Field Leathers

[ton312]

History in this forum shows that makers can go from heroes to villains rather seamlessly.
I remember clearly when John Chapman of GoodWear was revered on a god-like status a few years ago, then the prolonged wait times and lack of communication made him loose that status and now we hardly ever see a post about him, and mostly in the classifieds.
Dave Himel was another super sought after maker that could do no wrong, and now he is well and truly in the naughty list according to most of the threads about him in the last couple of years, he’s even the source of mockery in some threads.
The list goes on with others that had their 15 minutes of fame like Diamond Dave, who disappeared to never return after his fallout.
Even Aero has had some rough patches here and when I first joined TFL, 90% of the posts were about them and the most positive reviews were about them too.
So I think this should serve as a reminder that this niche is quite fickle, so you need to play your cards well if you plan the long game and to stay relevant.

I think some of the pitfalls these makers experienced could’ve been avoided.

GW: Keep communications open. In this day and age emails, even canned response type, can be scheduled and sent. Sure it takes time away from making stuff. Maybe 10 minutes, but that will go a long way in keeping people happy.

Himel: He has always been risky with his choices. While some of the stuff is laughable, like the pig belly, he’s also made a slew of beautiful jackets. So the critique and subsequent jokes about some of his design choices are fair game. I feel his brand is arrogant, and I don’t personally care for that…but he can most certainly make very nice stuff. He’s also made some real duds. It happens.

Diamond Dave: To me his jackets did not look well built. He appeared to be in the apprentice stage and didn’t move beyond it. In my mind he was something of a non starter.

This latest offering from Field seems like a totally unnecessary social media stunt, I suppose in an attempt to get Instagram users who need to be spoon fed what to wear, in line for a jacket. I suppose Greg is banking on the pull of whatever group of people that fall under the spell of influencers….they will empty their wallets b/c IG tells them to.

This would make more sense for a larger company, with multiple machinists. One group works on these and that’s all they do. A one man band with a 2 year(?) waitlist….I dunno. Seems like more people will be pissed than pleased.

 

[Carlos840]

This latest offering from Field seems like a totally unnecessary social media stunt, I suppose in an attempt to get Instagram users who need to be spoon fed what to wear, in line for a jacket. I suppose Greg is banking on the pull of whatever group of people that fall under the spell of influencers….they will empty their wallets b/c IG tells them to.

I think this was always the plan, it's just the platform that changed.

In the beginning he saw people like Red devil, Marc and I as low level influencers on the only "social media platform" he had traction on, TFL.

After the Murawski video he moved from being only known on TFL to being known on IG and pushed by a known Influencer, he didn't need TFL anymore, he has moved on to a social media with a lot more influence than TFL.

 

[Fonzie]

The big difference with Goodwear is that JC is considered the undisputed master of WW2 wartime jacket reproductions, so his niche is very defined and established.
Others like Thedi have also achieved a unique personal style in his creations that is not only extremely skilful but also very creative.
Stu at Lost Worlds has the motorcycle crew and quality built credibility to draw from.
I see Field Leathers as a refined Aero style with more attention to details, but it is hardly unique.
He hasn’t achieved yet that cult status, so far he’s riding the wave of instagram “rugged workwear” influencers to give him popularity in his start up.
I wish him the best, but I don’t buy into the hype now.

As @JMax says, it reeks of GW 2.0 to me...

 

[ton312]

I think this was always the plan, it's just the platform that changed.

In the beginning he saw people like Red devil, Marc and I as low level influencers on the only "social media platform" he had traction on, TFL.

After the Murawski video he moved from being only known on TFL to being known on IG and pushed by a known Influencer, he didn't need TFL anymore, he has moved on to a social media with a lot more influence than TFL.

True, the audience is both larger and less informed. Win/Win.

 

[Imuricecreamman]

I think some of the pitfalls these makers experienced could’ve been avoided.

