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Looking for Italian and Japanese Leather Jackets

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Last edited:

nick123

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I recommend Yahoo Japan wholeheartedly. You may find a new or gently used Buzz Rickson for approx $500 if you are patient. I think this has replaced ebay for me.

ETA: many LVC (Levi's Vintage Clothing) jackets are made in Italy as well.
 

Harris HTM

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But it's not like the OP budget wouldn't allow him to buy a real jacket.
I have bought Schott, Aero, Vanson and Lewis Leathers used but basically unworn on eBay for less than the OPs budget.
You can find great things with lesser known names for €250 and less.
It's pretty easy to find a great jacket sub €500 if you aren't set on buying Italian fashion...
Totally agree, that's why I recommended avi, dubow, hercules, wested, etc, on my first post!
Last year I bought a new Wested Indy for less than 200 pounds and it is one of my favourite ones.
If I hadn't spent so much this years in jackets and shoes I'd also get me a Hercules co.
 

marker2037

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I think the many people on the Club Obi-Wan forum would disagree with the posters here on what lambskin offers. Yes, if you buy it from mall brands the leather is usually sub par and very thin, but there are makers out there that use lambskin appropriately and the authentic, accurate Indy jacket manufacturers make jackets that last a long time. Wested, Bill Kelso to name a couple...

I think the OP probably doesn't have the same affinity or need for front quarter heavy horsehide that most in here seem to value highest.
 

Harris HTM

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I think the many people on the Club Obi-Wan forum would disagree with the posters here on what lambskin offers. Yes, if you buy it from mall brands the leather is usually sub par and very thin, but there are makers out there that use lambskin appropriately and the authentic, accurate Indy jacket manufacturers make jackets that last a long time. Wested, Bill Kelso to name a couple...

I think the OP probably doesn't have the same affinity or need for front quarter heavy horsehide that most in here seem to value highest.
You're right, when I mentioned lambskin I was indeed referring to the really thin hide used in mall jackets.
Once I came across a Bill Kelso, I don't remember if it was a lambskin or capeskin though, and the thickness and feel was much more substantial than mall stuff.
 
Last edited:

Mich486

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As others have said the best deals to be found are probably on yahoo japan but I think that’s when you know what you are doing which is often not the case at the beginning.

Japanese brands easily available in Europe are the Real McCoy’s and Buzz Rickson’s. Way out of budget for the OP.

Valstar makes interesting suede jackets imho.

I’ve got an eye on these guys too

207d4d8f73bef72d1319b757e0527c84.jpg


but they aren’t selling online yet and they seem to do very limited runs.











Sent from my iPhone using Tapatalk
 

Blackadder

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I think we need to distinguish the fashion/mall brand and fast fashion brand. It is true that the fast fashion like Zara, H&M, Topman etc made clothes that last a season or two because their customers are supposed to change their looks every season. Fashion/mall brands like Gap had some ok quality leather jackets. I own a second hand raw cowhide Gap type 3 style leather jacket and the quality is quite good. Sadly I haven't seen a leather jacket by Gap for quite some time. Not to mention brands like Monaco sometimes commission manufacturers like Golden Bear to make their leather jackets.
IMO, just go to the shops, take a look around and feel the leather and you will see the difference. Pick the leather and thickness you like, be it sheepskin, cowhide or deerskin. Lewis leather jackets uses sheepskin, shearling jackets are sheepskin. Lambskin if they are indeed from a lamb (which may be quite obvious because the jacket will look like a patch jacket given the size of a lamb) may be too thin but sheepskin is not necessarily bad.
 

Edgar Laurel

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@Carlos840

Do you generally think that lamb leather is not good?


@ToAll

Found some Italian Jackets

Piero Tucci with long tradition from Florence
https://www.pierotucci.com/en

D'Arienzo, established 1991. Some actors from the Gomorrah series have worn these jackets.
https://www.darienzocollezioni.it/store/it/

100% Made in Italy.
Probably no jackets to lie in a trench or to fly a Stuka dive bomber
But if the quality and the price are right and it is 100% made in Italy, perfect!
Lamber leather is smooth and very pliable, looks very nice but has little endurance. It's the so called "fashion" leather.
You should be going for things like goatskin, cowhide, horse etc.
 

