Interesting discussion. I think @Big J is spot on. Value is subjective. Moreover, pricing is non-linear and, as one pursues the finer, esoteric details and nuances incorporated into superlative products, one must pay a non-linear premium. Many subjectively believe the non-linear premium associated with superlative products is excessive. That is a perfectly appropriate and rational perspective. However, it is equally appropriate to want superlative products and to believe that the non-linear pricing associated with superlative products is money well spent fore the incremental quality/benefit.
The RMC jacket at issue is gorgeous -- the construction and materials are superlative. If someone is seeking a superlative jacket and is willing to pay a non-linear premium for the outstanding materials, construction and appearance, that is their prerogative. More important to this discussion, that is a rational decision based on a subjective determination of value and the incremental benefits of the RMC jacket over other available options.
Some say this particular RMC jacket is no better than similar jackets offered by certain competitors. That too is an opinion and subject to debate. Others believe the RMC jacket is palpably better than its competitors. Yet another opinion. Arguments exist in both directions, and there is no objective answer.
The bottom line is this: If one perceives the RMC jacket as better than its competitors and has the financial means to buy it notwithstanding the non-linear pricing, I say good for them! Why would anyone be bothered by this?
The foregoing concepts are not unique to the jacket or clothing industry. One must pay a non-linear premium for superlative products in most sectors. Is a Ferrari worth five BMWs or six Corvettes? For many, the answer is an emphatic yes.
The thing I take exception with is the disparagement of people willing to pay non-linear premiums for superlative products that they perceive as better than the competition. "A fool and his money . . . " Why call someone a fool simply because they perceive a product as superlative, and palpably better than other similar products, and they are willing and able to pay the premium for that superlative product? Live and let live.
That’s just it isn’t it!?? The irony of the upper class modern man paying out huge sums of money to wear a reproduction of a poor mans piece of clothing. The soft handed man in his rugged clothing. LOL. It’s a costume party. I’m guilty of it too. Maybe we all are but at a certain point it becomes plain silly.
I think the shops are inflating prices. I recently bought 2 Freewheelers jackets directly from Japan, they were 2/3 the price.
Here is another
https://clutch-cafe.com/products/buzz-ricksons-br14140-b-3-mono-tone
This hobby is becoming more expensive every year and RMC charging such prices could be one of the causes. Thought?
First, I seriously doubt that RMC's pricing on this particular jacket, nor on any other jacket, has caused a broader shift in pricing my other manufacturers. RMC does not have that market influence.
Second, the RMC jacket in question is a quasi-special edition piece that is priced higher than the majority of RMC's other jackets. RMC's popular Buco J-100 repro is *only* 183,000 yen: https://www.realmccoys.co.jp/catalog/products/detail.php?product_id=4330&pg= . Therefore, using the subject RMC jacket as a benchmark for RMC's overall pricing is not accurate. The more popular RMC jackets are priced lower.
Third, RMC's Buco J-100 repro was similarly priced in 2014 when I purchased one and has not materially increased in price over the past several years. Therefore, it appears that RMC may be bucking the trend of price increases cited in your post and by others in this thread.
Fourth, as laymen, we do not understand the reasons for the price increases recently implemented by certain manufacturers. We do not understand the recent changes in their costs, if any. It is easy to assume that the manufacturers are merely being greedy, without any underlying cost changes. However, it may be the case that recent price increases were driven by underlying changes in costs that are unknown to consumers.
Fifth, if the recent price hikes are in fact the product of greedy manufacturers, as opposed to underlying cost changes, this presents an excellent opportunity for other manufacturers to fill the void by supplying the same quality products for lower prices.
Sixth, one must roll with and adapt to price increases that are inevitable in all industries. Some will pursue different products. Others will bite the bullet and pay the increased prices. Some will make compromises. This is the nature of the beast. Over time, prices increase. Hopefully, our incomes also increase. If not, we need to adjust our purchasing habits. This is nothing new and certainly not unique to the jacket industry. I wish I could buy a current model Ferrari at past pricing. I wish I could buy my parents' home for the price they paid in 1967. But, alas, prices increase and we adapt.
But yeah, I completely agree with everything @BigJ said ITT. Especially with the part that "we" have done this. Not me, I'm poor af but TFL, combined with SF and Supertalk definitely had an impact on the prices of these jackets. Not VLJ though as nobody knows that place even exists.
