Fashion brands leather jackets: Is it worth the price tag?

[David Reza]

Thank very much for all your comments! I bought this Real McCoys in a flash sale in a Japan site so I think it was good deal, originally they sell it for 1,000 bucks but in the flash sale it was on 500. I'm kinda excited since I never own a leather jacket of this prwmium kind . I saw a post explained all about this particular jacket and I get in love . I asume for the post that this jacket has at least 20 years old so I don't know what to expect

 

[TLW '90]

I personally don't think any fashion or luxury brand names are really ever worth what they cost most of the time.
You're usually paying for the current popularity ,the trendy look, and the name.

I prefer to buy things from companies who specialize in making those things and known for making them well, not for charging a premium price just because it has their name and follows the current trend.

Buy things that aren't just made to only last through the current fashion trend.

 

[Fifty150]

I prefer to buy things from companies who specialize in making those things and known for making them well

This is the motor officer jacket from Golden Bear.

 

[AeroFan_07]

Welcome to the OP - you are asking good questions here and indeed, seeking some advice prior to dropping a rather large amount of money on a jacket is a good idea. To be brief: I simply avoid "fashion" brands overall, as well as "mall" type jackets as they are not my preference now. I certainly owned quite a few of them pre-Fedora Lounge.

As you can probably tell by now, most of us on here are much more concerned with fit, quality of leather & materials, accuracy to an original (if a reproduction) and where and how the jacket is made. Then there is the hide quality, the stitching quality, the panel quality, the lining quality and the hardware quality. Not to mention brining all these elements, which also include color, grain of the leather panel matching, shape of the collar, sleeves, pockets, zippers etc. into a cohesive complete jacket that is practical for usage on a regular basis. It take a lot of work to bring all this together!

I have a background of agriculture, so saddles, boots, dusty fields, forests, hard work and rural life appeal to me still today. Therefore, my personal preferences run towards heavier, firmer leathers, hard wearing and break-in of the leather as well as something that can take a good oiling of the hide once in a while. And if kept long enough (most of us around here had an issue with trading/selling on heirloom quality jackets much too often, so please be forewarned) these jackets will last a lifetime or longer. These are not generally traits you would find in a typical fashion brand jacket.

If you really want to learn this crazy hobby, and have much more ideas put into your head - start from the beginning of What Jacket are You Wearing Today thread. That's a lot of reading & photos to look through.

 

[David Reza]

Welcome to the OP - you are asking good questions here and indeed, seeking some advice prior to dropping a rather large amount of money on a jacket is a good idea. To be brief: I simply avoid "fashion" brands overall, as well as "mall" type jackets as they are not my preference now. I certainly owned quite a few of them pre-Fedora Lounge.

As you can probably tell by now, most of us on here are much more concerned with fit, quality of leather & materials, accuracy to an original (if a reproduction) and where and how the jacket is made. Then there is the hide quality, the stitching quality, the panel quality, the lining quality and the hardware quality. Not to mention brining all these elements, which also include color, grain of the leather panel matching, shape of the collar, sleeves, pockets, zippers etc. into a cohesive complete jacket that is practical for usage on a regular basis. It take a lot of work to bring all this together!

I have a background of agriculture, so saddles, boots, dusty fields, forests, hard work and rural life appeal to me still today. Therefore, my personal preferences run towards heavier, firmer leathers, hard wearing and break-in of the leather as well as something that can take a good oiling of the hide once in a while. And if kept long enough (most of us around here had an issue with trading/selling on heirloom quality jackets much too often, so please be forewarned) these jackets will last a lifetime or longer. These are not generally traits you would find in a typical fashion brand jacket.

If you really want to learn this crazy hobby, and have much more ideas put into your head - start from the beginning of What Jacket are You Wearing Today thread. That's a lot of reading & photos to look through.

Thank you very much!!!! There are so many things to learn! This world is so vast and conplex and so exciting! I appreciate your advice, knowledge and kind! I'm going to take your advice!

 

[high-maintenance]

absolutely not. you can get a better quality leather jacket custom tailored to your measurements at half the price.
unless youre aiming for a contemporary look, You should avoid buying luxury fashion jackets.

