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Just got back from a short & brilliant trip to Germany where I had a chance to see @red devil again & finally meet @Marc mndt and one of the highlights was a wonderful visit to the Wildfang Design studio in beautiful Lutz.
Can't say I was familiar with their work so when @red devil suggested I tag along, I almost passed on the opportunity, thinking that the nearly 3 hrs drive to Lutz, straight from the airport would be too much for me, especially since nothing much on their website peaked my interest and man, that would've been an epic mistake...
Even though I didn't buy, just the visit to their store / workshop & meeting the owners, Heike and Olaf, made it all worth it. Heck, just driving thru the countryside did, everything else was a bonus.
Anyhow! Wildfang is definitely more... Well, let's say traditional German leather garment oriented - Think modernized lederhosen or classic 60's German motorcycle gear - which at this point, is definitely a long needed breath of fresh air this hobby could certainly only benefit from. However, being full-on bespoke maker, they are happy to alter & do mostly any design, whatever you may come up, as long as it does fit the general aesthetic of the company.
All the fantastic styles of jackets, vests, trousers & miscellaneous leather accessories, from belts to bags, aside, absolute highlight is the insanely rich selection of leathers they got all over the shop, ranging from kinds we all know to hides I never even imagined existed - And I am not talking only about the exotic animals.
It is also there that I had a privilege to try on this absolute beast of a jacket, made from leather the owner measured right before us to be around 4 millimeters in thickness, that clocked at over 6 kilograms. You can see the photo of it lying on the table, below. Shame a certain member never learned about Wildfang 'cause that jacket would've definitely ended his quest...
And when I mentioned how this has got to be the absolute zenith of how heavy a functional leather jacket can be, Olaf shared a story about this Japanese fellow that ordered a jacket from them, made from leather that was 1 centimeter thick. Oh, and he also had it lined in heavy shearling. . .
Anyway, I don't know what else to say. Wildfang is an amazing, unique maker, run buy the most wonderful people, with styles and especially leathers that I don't think I've ever seen offered by anyone else - In fact, that mega-thick leather I mentioned, is tanned by this old guy who's not even in the business anymore and will occasionally deliver a batch only to Wildfang, only per special request - and... If that's what you're after, check 'em out.
Can't say I was familiar with their work so when @red devil suggested I tag along, I almost passed on the opportunity, thinking that the nearly 3 hrs drive to Lutz, straight from the airport would be too much for me, especially since nothing much on their website peaked my interest and man, that would've been an epic mistake...
Even though I didn't buy, just the visit to their store / workshop & meeting the owners, Heike and Olaf, made it all worth it. Heck, just driving thru the countryside did, everything else was a bonus.
Anyhow! Wildfang is definitely more... Well, let's say traditional German leather garment oriented - Think modernized lederhosen or classic 60's German motorcycle gear - which at this point, is definitely a long needed breath of fresh air this hobby could certainly only benefit from. However, being full-on bespoke maker, they are happy to alter & do mostly any design, whatever you may come up, as long as it does fit the general aesthetic of the company.
All the fantastic styles of jackets, vests, trousers & miscellaneous leather accessories, from belts to bags, aside, absolute highlight is the insanely rich selection of leathers they got all over the shop, ranging from kinds we all know to hides I never even imagined existed - And I am not talking only about the exotic animals.
It is also there that I had a privilege to try on this absolute beast of a jacket, made from leather the owner measured right before us to be around 4 millimeters in thickness, that clocked at over 6 kilograms. You can see the photo of it lying on the table, below. Shame a certain member never learned about Wildfang 'cause that jacket would've definitely ended his quest...
And when I mentioned how this has got to be the absolute zenith of how heavy a functional leather jacket can be, Olaf shared a story about this Japanese fellow that ordered a jacket from them, made from leather that was 1 centimeter thick. Oh, and he also had it lined in heavy shearling. . .
Anyway, I don't know what else to say. Wildfang is an amazing, unique maker, run buy the most wonderful people, with styles and especially leathers that I don't think I've ever seen offered by anyone else - In fact, that mega-thick leather I mentioned, is tanned by this old guy who's not even in the business anymore and will occasionally deliver a batch only to Wildfang, only per special request - and... If that's what you're after, check 'em out.