Yep, the “I want to look like that” gram. Gone are the days of trolling eBay, experiments and failures in the vintage market, learning about your own style. Now it’s just point and click and that’ll be $3k thank you very much. Next!Let’s not forget Instagram, I think these days it is one of the main ways people get to know about the brands we discuss here. It’s a very powerful visual tool, just pictures no words, straight to the point.
Sent from my iPhone using Tapatalk
'A fool and his money, etc', yes that's interesting isn't it?
Since the vast majority of rich people don't go bankrupt immediately, I can only deduce that they aren't fools.
When you've got a million dollar sports car, private jet, several holiday homes, and still in the black, a 3k GBP jacket is chump change.
I've often wondered if...
A) 'A fool and his money' was invented by poor people as a panacea to explain why they aren't high-rollers. Or...
B) a lie propagated by the rich to stop the resent of the poor from boiling over?
Either way, if your response is 'A fool and his money', then you are poor and not likely to have to worry about the burden of affluence. Lucky you.
3 grand is nothing to rich people.
When asked how to become a millionaire, Richard Branson replied: "You start by being a billionaire."Michael Jackson was another one: millionaire income, billionaire spending habits; that's why we hear the Beatles on TV adverts nowadays.
I wanted go there.... but held back. I didn’t want to politicize this subject which I suppose you didn’t necessarily. But that’s a fine line. I can go on and on this subject but will refrain... other than to say you’re pretty near the point here. There’s a lot at hand....and it ain’t pretty.Well, I'm a natural cynic, so I see this as part of a larger trend. The trend marking the end of postwar prosperity and social equality (or something).
In recent years, a lot of the social benefits that our grandfathers generation was rewarded with for the sacrifices they made in WWII, social benefits our parents just took for granted as 'progress', are being rolled back.
The rich are getting richer, and the 'middle class' has been gutted. Being a 'white collar professional' is closer to blue collar than it ever was in the postwar era.
And the pricing of this jacket reflects this return to an era without post WWII social rewards; working people will buy one of these golden era repro jackets and wear the hell out of it for years and hand it down, just like they would have done in the 30's and 40's.
Celebrities, captains of industry, sports heroes, and those with a trust fund can afford to collect.
The era of postwar prosperity and the illusion of 'social equality' is over! It's back to business as usual; ordinary people are content to have 'enough', luxuries are for the elite!
Let them wear mall jackets!
Well, I'm a natural cynic, so I see this as part of a larger trend. The trend marking the end of postwar prosperity and social equality (or something).
In recent years, a lot of the social benefits that our grandfathers generation was rewarded with for the sacrifices they made in WWII, social benefits our parents just took for granted as 'progress', are being rolled back.
The rich are getting richer, and the 'middle class' has been gutted. Being a 'white collar professional' is closer to blue collar than it ever was in the postwar era.
And the pricing of this jacket reflects this return to an era without post WWII social rewards; working people will buy one of these golden era repro jackets and wear the hell out of it for years and hand it down, just like they would have done in the 30's and 40's.
Celebrities, captains of industry, sports heroes, and those with a trust fund can afford to collect.
The era of postwar prosperity and the illusion of 'social equality' is over! It's back to business as usual; ordinary people are content to have 'enough', luxuries are for the elite!
Let them wear mall jackets!
First, I seriously doubt that RMC's pricing on this particular jacket, nor on any other jacket, has caused a broader shift in pricing my other manufacturers. RMC does not have that market influence.
...........
Third, RMC's Buco J-100 repro was similarly priced in 2014 when I purchased one and has not materially increased in price over the past several years. Therefore, it appears that RMC may be bucking the trend of price increases cited in your post and by others in this thread.
Fourth, as laymen, we do not understand the reasons for the price increases recently implemented by certain manufacturers. We do not understand the recent changes in their costs, if any. It is easy to assume that the manufacturers are merely being greedy, without any underlying cost changes. However, it may be the case that recent price increases were driven by underlying changes in costs that are unknown to consumers.
Fifth, if the recent price hikes are in fact the product of greedy manufacturers, as opposed to underlying cost changes, this presents an excellent opportunity for other manufacturers to fill the void by supplying the same quality products for lower prices.
.
Sure prices increase with inflation and demand, and the prices increase seen and discussed recently are higher than inflation. So that would potentially be due to demand, and not an increase in manufacturing costs.
So overall, is our niche becoming more popular and causing prices to rise? Seems quite plausible.