BK price increases again?

[Justhandguns]

Lewis or Eastman. Anyone who has visited Ivybridge knows it's a small operation in an area where it may be hard to recruit people with the required sewing skills. Maybe BK will make the new ELMC line as well as the unique models they currently make ?

If it is going to be the old boys on the scene, my bet will be on Alexander. I don't think Lewis is a likely option as I know they have a very exclusive Japanese tailor operating inhouse for them, and if they really want to acquire any military flight jacket production house, it will be in Japan with their tides.

I guess Gary Eastman also would not be bothered as well as they are pretty happy in expanding their own business.

 

[Dickie Teenie]

My front runner is AL as well. It wouldn't surprise me if BK steered a partial interest in an Italian tannery into the deal too. Might as well make my guess interesting.

 

[hpalapdog]

Goodwear Europe Ltd. Avoids import taxes and may be able to bring prices down a bit !

AFAIK the companies have already cooperated a bit on repro label production. Alas Andy Falzon said:

"Last July we made an announcement that BK was sold to UK interests who wish to remain undisclosed. The deal was concluded last January which was when the new owners wanted to increase the prices but the old management resisted consistently until now......"

Why would AL want BK prices to be put up given that at the time BK prices were already higher than AL ?

 

[Sloan1874]

Interesting idea, but given that JC has built his rep with a 'small is beautiful' philosophy, I think setting up a European wing would keep him awake at night. Reading through other current posts on the Lounge, I think AL...

 

[hpalapdog]

They don't have to, they just absorb the company into its structures, with perhaps a little direction on marketing and the web stuff, and let them get on with it. Same as any buyer would do, AL included. That said, I've always thought BK presented their jackets very well - except for that damn muzak which plays all the time...

Er... I wouldn't call the likes of Louis Armstrong , Glenn Miller etc. muzak. You can of course mute it with the on page control.

 

[GregO]

I would be surprised if it was AL. They're relatively new, and unless they stole some treasure from Aero along with everything else they took, I doubt that they have the financial resources to make an acquisition at this early stage in their history. But who knows -- the terms of the deal could have made it feasible. I just tend to doubt it.

 

[hpalapdog]

What I meant to say is that our "bombastic" statements were not bullshit. They were not marketing fanfare. Everything that is said about the leathers is 100% the truth. I don't understand why the truth should not come across well and be taken as arrogance.
/QUOTE]

Well, truly I don't want to bash here.

Most of the statements that people seem to take offense at, are the declarative ones. "X is the best. All arguments to the contrary are pointless".

The above response is actually one of them, though I'm afraid you don't see it that way.

The argument is a bit like saying "I am the greatest. That may seem arrogant. However, since I am in fact the greatest, it's not arrogant". It's an interesting circular argument in that it seems to the person voicing the opinion to be perfectly factual, while seeming to others to be perfectly illustrative of arrogance.

Terms like "the best" are subjective unless they can be objectively proven. Since you are dealing in artistic wares, declaring something the best is, by its nature subjective and therefore arguable.

I don't think anyone will argue that BK makes some great gear. But I do think that any statement that comes across as self aggrandizing is automatically off-putting, regardless of its truth or falsity.

As I said, I'm not strongly on either side of this issue. But it seems that there is a disconnect in communications on this subject.

Deacon

Or one could forget the sales spiel and just look at the pictures..... drool

 

[Dickie Teenie]

It does speak for itself or should i say sing.

 

[Sloan1874]

I would be surprised if it was AL. They're relatively new, and unless they stole some treasure from Aero along with everything else they took, I doubt that they have the financial resources to make an acquisition at this early stage in their history. But who knows -- the terms of the deal could have made it feasible. I just tend to doubt it.

Careful there. But Mr A did have a very successful high street shoe business in Scotland, Schuh's a household name up here, which he sold before setting up AL.

@ hpla Hehe. I'm not a fan of that period of jazz tbh, and it sounds very tinny through my computer, so I apologise for my ignorance.
That said, I get annoyed when any site plays music at me without prompting.

 

[GregO]

Sloan -- interesting. I was not aware of the earlier shoe business. I would still guess it is not AL this early in their history, but that's just a hunch based upon my experience. You could be right, however.

Here's another thought. I hear that Aero is planning to release a number of new designs in April...maybe this is Aero's idea of "new designs"? The timing is interesting, at least. But again, this is just another baseless guess!

 

[hpalapdog]

I noticed free shipping to the UK is being introduced. I'm tempted by this Dubow....