 

[Marc mndt]

absolutely not. you can get a better quality leather jacket custom tailored to your measurements at half the price.
unless youre aiming for a contemporary look, You should avoid buying luxury fashion jackets.

I strongly disagree. You're making a faulty generalization imo.

Of course you're paying for the brandname when buying luxury fashion, but the same holds for jackets made by companies we discuss here on TFL. I could name The Flat Head or Fine Creek, which I think are way too expensive for what they are in terms of quality (personal opinion). But I could also name Himel or RMC, which are generally speaking well built jackets but no doubt they're (heavily) capitalizing on their brand name. Just look at all non-leather jacket related stuff they put their name on in order to sell it for a premium.

Or Aero Leathers and Simmons Bilt. I would say their jackets are similar in terms of quality of materials used and construction. Yet Aero is able to ask a couple of hundred more for their jackets. Why? Could it be because they have a more desirable brand name? So how are the makers we discussed here on tfl any different from luxury fashion companies?

You should avoid buying luxury fashion jackets.

Why? Luxury fashion companies can make great jackets too. This Ralph Lauren jacket is better made than most of the Aero's I've handled. This is just one example but there are many more.

My point is, when it comes to quality there's no general rule why one should favor non-fashion makers over jackets made by fashion companies.

 

[Monitor]

You should avoid buying luxury fashion jackets.

Not the best advice to give on a forum entirely dedicated to luxury leather jackets.

 

[Carlos840]

Not the best advice to give on a forum entirely dedicated to luxury leather jackets.

I don't think anybody here sees Aero, Vanson, Schott, LW, Himel , as luxury brands...
When i hear "Luxury Brands" i think Louis Vuitton, Chanel, Gucci, Prada, Dior and brands like that.
I guess it depends how one defines "luxury".

 

[Monitor]

I don't think anybody here sees Aero, Vanson, Schott, LW, Himel , as luxury brands...
When i hear "Luxury Brands" i think Louis Vuitton, Chanel, Gucci, Prada, Dior and brands like that.
I guess it depends how one defines "luxury".

That's exactly what I intended to say.

Regardless, Aero, Vanson, Schott, FW, RMC, etc. are all very high luxury brands which are, in actuality, not much different than high fashion brands you listed; Just that we came up a set of justifiable standards which for us, sets these brands apart.

Merriam Webster defines luxury as "something that is expensive and not necessary". With brands such as Wilson & Carhartt around, not to mention H&M and Zara, this sentence describes every single brand being talked about on TFL. Vintage ones included as we're still paying a lot for these.

Also...
"unless youre aiming for a contemporary look"
There is no significant difference how jackets by many fashion brands look as opposed to brands we talk about here. Diagonal zip, half-belt and trucker jacket are current staple styles for many fashion houses thus the observation doesn't stand.

 

[David Reza]

I strongly disagree. You're making a faulty generalization imo.

Of course you're paying for the brandname when buying luxury fashion, but the same holds for jackets made by companies we discuss here on TFL. I could name The Flat Head or Fine Creek, which I think are way too expensive for what they are in terms of quality (personal opinion). But I could also name Himel or RMC, which are generally speaking well built jackets but no doubt they're (heavily) capitalizing on their brand name. Just look at all non-leather jacket related stuff they put their name on in order to sell it for a premium.

View attachment 387326 View attachment 387325

Or Aero Leathers and Simmons Bilt. I would say their jackets are similar in terms of quality of materials used and construction. Yet Aero is able to ask a couple of hundred more for their jackets. Why? Could it be because they have a more desirable brand name? So how are the makers we discussed here on tfl any different from luxury fashion companies?



Why? Luxury fashion companies can make great jackets too. This Ralph Lauren jacket is better made than most of the Aero's I've handled. This is just one example but there are many more.

View attachment 387327 View attachment 387328

My point is, when it comes to quality there's no general rule why one should favor non-fashion makers over jackets made by fashion companies.

This is mind breaking =O, this was very interesting!!!

