Aero Leather Clothing trial update

[Tedquinton]

And others bought stolen property, obviously completely innocently, but they are/were benefitting from the theft. Unsurprisingly this would be upsetting, I'm not sure I'd want to wear a jacket with that provenance.

 

[wdw]

The thing about storse, apart from not getting what they ordered, was that people paid IIRC £40 or so extra for the horse hide. So they lost financially as well as getting a heavier jacket with different ageing properties.

And I don't believe all were well made, as the mixture horse and steer jackets would probably have looked weird after a while. And if these mixture jackets were made out of offcuts, then the £650 would have been pure profit, wherever that money ended up.

I suspect that the storse thing hasn't been fully explored and that the impact is greater than imagined.

I wonder if IH buyers got a lot, as I'm sure there was talk of "heavy" horse on there before the scandal broke. I think it was subsequently proved on the joint statement thread that horse only went up to a certain weight and that it wasn't possible to have horsehide as described elsewhere.

 

[pawineguy]

The thing about storse, apart from not getting what they ordered, was that people paid IIRC £40 or so extra for the horse hide. So they lost financially as well as getting a heavier jacket with different ageing properties.

And I don't believe all were well made, as the mixture horse and steer jackets would probably have looked weird after a while. And if these mixture jackets were made out of offcuts, then the £650 would have been pure profit, wherever that money ended up.

I suspect that the storse thing hasn't been fully explored and that the impact is greater than imagined.

I wonder if IH buyers got a lot, as I'm sure there was talk of "heavy" horse on there before the scandal broke. I think it was subsequently proved on the joint statement thread that horse only went up to a certain weight and that it wasn't possible to have horsehide as described elsewhere.

I agree with all that you've said, especially the mixed jackets. I can imagine the guys who've been looking at their jackets thinking that certain parts have picked up more grain than other parts as it has evolved over the years. From the testimony of JL, it does seems likely that IH was an outlet for a disproportionate amount of the "heavy horse."

 

[Sloan1874]

Idea for hit musical: wdw and his multi-hide dream jacket.

 

[pawineguy]

Idea for hit musical: wdw and his multi-hide dream jacket.

lol There's not enough Scottish musicals.

 

[ykurtz]

Idea for hit musical: wdw and his multi-hide dream jacket.

Joseph and the Amazing Multileathered Dreamcoat.

 

[Sloan1874]

lol There's not enough Scottish musicals.

I think you'll find that Sunshine On Leith proved that there is a ceiling to the number of Scottish musicals the world needs, and it's been exceeded by one.

 

[tropicalbob]

Slightly off the musical-comedy trend and in consideration of the storage challenges faced by the cops, I was wondering last night about those pesky rumors concerning the Galashiells P.D. and the manner in which they, almost overnight, became the sharpest-dressed unit in the entire U.K. Any truth there? Actually, this could be the beginning of a great musical.

 

[KyleK]

Sloan, your coverage of this story is riveting. I'm not a leather jacket enthusiast and I don't own one but I've certainly contemplated it over the years while reading the Outerwear section here. As a result, I became familiar with Aero, the Mark Moye debacle, the startup of Alexander Leathers and - because I bought a pair of IH-634s a few years ago and started perusing their forum now and again - Iron Heart's selling of Aero and Alexander branded jackets.
So I have no skin in the game at all but, inadvertently, and like most here on TFL, have an informed perspective watching/reading/browsing many of the events, etc. in the years leading up to the trial. It's really, really interesting to read what has come out. Thank you for sharing, brilliant job!

 

[Sloan1874]

Slightly off the musical-comedy trend and in consideration of the storage challenges faced by the cops, I was wondering last night about those pesky rumors concerning the Galashiells P.D. and the manner in which they, almost overnight, became the sharpest-dressed unit in the entire U.K. Any truth there? Actually, this could be the beginning of a great musical.

I swear, there were lawyers wondering into the court during breaks in the trial, fingering the rack of jackets longingly, and asking airily 'So... this is the jacket case, yeah?'
The procurator fiscal, clerk of the court, and even the defence QC, were completely fascinated by the care and attention to detail that goes into making the jackets, though they wanted to know who was paying £400 for a pair of jeans.
Given that the stuff is still up at the court, I fear that by the time the sale comes up there won't be much left for us!

 

[Monitor]

...though they wanted to know who was paying £400 for a pair of jeans.

That's the one I too am lost at.

 

[Sloan1874]

Next chapter up shortly. Warning: contains biggest laughs of the whole three week trial...

 

[Fanch]

Next chapter up shortly. Warning: contains biggest laughs of the whole three week trial...

Can use a bit of levity about now.

 

[Monitor]

Next chapter up shortly. Warning: contains biggest laughs of the whole three week trial...

lol the teaser trailer was already very promising!

 

[Sloan1874]

New stuff up. It's a long one, so it's cut in two.

 

[Bunyip]

Lots to process.....thanks for the huge effort Sloan. Much appreciated.

 

[eggleman]

How did the court officials keep a straight face through all this ?

 

[pawineguy]

As soon as I read the part about them being part of his salary, I froze for a second. It's the reason that we convict so many felons on tax evasion here in the U.S. You can't have it both ways. Either it's stolen goods or it's legitimate income. If it's legitimate income, how much in taxes did you pay on the goods taken? Because the answer is usually zero, they are caught in a trap.

The same way he claimed he was being compensated for his time with items that supposedly had no value. Can't have that both ways either.

 

[AdeeC]

As I said before, the ongoing narrative paints a picture of WL acting like he owns the company and felt entitled to take what he wanted as perks. The return of the Calder kids obviously miffed him as they were perhaps being groomed to take over the management of the company.

 

[Big J]

“I could have gone off to foreign climes with a nubile 18-year-old - that is, if I could have found one,”

Right there! That's what I would have done!
（＾＿＾）☆

Oh, hang on. That is what I did.