Edgar Laurel

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No, lamb leather is thin and soft, and has poor durability, i would not spend money on it.
To be honest i would not really buy a jacket from any of the brands you have mentioned.
Other than Legendary USA they have all been what we call "mall jackets", cheap seasonal fashion jackets made from thin leather that are IMO very expensive for what they are.

I think you are better off buying a good jacket not made in Italy, it seems you attach more importance to the provenance of the jacket than the quality of it...


Edit: usually if you read this: "The Nappa lambskin leather is treated in a unique way to make it even softer to the touch." Run away!

If a manufacturer is trying to sell you "the softest nappa lambskin" you are buying crap leather!

I already told him about an italian small company that works with the same Vincenza leather that Aero works and uses the same good old styles we love. He seems oblivious or just too concerned with the pricing. If he can't drop the +500 right away well, maybe he should just save up for a couple of months and buy himself a quality jacket instead of burning his money away with something that will look like my dogs carpet in a couple of years.
 

Gabri

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Oh dear, I was half and day away and so much replays of you guys :)))

I will read all the stuff on my laptop.

But a fast questions on the way.

Somebody here told about Wested Leather.
I'm interested in the Whisky Jacket too, it's a inspiration of the movie Kingsman.

But I don't know, the prices are low compared with all the makers you told me.
And I don't know what leather they use for this jacket, there are no informations.
But with this low prices I think it's lambskin ?
 

Entropic Thunder

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46
Oh dear, I was half and day away and so much replays of you guys :)))

I will read all the stuff on my laptop.

But a fast questions on the way.

Somebody here told about Wested Leather.
I'm interested in the Whisky Jacket too, it's a inspiration of the movie Kingsman.

But I don't know, the prices are low compared with all the makers you told me.
And I don't know what leather they use for this jacket, there are no informations.
But with this low prices I think it's lambskin ?


If you want Japanese try Kadoya leathers, a lot of their stuff is in your price range.
 

Harris HTM

One Too Many
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1,883
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In the Depths of R'lyeh
Oh dear, I was half and day away and so much replays of you guys :)))

I will read all the stuff on my laptop.

But a fast questions on the way.

Somebody here told about Wested Leather.
I'm interested in the Whisky Jacket too, it's a inspiration of the movie Kingsman.

But I don't know, the prices are low compared with all the makers you told me.
And I don't know what leather they use for this jacket, there are no informations.
But with this low prices I think it's lambskin ?

Wested uses various leathers:
https://www.wested.com/leather-guide-35-w.asp
I think you can go custom for every style and ask for a specific kind of leather.
I own a goat Indy jacket from them, I bought it new for less than 200 pounds and I like it, I wear it as often as any of my more expensive ones.
 

marker2037

Practically Family
Messages
834
Location
Curacao/NJ, USA
Oh dear, I was half and day away and so much replays of you guys :)))

I will read all the stuff on my laptop.

But a fast questions on the way.

Somebody here told about Wested Leather.
I'm interested in the Whisky Jacket too, it's a inspiration of the movie Kingsman.

But I don't know, the prices are low compared with all the makers you told me.
And I don't know what leather they use for this jacket, there are no informations.
But with this low prices I think it's lambskin ?
Here is my washed lamb from Wested. I would have words with anyone who thinks this leather is not any good just because it's lambskin. But like Harris above says, you can get their jackets in whatever leather they have in stock. Don't be afraid to buy from them.

SAupNib.jpg


yCizH69.jpg
 

Imuricecreamman

One Too Many
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1,593
Here is my washed lamb from Wested. I would have words with anyone who thinks this leather is not any good just because it's lambskin. But like Harris above says, you can get their jackets in whatever leather they have in stock. Don't be afraid to buy from them.

SAupNib.jpg


yCizH69.jpg
Is this what's called "shrunken lamb"? Beautiful sheen and grain.
 

Gabri

New in Town
Messages
48
The Indi Jacket is nice :)

What do you think of Wested's Kingsman Whiskey Jacket? Could it be that it is a bit too short and something for "cowboys" who put their shirts in their jeans? :)
 

Blackadder

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