A Life in Leather: profile of Aero founder Ken Calder

[Alabama]

I wonder if Daniel Craig would get his jacket back in a day
with all the stuff that has been going on.

 

[mattp]

Nice article, thanks for posting the link! It's nice to hear more of the back story, especially with Ken back steering the ship.

 

[ForestForTheTrees]

Mine is the jacket Ken is wearing in Craig's feature.

So this one then?

 

[rocketeer]

So this one then?

Yes thats the one, same as the one of me and the Hayabusa, you can just make out the Hepolite wing badge on the left breast in each pic.

 

[Rudie]

Didn't the text say it was a Highwayman?

 

[Sloan1874]

Didn't the text say it was a Highwayman?

Thanks for pointing that out, it's been sorted - wrong version posted on line.

 

[Jaguar66]

Didn't the text say it was a Highwayman?

Heres the quote

He created the jacket after 23-year-old customer John Taylor asked him to come up with a design based on a 1950s biker style. His response was a deceptively simple, hip-skimming jacket that became his calling card. The original cost Taylor a week’s wages, but it became a fashion standard among Scottish students, who admired it on the backs of Deacon Blue, The Rezillos and Wet Wet Wet. By the 1990s, he was taking orders from Japan.

Last month, Taylor returned the first Highwayman to Calder and it now hangs on his office wall – 30 years on, it is a collector’s item but timeless enough to remain wearable. Taylor admits to having a serious Aero habit.

 

[Sloan1874]

Refer you to the reply above.

 

[ForestForTheTrees]

Just the same, I really like the photo with the dog by his side. Very nice article.

 

[HungaryTom]

The whole point of my embarassment over the length of the Aero Statement thread was that I don't want to see a company like this going down because the swampin' flood of leather wrinkle closeup photos and ounce and oz inspections... it would be terrible to loose the jackets and to see quite a few scots loosing their job - because the customers aren't genuine and authentic anymore either---

No authentic pilot was checking his leatherjacket wrinkles before their missions - I personally interpreted at all souls day once in all the military cemeteries in and around Budapest, saw the US memorial and the British and comonwealth cemetery at Solymár (smalltown northwest of Budapest) - all those men were downed airforcemen. I think none of the fallen heros had the last thought whether their collar is fully symmetric or the Hide is correct... None of the civilians back in the day had enough money to have a jacket collection. To compare their jackets. My ex-wifes late doctor grandpa had a single motorcycling jacket, that is still workable and my late grandpa also never talked about the correct buttons of his rapid reaction corps artillery officers uniform, when he told his war stories in WW2 - this was not the main issue. Surviving the war was. The main issue today is to have a few manufacturers who still concern about quality and durability. Like Ken and Aero does. And back in the day companies were not better: Buco etc did also economize on leathers and production.

 

[MillersCrossing]

Great article but I hate it when newspapers don't caption their photos. Who was the red-headed girl pictured, is that Holly?

 

[Sloan1874]

It is indeed!

 

[Graemsay]

I think it was his zip.

My Hercules is about to go back for its third zip...

 

[rocketeer]

The whole point of my embarassment over the length of the Aero Statement thread was that I don't want to see a company like this going down because the swampin' flood of leather wrinkle closeup photos and ounce and oz inspections... it would be terrible to loose the jackets and to see quite a few scots loosing their job - because the customers aren't genuine and authentic anymore either---

No authentic pilot was checking his leatherjacket wrinkles before their missions - I personally interpreted at all souls day once in all the military cemeteries in and around Budapest, saw the US memorial and the British and comonwealth cemetery at Solymár (smalltown northwest of Budapest) - all those men were downed airforcemen. I think none of the fallen heros had the last thought whether their collar is fully symmetric or the Hide is correct... None of the civilians back in the day had enough money to have a jacket collection. To compare their jackets. My ex-wifes late doctor grandpa had a single motorcycling jacket, that is still workable and my late grandpa also never talked about the correct buttons of his rapid reaction corps artillery officers uniform, when he told his war stories in WW2 - this was not the main issue. Surviving the war was. The main issue today is to have a few manufacturers who still concern about quality and durability. Like Ken and Aero does. And back in the day companies were not better: Buco etc did also economize on leathers and production.

Hi Tom, I agree with you about the jacket wrinkles posts etc, just that these days if you bought something that was not right people will moan because they pay big $$$ £££ €€€ for things.
Ken employs skilled machinists to produce quality garments, sometimes things go wrong but Aero tries to remedy these problems as soon as they can, as I imagine any manufacturer of high end goods would. During WWII almost anybody could get a job making A2s, thus my WWII Lucky 7 Seven jacket has mis sized epaulets and some wonky stitching in places that would not be tolerated in a £400 jacket. Indeed, the jacket Ken is wearing has a few discrepancies, but it was a prototype and his skill as a machinist obviously improved to the standard that Aero have now reached to become probably the best quality garment manufacturers in this field.
John(Taylor)

 

[Fanch]

I have thoroughly enjoyed reading the posts on this particular thread more than most others, and I am fascinated at seeing the human side applied to a small family run company and its roots. Keep up the good work Aero!!!!

 

[rocketeer]

:eusa_clap Well said that man.

I have thoroughly enjoyed reading the posts on this particular thread more than most others, and I am fascinated at seeing the human side applied to a small family run company and its roots. Keep up the good work Aero!!!!

 

[jon11]

Yes a very good family run company,

 

[winterland1]

Wow. Some great early days customers before he was making leather jackets. The Beatles, Pink Floyd, Elton John, Sweet. Nice article.
When I first saw John Taylor I thought of Duran Duran as he is the bass player. Then realized it is not the same person.

 

[cuthbert]

Great article but I hate it when newspapers don't caption their photos. Who was the red-headed girl pictured, is that Holly?

It is indeed!

Oh, I thought she was the girl in that black leather suit...

 

[rocketeer]

Wow. Some great early days customers before he was making leather jackets. The Beatles, Pink Floyd, Elton John, Sweet. Nice article.
When I first saw John Taylor I thought of Duran Duran as he is the bass player. Then realized it is not the same person.

Back in 1982 I doubt Duran's JT would have been seen dead in Battersea. But me, a mere nobody haha