Complete rip off of Lewis Leathers cyclone in Clutch cafe, London.

[Edward]

It is also well known now that the Dominator and the Corsair may not be an original design by LL and that they might have copied an existing design of a then existing British competitor.

I believe I mentioned this somewhere above - Rivett's of Leytonstone were making the iconic Ton-Up, shirt collar / straight zip jacket under their Highwayman brand in the late fifties. Lewis bought out Rivett's at some point - I believe later than 1962, when they released the Dominator andCorsair, though I've never been able to trace an exact date. I know that well into the Seventies in many bike circles in the UK - notably, speedway racing - these were the to big rivals for leathers, and you were either a Lewis man or a Rivett's man. Lewis allowed the Highwayman brand to fall into disuse, which is how it was available for Aero to later take ownership of (there was a legal dispute between the two in, I think, the eighties as Lewis thought they owned the name because they bought the company long ago, but TM protection, for both registered and unregistered marks, requires that the mark be actually in use in order to stop people sitting on unused marks to damage competitors). The Aero Highwayman as we have known it for many years was based on an original Rivetts from the late fifties, but given an Americanisation with a boxier fit by Ken. The more recently launched Aero Original 59er Highwayman is a completely true to the original fit jacket, neater cut.

And the point about RRL being knock-offs of Levi's is being ignored.

In effect, don't they come under the same categorisation as the Japanese brands that preceded LVC?

This is a very interesting case. As many here know, I am a big fan of Japanese brands and love Japanese reproductions of classic jacket designs. The fact that Lewis Leathers is still making the same jacket does make it at least a moral grey area to my mind even if it is definitely not the same situation as Aero and Alexander Leathers at all as that is clearly a legal issue.

I personally would not be interested in buying the Addict models partly because I don't really like the Lewis Leathers originals, but also because I would generally prefer to buy the original when possible.

The Levi's angle is interesting. I own Conner's Sewing Factory jeans and adore them. These are copies of 1940's and earlier Levi's jeans. Obviously, these are not the same as modern Levi's, but why would I buy these when Levi's themselves also make some of these same reproductions themselves? Well, the fact is that the Conner's Sewing Factory versions are provably superior reproductions than Levi's own reproductions. In this case, I would not even call it a moral grey area. Firstly, Levi's stopped making these jeans years ago so their current versions are reproductions in the same way that the Conner's Sewing Factory models are. Additionally, if Levi's can't do as good of a job as the other company, I see no reason why I shouldn't go with the other company (in this case, a solo maker who has put an insane amount of effort and dedication into this project, all the way down to hand folding the seams and using only period correct sewing machines, measures that Levi's themselves do not take.)

This said, I have no idea if the situation is the same with LL and Addict. My guess is that it's not. I'm not defending Adddict. However, I am positing the idea that a reproduction from a separate company could be better than anything else currently available, even if it's made by the 'original' maker.

One could also argue Lewis are doing the same as Levis. While not in response to others reproducing their jackets, the Lewis that Derek now runs is not where Lewis were by the 80s; indeed, as I've heard the story told (including by Derek himself), when he decided to buy the company and rebuild it as a 'classics' maker, Lewis didn't even have the patterns for most of the classic jackets in their archives - he had to spend a few years buying originals and re-creating everything.

 

[Justhandguns]

This said, I have no idea if the situation is the same with LL and Addict. My guess is that it's not. I'm not defending Adddict. However, I am positing the idea that a reproduction from a separate company could be better than anything else currently available, even if it's made by the 'original' maker.

The issue is really an interesting one, as I said before, Addict jackets are not meant to be sold outside of Japan. Some of the styles are indeed 'clones' of the Lewis jackets, and some argue the quality is even more than a match, but selling the jackets so close to each other is still a bit odd anyway.

P.S. It is not just Clutch by the way, I just found out that the UK based online fashion shop Farfetch is also selling Addict jackets, possible some other places as well.

 

[dudewuttheheck]

I believe I mentioned this somewhere above - Rivett's of Leytonstone were making the iconic Ton-Up, shirt collar / straight zip jacket under their Highwayman brand in the late fifties. Lewis bought out Rivett's at some point - I believe later than 1962, when they released the Dominator andCorsair, though I've never been able to trace an exact date. I know that well into the Seventies in many bike circles in the UK - notably, speedway racing - these were the to big rivals for leathers, and you were either a Lewis man or a Rivett's man. Lewis allowed the Highwayman brand to fall into disuse, which is how it was available for Aero to later take ownership of (there was a legal dispute between the two in, I think, the eighties as Lewis thought they owned the name because they bought the company long ago, but TM protection, for both registered and unregistered marks, requires that the mark be actually in use in order to stop people sitting on unused marks to damage competitors). The Aero Highwayman as we have known it for many years was based on an original Rivetts from the late fifties, but given an Americanisation with a boxier fit by Ken. The more recently launched Aero Original 59er Highwayman is a completely true to the original fit jacket, neater cut.



In effect, don't they come under the same categorisation as the Japanese brands that preceded LVC?



One could also argue Lewis are doing the same as Levis. While not in response to others reproducing their jackets, the Lewis that Derek now runs is not where Lewis were by the 80s; indeed, as I've heard the story told (including by Derek himself), when he decided to buy the company and rebuild it as a 'classics' maker, Lewis didn't even have the patterns for most of the classic jackets in their archives - he had to spend a few years buying originals and re-creating everything.

If that is the case, then I would think that there is less of a moral issue with the Addict Clothing repro. That's just my view, however.