GW: Keep communications open. In this day and age emails, even canned response type, can be scheduled and sent. Sure it takes time away from making stuff. Maybe 10 minutes, but that will go a long way in keeping people happy.

Himel: He has always been risky with his choices. While some of the stuff is laughable, like the pig belly, he’s also made a slew of beautiful jackets. So the critique and subsequent jokes about some of his design choices are fair game. I feel his brand is arrogant, and I don’t personally care for that…but he can most certainly make very nice stuff. He’s also made some real duds. It happens.

Diamond Dave: To me his jackets did not look well built. He appeared to be in the apprentice stage and didn’t move beyond it. In my mind he was something of a non starter.

This latest offering from Field seems like a totally unnecessary social media stunt, I suppose in an attempt to get Instagram users who need to be spoon fed what to wear, in line for a jacket. I suppose Greg is banking on the pull of whatever group of people that fall under the spell of influencers….they will empty their wallets b/c IG tells them to.

This would make more sense for a larger company, with multiple machinists. One group works on these and that’s all they do. A one man band with a 2 year(?) waitlist….I dunno. Seems like more people will be pissed than pleased.

It's hard to see making a pretty generic version of the B-3 in standard sizing in collaboration with a famous youtuber as anything other than an effort to secure the business for the next couple of years. I've never been able to see how his current businessmodel could be sustainable considering the timeconsuming process with the custom jackets on such a small scale. I don't think banging out these jackets would make a big impact on current wait times anyway when you see how long the lead times are already.

 

[Momein]

I think this was always the plan, it's just the platform that changed.

In the beginning he saw people like Red devil, Marc and I as low level influencers on the only "social media platform" he had traction on, TFL.

After the Murawski video he moved from being only known on TFL to being known on IG and pushed by a known Influencer, he didn't need TFL anymore, he has moved on to a social media with a lot more influence than TFL.

Without taking up the gudgels for Greg, I don't think there's a real plan behind this like you assume. The way I've come to know Greg, he's driven more by his passion to make the best jackets than by cash or popularity. Certainly things can change. Don't get me wrong, I can well understand that people are pissed off who are now waiting even longer for their jackets because of the B3 project. I would be too.

 

[58panheadfan]

I think some of the pitfalls these makers experienced could’ve been avoided.

This latest offering from Field seems like a totally unnecessary social media stunt, I suppose in an attempt to get Instagram users who need to be spoon fed what to wear, in line for a jacket. I suppose Greg is banking on the pull of whatever group of people that fall under the spell of influencers….they will empty their wallets b/c IG tells them to.

This would make more sense for a larger company, with multiple machinists. One group works on these and that’s all they do. A one man band with a 2 year(?) waitlist….I dunno. Seems like more people will be pissed than pleased.

+1 Greg has limited time resources with his 2 man/woman team. Put simply, if he works 50 hours a week, that's +/- 200 hours a month. If he needs let's say 8 hours to produce one jacket, that's 25 jackets/month. He should also be aware of this and so he can estimate quite accurately how long the waiting time for a jacket will be based on the order situation. But if you have too many orders pending/accepted, the waiting time is pushed further and further back and ultimately only leaves customers dissatisfied. I don't know why he jumped on the bandwagon with this influencer who was non-existent a few years ago. But probably not the smartest move in relation to the current pending mountain, which only seems to be getting bigger. Apparently he already doesn't have the time to make urgently needed changes (e.g. his shoulder configuration). Let's hope it doesn't ultimately turn into an own goal, that would be a shame. The Time will tell...

 

[Will Zach]

Did I wander into a GW thread? Lol.

 

[Imuricecreamman]

Without taking up the gudgels for Greg, I don't think there's a real plan behind this like you assume. The way I've come to know Greg, he's driven more by his passion to make the best jackets than by cash or popularity. Certainly things can change. Don't get me wrong, I can well understand that people are pissed off who are now waiting even longer for their jackets because of the B3 project. I would be too.

