I notice that a lot of the discussion—especially around Cal Leathers and Al’s Leathers—focuses on how heavy or thick the leather is, as if that alone determines whether a jacket is "better" or "worse." From what I’ve seen (and again, I’m no expert), the cut of the jacket seems like a much more important factor—especially in terms of how it fits and looks.


From that angle, I feel like Cal may have the edge—particularly when it comes to the design of the lapels, arms, and overall silhouette.


As for the leather itself: while I'm not an expert in hides, it seems to me that lighter, high-quality leather—especially with a nice grain or texture—can still be quite durable. If that's the case, wouldn’t it be a better option for everyday use, off the bike?


Curious to hear others’ thoughts on this.

 

[Aloysius]

I notice that a lot of the discussion—especially around Cal Leathers and Al’s Leathers—focuses on how heavy or thick the leather is, as if that alone determines whether a jacket is "better" or "worse."

That's simply because it was very, very unusual for the era. Vintage leather jackets tended to use what would be considered lightweight hides compared their modern reproductions.

Cal jackets stand out because they used unusually thick leathers and correspondingly overbuilt hardware.

 

[Rick Dalton]

That's simply because it was very, very unusual for the era. Vintage leather jackets tended to use what would be considered lightweight hides compared their modern reproductions.

Cal jackets stand out because they used unusually thick leathers and correspondingly overbuilt hardware.

That’s a good point—I hadn’t thought about it that way. I guess I don’t really have a collector’s mindset, where something is more valuable because it’s rare or historically unusual.

That said, when it comes to Al’s vs. Cal, I think my original point still stands: Cal seems to have the edge thanks to its more flattering cut, at least in my eyes.

 

[Aloysius]

That’s a good point—I hadn’t thought about it that way. I guess I don’t really have a collector’s mindset, where something is more valuable because it’s rare or historically unusual.

That said, when it comes to Al’s vs. Cal, I think my original point still stands: Cal seems to have the edge thanks to its more flattering cut, at least in my eyes.

It's not just due to the rarity; I mean people find it an interesting technical characteristic of Cal's design philosophy.

 

[Blackbrained805]

I am c

I love the old Cal stuff but I had zero success getting Gwen to respond to my attempts to communicate, including leaving messages with her employees, email and phone messages. Yes, I have six Cal / Star Glove jackets but I do not know other than the name and general patterns what similarities exist between the old Cal Leather and the new enterprise. The new CL certainly is not producing rock-solid motorcycle jackets in prolific numbers like the old CL.

I am currently working for the former owner of the ‘original’ Cal Leather. The new outfit next to the upholstery shop is unrelated to the original company in all manners other than using their name.

He said that the founder of Al’s was a former employee at Cal Leather. They were originally located on Ventura Avenue. I got to see one of the original jackets.

 

[Blackbrained805]

I am currently working for the son of the original owner of Cal Leather. If anyone has anything they would like to know send me a message and I will ask him. He still has one of the original jackets. I’ll post a photo when I get a chance

 

[jchance]

I am currently working for the son of the original owner of Cal Leather. If anyone has anything they would like to know send me a message and I will ask him. He still has one of the original jackets. I’ll post a photo when I get a chance

Thanks for doing this. Which years did Cal use its Red Label?

 

[Biff42]

Here are some Al's ads. I'm not sure if the Spellins were the original owners or if they purchased it. The first (and oldest) ad I found was from 1984.

 

[Bluechel]

I am currently working for the son of the original owner of Cal Leather. If anyone has anything they would like to know send me a message and I will ask him. He still has one of the original jackets. I’ll post a photo when I get a chance

Ask him if there were STAR/Cal hybrids during the branding transition?

 

[Biff42]

Ask him if there were STAR/Cal hybrids during the branding transition?

If he comes back to the forum, I'd be curious to know who his boss is and when they took it over. Star Glove was sold in the early 40's and how it got into the current ownership isn't clear to me.

 

[Bluechel]

Leatherman jackets made by multiple makers, including Cal, maybe Al’s and definitely JL.

Definitely Al's....as well.

 

[Bluechel]

This is a label from a jacket that is not my jacket. Mine has no label.
View attachment 379342

And here's one of mine...definitely Al's...