 

[dudewuttheheck]

The issue is really an interesting one, as I said before, Addict jackets are not meant to be sold outside of Japan. Some of the styles are indeed 'clones' of the Lewis jackets, and some argue the quality is even more than a match, but selling the jackets so close to each other is still a bit odd anyway.

P.S. It is not just Clutch by the way, I just found out that the UK based online fashion shop Farfetch is also selling Addict jackets, possible some other places as well.

Agreed. In the case that I mentioned, Conner's Sewing Factory are more accurate, not just arguably better made. In the case of LL and Addict, it probably is a bit more odd to have both available simultaneously.

 

[Monitor]

While it's still under debate whether it was Rivetts or Mascot or LL that first came up with the design of this... let's call it the classic UK bike jacket aka the Corsair / Highwayman / Champion / whatever (none of them did, really, as the style existed decades earlier with well known examples being worn by Luftwaffe pilots (tho even these were in fact based on either the French cycling jacket or the leather jacket design that was popular in Austria and Germany at the time, etc., etc.)), the Dominator, as such, is an original Lewis Leathers design and it was the first such take on the style that appeared on the UK market, with no other competitor offering the exact same jacket.

Which is, coincidentally and rather amusingly, the only jacket Addict is not copying.

But yeah, one look at Addict's website makes it clear what they're really all about. . .
http://addict-clothes.com/products/leather-jacket/

It's also amusing how they're making a knock-off of LL's Levi's Type-3 knock-off.

 

[Mich486]

While it's still under debate whether it was Rivetts or Mascot or LL that first came up with the design of this... let's call it the classic UK bike jacket aka the Corsair / Highwayman / Champion / whatever (none of them did, really, as the style existed decades earlier with well known examples being worn by Luftwaffe pilots (tho even these were in fact based on either the French cycling jacket or the leather jacket design that was popular in Austria and Germany at the time, etc., etc.)), the Dominator, as such, is an original Lewis Leathers design and it was the first such take on the style that appeared on the UK market, with no other competitor offering the exact same jacket.

Which is, coincidentally and rather amusingly, the only jacket Addict is not copying.

But yeah, one look at Addict's website makes it clear what they're really all about. . .
http://addict-clothes.com/products/leather-jacket/

It's also amusing how they're making a knock-off of LL's Levi's Type-3 knock-off.

Isn’t the AD-01 (first jacket on the website) an exact copy of the dominator?


Sent from my iPhone using Tapatalk

 

[Monitor]

Isn’t the AD-01 (first jacket on the website) an exact copy of the dominator?


Sent from my iPhone using Tapatalk

Nah, pretty close but it doesn't have chest pockets.

 

[handymike]

It's a Corsair- The Dominator has 2 chest pockets.
I would want one in their indigo horsehide
Or...maybe one from Sunset Bay:

 

[Edward]

On the Lewis / Rivett's issue, there's no question who made the shirt-collar jacket first: Rivett's, under the Highwayman label, ahd them in the late 50s; Lewis not until 1962.

Isn’t the AD-01 (first jacket on the website) an exact copy of the dominator?


Sent from my iPhone using Tapatalk

No, the Corsair. The Dominator is just a Corsair with two, horizontal chest pockets added; the Pathfinder was the same jacket with no chest pockets but a straight, front and back yoke at that same level to allow for fringing around the chest as well as down the arms.

 

[Mich486]

Nah, pretty close but it doesn't have chest pockets.

Right, well I can see why they are not making it then


Sent from my iPhone using Tapatalk

 

[Edward]

I'm sure there are other options available if you're just obsessed with sticking additional pockets onto a design.

 

[Blackadder]

The big difference with the Levis stuff, of course, is that afaik Levis weren't actively producing their LVC line when companies in Japan started doing so - as I understand it, LVC was Levi's reaction to the Japanese companies showing that there was a market for this stuff (in much the same way that, at the other end of the scale, Tokai once proved there was a market for cheaper Fender-style guitars built outside the USA - albeit that those 'budget' models were often better built than the real thing by 1980).

Far as I know, Levi's Japan started making high end repros with the big E collection. Levi's HQ saw the market and took back control with LVC.
IMO given the scale of operation of RRL, H&M, Zara and Topman, this discussion is way out of proportion. As to who made Dominator first etc, has anyone here based their choice of a trench coat on who invented the trench coat and who is the copycat? Burberry's or Aquascutum? Or Barbour vs Belstaff for a waxed moto jacket?

 

[Edward]

Certainly this is ultimately something that is absolutely SOP in the fashion world.

 

[Lit Up]

I know very little about LL, other than that I strongly dislike the patch.

They are now allowing you to omit the patch again. So you can start enjoying their jackets

 

[red devil]

They are now allowing you to omit the patch again. So you can start enjoying their jackets

Since when? I would have preferred mine without the patch... oh well, I like my jacket in any case

 

[lametcalef]

Haha, someone is doing an excellent business out there. Is it interesting how they manage to get out of the country all that stuff? Isn't it supposed to be sold only in Japan? I understand that there are particular dealers, but anything could happen. I'm also glad that my favorite underwear company shop.join-eby.com is an international company where I can easily purchase the stuff I need. Right now, my only hope remains to see all companies not change into national stores.

 

[Edward]

Finally tracked down when Lewis bought the Highwayman operation from Rivett's of Leytonstone: 1983. The British motorcycle industry largely died during the 70s; the very wide range of brands producing motorcycle leathers in the UK thinned out drastically in the 80s as British manufacturing more generally tailed off and many brands off-shored. Crucially, the brand had long fallen out of use, which is why the trade mark was available for Aero to register in 1983. (There was an attempt to challenge this from Lewis who thought they had bought the rights to use the mark, but it failed on the basis that the mark had been long not in use and thus was up for grabs.)