This is the feeling I'm getting as well. I think it's just a way for him to stay sustainable, being able to follow his passion and having firm orders for "easy" to make jackets makes this a lot easier for him in the looooong run. Having a ton of refundable deposits for jackets yet to be made don't give the same security.

 

[willyto]

+1 Greg has limited time resources with his 2 man/woman team. Put simply, if he works 50 hours a week, that's +/- 200 hours a month. If he needs let's say 8 hours to produce one jacket, that's 25 jackets/month. He should also be aware of this and so he can estimate quite accurately how long the waiting time for a jacket will be based on the order situation. But if you have too many orders pending/accepted, the waiting time is pushed further and further back and ultimately only leaves customers dissatisfied. I don't know why he jumped on the bandwagon with this influencer who was non-existent a few years ago. But probably not the smartest move in relation to the current pending mountain, which only seems to be getting bigger. Apparently he already doesn't have the time to make urgently needed changes (e.g. his shoulder configuration). Let's hope it doesn't ultimately turn into an own goal, that would be a shame. The Time will tell...

I just don't understand the appeal of this guy collaboration. I've only ever heard of him here and I still don't have a clue why his opinion matters more than people on this forum or why it actually matters more than anything greg could do by himself. My guess would be that Greg wants to get more publicity and extra orders so he thought this client could be a gateway to that but then...it can happen what GW did

I guess I just don't get influencer culture at all and I don't care for it. .

Also delaying custom orders because of a project like this literally sucks. There's no way around it. it's a two person business and he can only make one jacket at a time which means that if he's doing these RTW jackets he's not doing custom orders for people who have already paid the deposit and are waiting on the line.

 

[Will Zach]

I just don't understand the appeal of this guy collaboration. I've only ever heard of him here and I still don't have a clue why his opinion matters more than people on this forum or why it actually matters more than anything greg could do by himself. My guess would be that Greg wants to get more publicity and extra orders so he thought this client could be a gateway to that but then...it can happen what GW did

I guess I just don't get influencer culture at all and I don't care for it. .

Also delaying custom orders because of a project like this literally sucks. There's no way around it. it's a two person business and he can only make one jacket at a time which means that if he's doing these RTW jackets he's not doing custom orders for people who have already paid the deposit and are waiting on the line.

He's an electrician, dude. What part of this do you not understand? Carry a lot of cred on social media because of that. A real man, a real job, a real jacket. Rugged!

 

[ton312]

I just don't understand the appeal of this guy collaboration. I've only ever heard of him here and I still don't have a clue why his opinion matters more than people on this forum or why it actually matters more than anything greg could do by himself. My guess would be that Greg wants to get more publicity and extra orders so he thought this client could be a gateway to that but then...it can happen what GW did

I guess I just don't get influencer culture at all and I don't care for it. .

Also delaying custom orders because of a project like this literally sucks. There's no way around it. it's a two person business and he can only make one jacket at a time which means that if he's doing these RTW jackets he's not doing custom orders for people who have already paid the deposit and are waiting on the line.

You don’t understand it b/c you don’t need it. You have style. You aren’t googling “how do I look cool and rugged”.

More power to influencers. Most people need to be influenced. Those people are not here and I think that’s why the whole thing is foul to us.

Greg is a talented guy, he deserves success. If this is somehow a means to that end then more power to him. This endeavor may well mean he needs to recruit other talents or the GW debacle may well be repeated and that would be a terrible shame.

 

[Carlos840]

Without taking up the gudgels for Greg, I don't think there's a real plan behind this like you assume. The way I've come to know Greg, he's driven more by his passion to make the best jackets than by cash or popularity. Certainly things can change. Don't get me wrong, I can well understand that people are pissed off who are now waiting even longer for their jackets because of the B3 project. I would be too.

