Lost Worlds owners leather question

[Stillmaticbeat]

anyone have a lost worlds ryder in russet size 36 they want to sell to me pm please

 

[apba1166]

Hi apba,
Just wondering, why did you shorten the Downtown? (I lengthened my Barnstormer - I often find 3/4 length jackets just a little short: I prefer them to fully cover my posterior and then some.)

I bought it second-hand that way. Works kind of nice, it's somewhere btw waist and 3/4, ends just around mid-pocket.

 

[Worf]

I recently contacted Lost Worlds about making me a Black A2 Custom. In my current size it'd cost me a pretty penny. I'd pull the trigger (particularly since I'm close to them and could pick it up when done), but the cost is a month of my son's college tuition. Much as I'd love to, Freddy the Freshman has to eat... sleep and go to school... sigh. LOL...

Worf

 

[karhu21]

Wait until the summer Worf.
The young guy will be on vacation from college and will be making a few bucks from a summer job.
You could do worse than spend a month of the tuition fees on a jacket for yourself once in a blue moon!

You deserve it Worf!!

 

[Todd V]

I have a 36 from the sale page. Sorry it is not for sale. Consider getting one from the sale page while you can. A used one purchased at full price would cost more than the sale version! Easily some of the best money I've ever spent on clothing.

 

[Big J]

Whoah! Zombie thread comes back to life!

LW's leather and construction quality is pretty awesome, but then it should be at the price. I think that LW's image unfairly suffers from the garbage Stu spills all over his website; I want his jackets, not his opinions. If he could learn to self-censor, and let the quality of his jackets speak for itself, there's no reason why he wouldn't be seen as a serious alternative to some of the high-end Japanese manufacturers, but...
he just can't help himself, and I'm sure that at that price point, many customers are expecting a little more professionalism. After all if they have any problem with their order, is Stu going to unload a stream of invective brain diarrhea at them, or is he going to handle their case in the manner that customers paying 1000's of USD would expect? One rule of business from Japan, 'The customer is god'.

Worf! Did Freddy graduate yet? Did you get that jacket? A big round of applause for you- I feel your pain. People often say to me things like, 'You have a lot of jackets' or, 'You have so many boots' but they DON'T see the Rolex I haven't got, and my non-runner drop-top Jaguar purring like a kitten, because my kids are literally vampires sucking the bucks out of my wallet as fast as I can put them there! And, like any good father, I don't want to just give them everything that they need, I'm trying to give them as much of what they want as I can too.

I salute Worf, and all you other Lounger fathers out there, who have had to put that want-so-bad purchase to the bottom of the priority list because family comes first.

 

[Monitor]

I think he's actually somewhat serious in Japan. LW stuff is being sold by a couple of Rakuten stores which of course means he's been making business deals there. From what I heard, most of Stu's business also comes from Japan which makes his drivels even more inane but that's another story altogether. Honestly, the stuff on that site is so disconnected from reality that I've even stopped factoring it in and at this point there's very little he could say that would make me not want a LW jacket. The only reason why they're not on the top of my list are the designs which I personally don't terribly interesting. Plus the whole Schott knockoffs. I love that LW cop jacket, though. He's the only one making a repro of it and it's a tremendous jacket.

 

[ButteMT61]

It's funny - I've never had any bad emails/calls with Stu. I guess it's just all personalities.
The jackets can't be knocked, so as long as I don't get insulted, I'm OK with him.
And I find the website humorous in it's 90's look. Yeah, it induces headaches, but whatever. It's a free market and if people need to be coddled to buy a jacket then that's OK too. I've done both, and while I don't really care either way, I'd probably have a beer with any of the guys making jackets and have fun.

 

[Otter]

Love the jackets; hate the website. The first time I saw it I assumed it was one of those that you run into now and again, still there, but long abandoned. A bit like a long closed corner shop with stock still displayed in the windows. The town of Bodie in California springs to mind when I think about it, charming in its way but from a different century.

 

[ButteMT61]

Love the jackets; hate the website. The first time I saw it I assumed it was one of those that you run into now and again, still there, but long abandoned. A bit like a long closed corner shop with stock still displayed in the windows. The town of Bodie in California springs to mind when I think about it, charming in its way but from a different century.