 

[Sloan1874]

http://www.heraldscotland.com/news/...ndfall-for-staff-as-scots-chain-sold.14161946

 

[GregO]

Interesting read. Generous folks. Thanks for posting that, Sloan.

 

[Deacon211]

Or one could forget the sales spiel and just look at the pictures..... drool

One can't argue that they make a beautiful jacket.

Deacon


Sent from my iPad using Tapatalk

 

[MightyEighth]

Or one could forget the sales spiel and just look at the pictures..... drool

I know the pics look nice, but the above is an Aero A-2 - AFTER WATER TREATMENT.

Honestly, you can get that grain in the Kelso pic with most manufacturer's hides. Leather by market force (furniture, car interiors etc) is smoothed deliberately. But you can get it to look like that with an hour of your time.

The depth of colour on the Kelso pic is nice, but again, even with a chrome tanned hide, once you get the grain out, go over it with a rag with some darkening oil and you will get that depth.

I just bought a Lost Worlds A-2. The heavy Horsehide was the smoothest I have seen yet. But I will post pics later this weekend that show some gorgeous grain on the same jacket, after dampening, flexing, and conditioning.

I very nearly bought a Kelso, but the lack of prominently displayed contact details and VAT number on their website rang alarm bells...

Looking at the pics of the Dubow posted by HPALAPDOG, that leather looks like its been soaked in water to me, either as a hide pre-cut, or more likely as a jacket as part of Kelso's process to make the jackets look nice and worn in.

 

[ProteinNerd]

http://www.heraldscotland.com/news/...ndfall-for-staff-as-scots-chain-sold.14161946

Creates quite a different picture of the "evil" AL than has been propagated around here in the past.....

 

[Sloan1874]

Let's not get into that, eh? I really wouldn't use Schuh as a barometer of anything but available funds.

 

[hpalapdog]

The depth of colour on the Kelso pic is nice, but again, even with a chrome tanned hide, once you get the grain out, go over it with a rag with some darkening oil and you will get that depth.

I just bought a Lost Worlds A-2. The heavy Horsehide was the smoothest I have seen yet. But I will post pics later this weekend that show some gorgeous grain on the same jacket, after dampening, flexing, and conditioning.

I very nearly bought a Kelso, but the lack of prominently displayed contact details and VAT number on their website rang alarm bells...

Looking at the pics of the Dubow posted by HPALAPDOG, that leather looks like its been soaked in water to me, either as a hide pre-cut, or more likely as a jacket as part of Kelso's process to make the jackets look nice and worn in.

It's the translucence of the aniline or semi-aniline finish rather than the opaque plastisol acrylic used by LW that gives the colour depth. Years ago I used to have a LW A-2. It had the same light biscuit coloured hide as the BK. This was drum dyed in as the chrome tanned leather would of come out of the bath purple blue rather than biscuit from bark tannins. The opaque finish wont give the same effect colour-wise regardless of the tanning type. On my LW the top coat was so thick and hard wearing it filled in the hair follicle pores. The hide itself creased up in the normal way with wear giving character.

Here are a couple of uncut Italian horsehides at BK. The tannery itself can make the surface grain pop by using an astringent. The striations are from the animal. Some LW jackets have patches of leather like that too.

The russet looks like a pigment finish and the seal may be semi-aniline although I may be wrong on that.







I think BK turnover is to low to need to register for VAT. That's their business of course.

 

[zhz]

I asked Andy about free shipping to UK today, he said its not confirmed yet. So no free shipping to UK at the moment.

I noticed free shipping to the UK is being introduced. I'm tempted by this Dubow....

 

[zhz]

Ha, I am really looking forward to see how LW A2 breaks now.

View attachment 11950

I know the pics look nice, but the above is an Aero A-2 - AFTER WATER TREATMENT.

Honestly, you can get that grain in the Kelso pic with most manufacturer's hides. Leather by market force (furniture, car interiors etc) is smoothed deliberately. But you can get it to look like that with an hour of your time.

The depth of colour on the Kelso pic is nice, but again, even with a chrome tanned hide, once you get the grain out, go over it with a rag with some darkening oil and you will get that depth.

I just bought a Lost Worlds A-2. The heavy Horsehide was the smoothest I have seen yet. But I will post pics later this weekend that show some gorgeous grain on the same jacket, after dampening, flexing, and conditioning.

I very nearly bought a Kelso, but the lack of prominently displayed contact details and VAT number on their website rang alarm bells...

Looking at the pics of the Dubow posted by HPALAPDOG, that leather looks like its been soaked in water to me, either as a hide pre-cut, or more likely as a jacket as part of Kelso's process to make the jackets look nice and worn in.