You weren't even a member when the FL brand launched...
It happened on TFL, the entire early production was sold to TFL members, early test jackets where flogged by Greg in the classifieds for 200 GBP or less to stay afloat.
He entirely relied on TFL to get started, he offered people who posted reviews better deals (free mockup...), he was definitely trying to use TFL as an influence platform to raise sales.
I would be ready to bet that he knew who Carl Murowski was and that he would post a video on youtube/IG about his jacket when he placed the order, just like he knew @red devil and I would post a review of our Field Jackets on TFL had we ever received them...

 

[ChewingWax]

I’m fascinated by the latest discussion in this thread. I joined after the FL launch. I’m gleaning all this history of makers through reading old threads. It really is addictive. It’s a research project. If FL is screwing over existing people in the que to make these new jackets that’s objectively awful. If he hires on new people who’s only job is to pump them out with no effect on the que, that seems like a win win. Do we know for sure the new jackets are globbing up the works? Right now the discussion seems hypothetical.

 

[Harris HTM]

I still don't have a clue why his opinion matters more than people on this forum or why it actually matters more than anything greg could do by himself

15.900 followers on instagram. That's why his opinion matters.

 

[ton312]

15.900 followers on instagram. That's why his opinion matters.

Put the sheeple in sheepskin!

 

[Harris HTM]

Put the sheeple in sheepskin!
View attachment 500074

Nah, I would be reluctant to call them sheeple. It is however a matter of scale: how many people read this forum daily? 100? 150? Compare this with the 15.900 and you'll see my point.
As whether this will impact the production time, I also don't know. Maybe they were planning this a really long time now so they had already reserved some spare slots for the production of the shearling jacket.
And indeed I prefer either original designs or original isnpired versions, as what Thedi did with the B3. Or even the more practical interpretations made by Avirex (Cockpit) and Schott. But again opinions and tastes may vary.

 

[Observe]

Put the sheeple in sheepskin!
View attachment 500074

That better be the pony hide or I'm gonna flip out!

 

[Carlos840]

I’m fascinated by the latest discussion in this thread. I joined after the FL launch. I’m gleaning all this history of makers through reading old threads. It really is addictive. It’s a research project. If FL is screwing over existing people in the que to make these new jackets that’s objectively awful. If he hires on new people who’s only job is to pump them out with no effect on the que, that seems like a win win. Do we know for sure the new jackets are globbing up the works? Right now the discussion seems hypothetical.

The thing is the attraction of Field Leathers is the quality of the stitching that Greg can achieve.
It's one of the main points of the Murowski videos...
Greg has reached that level working for Aero for a decade, it's not a skill you gain overnight.
I doubt he can easily find someone who can use a sewing machine to his level and produce jackets to his standard.
The Murowski video makes it sound/look like Greg is making them.

Unless he starts going all Himel, where "I made this jacket" just means "My name is on the label"

 

[ton312]

Nah, I would be reluctant to call them sheeple. It is however a matter of scale: how many people read this forum daily? 100? 150? Compare this with the 15.900 and you'll see my point.
As whether this will impact the production time, I also don't know. Maybe they were planning this a really long time now so they had already reserved some spare slots for the production of the shearling jacket.
And indeed I prefer either original designs or original isnpired versions, as what Thedi did with the B3. Or even the more practical interpretations made by Avirex (Cockpit) and Schott. But again opinions and tastes may vary.

That was a joke and I absolutely understand the broader audience, what I don’t understand is why they exist at all. I just don’t get it. The chicks that link to Only Fans, that I can at least understand. But what role to “rugged” menswear influencers play in terms sales? I can’t speculate. But the exposure is certainly there.

As far as the jacket in question, I agree. I’d much rather plain cuff the sleeve and hem on an Aero B6. There’s a member here who did that and it turned out perfectly.
I did watch Carl’s YouTube post on the jacket. His thoughts on the shearling exposed at the cuff and hem being reminiscent of Santa made me laugh.