Well, Bodie IS a ghost town

 

[2wheelgrplr]

I think he's actually somewhat serious in Japan. LW stuff is being sold by a couple of Rakuten stores which of course means he's been making business deals there. From what I heard, most of Stu's business also comes from Japan which makes his drivels even more inane but that's another story altogether. Honestly, the stuff on that site is so disconnected from reality that I've even stopped factoring it in and at this point there's very little he could say that would make me not want a LW jacket. The only reason why they're not on the top of my list are the designs which I personally don't terribly interesting. Plus the whole Schott knockoffs. I love that LW cop jacket, though. He's the only one making a repro of it and it's a tremendous jacket.

When I bought my LW Buco Rider from a moto shop in Brooklyn some years ago, I remember them telling me that they were pretty much the only physical store in the US stocking LW jackets (UnionGarageNYC). The rest were - some online orders, and the majority made for the Japan market.

Same place as you. As much as I like LW jackets, I find a lot of his designs don't quite do it for me. My Buco Rider jacket is distinct enough, which is why I chose it, instead of their Easy Ryder which, of course, looks very much like my Schott 141! And yes, I do find their police jackets very interesting. I find myself going back to them a lot - both the 40s/50s CHP style and the clean-looking 60s style. Very neat stuff!

It's funny - I've never had any bad emails/calls with Stu. I guess it's just all personalities.
The jackets can't be knocked, so as long as I don't get insulted, I'm OK with him.
And I find the website humorous in it's 90's look. Yeah, it induces headaches, but whatever. It's a free market and if people need to be coddled to buy a jacket then that's OK too. I've done both, and while I don't really care either way, I'd probably have a beer with any of the guys making jackets and have fun.

The web site is something else, wow! Every time I check it out I hope to find that he has hired somebody to update it, but no, it's the same mid-90s look from my college html days!!! And yes, it might be interesting to have a beer or two with Stu, ask him, "so, what about them LW-jacket-wearing, spear-wielding, boar-hunting customers of yours?"

 

[Carlos840]

After recently seeing a few pictures of his Buco PJ 27 around here, i couldn't help but go check it out on his website...
Reading the description is all i needed to clear my GAS, he seriously comes out as insane, i just couldn't give money to someone who writes stuff like that without seeing what i am buying.
I can't imagine how many jackets he doesn't sell because of his writing? Most of it doesn't even make sens!

"The Buco PJ27 is yet another incredible LOST WORLDS classic recreation of a horsehide classic known but to a few ardent collectors and old-timers who've been there. Consider the detailing above, the cut and profile, the dramatic sense emanated by workmanship and accuracy of pattern. From time to time we're asked why we don't "model" our jackets with "real," "live" people. LOST WORLDS jackets exude so much presence, are so pure and unadorned, that the usual marketing clichés of mediocrity and cookie cutter conformity would only contaminate. Our customers aren't the sort who need posed attitudes. Turn on the idiot tube or open a magazine for that. The jackets are the thing. The superfluous is best left to others, to those, of whom there are countless, indeed the majority, who must have the hype and plastic image-building. And plastic jackets. Remember, ID tags are usually enclosed in plastic. A metaphor for current society? Plastic won't buffet you from serious injury in a road spill as we hear over and over LOST WORLDS jackets doing, to the amazement of our customers and our deepest gratification. This is, after all, what we do. Our jackets are equipment, not fashion, but because beauty is function they're extraordinary looking. Back then, when men were men, form was function. "

My favourite bit is this:

"Horsehide was always the hide of choice in the old days because it's one of the toughest hides extant but, when broken in to a soft, buttery hand (a rapid process -- wear it and wear it in the rain), never diminishes in strength. On the bike, legendary for shock absorption -- horsehair is still used as filler in the best mattresses for this reason -- and abrasion resistance, both qualities absolutely essential in an accident or spill. Infection from road rash is one of the great risks of motorcycle mishap. "

Horsehair is used for mattresses (not sure where he saw a modern mattress still using horsehair), thus horsehide is the most shock absorbing... Sound logic if you ask me, but i am not sure science agrees...