 

[El Marro]

I strongly disagree. You're making a faulty generalization imo.

Of course you're paying for the brandname when buying luxury fashion, but the same holds for jackets made by companies we discuss here on TFL. I could name The Flat Head or Fine Creek, which I think are way too expensive for what they are in terms of quality (personal opinion). But I could also name Himel or RMC, which are generally speaking well built jackets but no doubt they're (heavily) capitalizing on their brand name. Just look at all non-leather jacket related stuff they put their name on in order to sell it for a premium.

View attachment 387326 View attachment 387325

Or Aero Leathers and Simmons Bilt. I would say their jackets are similar in terms of quality of materials used and construction. Yet Aero is able to ask a couple of hundred more for their jackets. Why? Could it be because they have a more desirable brand name? So how are the makers we discussed here on tfl any different from luxury fashion companies?



Why? Luxury fashion companies can make great jackets too. This Ralph Lauren jacket is better made than most of the Aero's I've handled. This is just one example but there are many more.

View attachment 387327 View attachment 387328

My point is, when it comes to quality there's no general rule why one should favor non-fashion makers over jackets made by fashion companies.

You were one of the people I was thinking about when I mentioned members who owned well made jackets by “fashion” brands. The other member who came to mind was @Radz108. It’s a shame that he has not been posting on here lately because he has a wonderful collection of jackets, including a cross zip by Coach that looked like it could be worn into battle.

 

[Will Zach]

Thank very much for all your comments! I bought this Real McCoys in a flash sale in a Japan site so I think it was good deal, originally they sell it for 1,000 bucks but in the flash sale it was on 500. I'm kinda excited since I never own a leather jacket of this prwmium kind . I saw a post explained all about this particular jacket and I get in love . I asume for the post that this jacket has at least 20 years old so I don't know what to expect

Hmmm, RMC jackets normally sell for over $2000, not $1000, and are rarely, if ever, on sale. Finding one for $500 would make me wonder about legitimacy. Plenty of Chinese fakes around. For your sake I hope the jacket is legit, of course.

 

[Monitor]

Hmmm, RMC jackets normally sell for over $2000, not $1000, and are rarely, if ever, on sale. Finding one for $500 would make me wonder about legitimacy. Plenty of Chinese fakes around. For your sake I hope the jacket is legit, of course.

Yeah, agreed.

 

[David Reza]

Hmmm, RMC jackets normally sell for over $2000, not $1000, and are rarely, if ever, on sale. Finding one for $500 would make me wonder about legitimacy. Plenty of Chinese fakes around. For your sake I hope the jacket is legit, of course.

You think so? Even if it's used? I think it's kinda old too

 

[Will Zach]

Oh, I thought it was new. If used and older, sure, it is possible to score one for $500.

 

[Monitor]

You think so? Even if it's used? I think it's kinda old too

Real McCoy's is possibly the best value keeping brand in the hobby and you could consider yourself extremely lucky to find any leather piece of theirs for under $800. Harley Davidson x RMC are held in high regard as they are rare and I never saw one being sold for under a grand.

I hope the images you posted weren't from the listing you mention 'cause these belong to a member of TFL who sold the jacket two years ago thru Grailed.

 

[David Reza]

Real McCoy's is possibly the best value keeping brand in the hobby and you could consider yourself extremely lucky to find any leather piece of theirs for under $800. Harley Davidson x RMC are held in high regard as they are rare and I never saw one being sold for under a grand.

I hope the images you posted weren't from the listing you mention 'cause these belong to a member of TFL who sold the jacket two years ago thru Grailed.

Thank you very much for all this knowledge! In fact some of the pictures in fact are from that member, since I could find other pictures to show you =S

These are some pictures from the one that I bought:

In fact, before I bought it, I wrote to an expert that I saw on YouTube he told me the same, that this particular model was kinda rare. But he doesn't explain me why

 

[navetsea]

Real or fakes who cares, if you receive that jacket and it fits then wear it in good health

 

[AeroFan_07]

Looks nice to me. Wear & enjoy it!
Post fit photos when you receive it...