 

[samo]

Sorry Carlos, stupid or not, there is something in Stu's writing that attracts me. Obviously, I am crossbreed of Wyatt Earp and Darth Vader

 

[Monitor]

@2wheelgrplr Yep, all of their Buco repros are awesome. I think LW's been the only one making the Buco Rider until SB picked it up and they're making beautiful J-2X's and the J-100. And their police jackets are where they excel at, too. I don't think anyone else is currently making a proper reproduction of other of the patrolman's jackets and LW does an exceptionally good work. The jackets seem to be 100% accurate with all the same details as found on the originals. Though as always, there's some extreme nonsense in the description about how LW version is SOOO much better made which I doubt because those were some seriously good and sturdy jackets they were making back then and they certainly weren't thin or uninspiring. Some of those Miklos Sas have the most beautiful leather I've seen and they are plenty heavy.
But in any case, I'd really love to have one of those from LW.

But yeah, what I've said before; all this talk about how nothing compares to LW and yet they lifted everything they could use from Schott. You could literally mistake Speed Demon for any 618.

 

[Superfluous]

Its one thing to promote, or even exalt, your own products, although Stu's excessive self-adulation is rather infantile. Its something entirely different to mock, belittle and disparage your competitors AND anyone who dares to patronize your competitors. Thats just plain obnoxious. Almost every one of the brands discussed on TFL is guilty of the sinful conduct identified by Stu (e.g., photographing jackets on people or mannequins).

When men were men and sheep were scared. Well, sheep are not scared in my presence, so I reckon I am not sufficiently manly to don a LW jacket.

Stu's marketing strategy reminds me a bit of Bill Kelso/Andy Falzon: We are exponentially better than anyone else, our competitors do not deserve to inhabit the same planet, and anyone who patronizes our competitors is repugnant and should be put to death for the betterment of mankind. Whatever.

 

[Big J]

@ Supefluous- 100% agree!

Monitor got it right, in Japan there is none of that BS around the LW's brand, and nobody knows who Stu is. The marketing focuses on them being traditional American styles, and high quality.
All the BS on Stu's website is literally for your benefit- I don't think he really believes it himself, or that in the face of enough bucks coming out of Japan, he'll give Japanese customers a rest.

 

[sweetfights]

Its one thing to promote, or even exalt, your own products, although Stu's excessive self-adulation is rather infantile. Its something entirely different to mock, belittle and disparage your competitors AND anyone who dares to patronize your competitors. Thats just plain obnoxious. Almost every one of the brands discussed on TFL is guilty of the sinful conduct identified by Stu (e.g., photographing jackets on people or mannequins).

When men were men and sheep were scared. Well, sheep are not scared in my presence, so I reckon I am not sufficiently manly to don a LW jacket.

Stu's marketing strategy reminds me a bit of Bill Kelso/Andy Falzon: We are exponentially better than anyone else, our competitors do not deserve to inhabit the same planet, and anyone who patronizes our competitors is repugnant and should be put to death for the betterment of mankind. Whatever.

Muhammad Ali built a successful marketing campaign off the above. And people were polarized. They hated or loved him, or both.

 

[Jwag]

LW is a small business. Perhaps his crazy rants are a way to keep his business small...the less product you make, the better the quality control is??? I wonder what type of people could work for a guy like Stu? If he really is the way we imagine him lol. I always imagined his factory as a dark half abandoned building with raw materials and such strewn throughout the facility. The way he sometimes "just happened to find" some old stock linings or jackets made for a company in Japan 20 years ago, but never sold.

 

[2wheelgrplr]

Two resurrected Lost Worlds threads going on at the same time, thought I should share some pics here too. I've posted most (if not all) of these in other threads, but thought they may be relevant here as well. Me wearing my Lost Worlds Buco Rider ...

Crossing a mountain pass in central Bhutan, April 2014:

With the lady that runs the "cafe" at the end of the road. Tea, snacks, alcohol & provisions store for the highland nomads that live in this restricted area of the far-eastern Bhutan borderlands.

Enjoying the glorious fall weather just outside New York City riding my old BMW, 2014:

 

[jacketjunkie]

Great pictures! One of the few broken in LW jackets I have seen. And it looks great on you. I love it when black leather starts to dull out due to sun exposure. Looks so awesome! Question about the second to last picture: What is the guy on the very left wearing? Looks like a judogi and maybe it's because I practiced it for a long time, but I think he looks super cool.