Can someone please help me find this type of leather jacket?

[Formeruser012524]

I also just noticed I received a "like" from user AeroFan_07 in the post with photos of my own jackets. Thank you, I appreciate it.

 

[AeroFan_07]

I like the photos! Thanks for sharing.
None of your jackets you display represent a "huge fitment" to me so no worries here!

And yes, we all give each other a hard time from time to time here, and that's part of what makes it more fun. I do really think you have a good stylistic eye here and your other jackets indeed do show it.

Like others have said - maybe get a hold of Alan at Johnson Leathers - just call out there and leave a message for him, he will get back to you. He enjoys special projects and would likely be excited to talk this over with you. If you live in the Western USA - consider visiting them and that would make the whole process just that much easier since they could fit you up directly.

 

[Formeruser012524]

I like the photos! Thanks for sharing.
None of your jackets you display represent a "huge fitment" to me so no worries here!

And yes, we all give each other a hard time from time to time here, and that's part of what makes it more fun. I do really think you have a good stylistic eye here and your other jackets indeed do show it.

Like others have said - maybe get a hold of Alan at Johnson Leathers - just call out there and leave a message for him, he will get back to you. He enjoys special projects and would likely be excited to talk this over with you. If you live in the Western USA - consider visiting them and that would make the whole process just that much easier since they could fit you up directly.

Bro I live in Germany.

I also contacted "Wested" today, showed them pics, explained the situation, and they said they can't help because the only custom made things they do are the ones from the "custom" section on their website. Those are supposedly the only jackets they can modify. In my case they could make an exception and add a few extra buttons and stuff on some similar jacket that they have, but even that option would be available sometimes after March next year. So it's a no-go.

I'm glad you like the photos. I have more jackets, but I wear these the most. In terms of huge fitment... hmm... take a good look at the last two pics, lol. Because I actually received a comment from someone fairly recently regarding it maybe being too big, haha.

 

[Formeruser012524]

For your convenience...

 

[navetsea]

As you might see this forum is full with passionate members, we might have slightly different taste and opinion and ways to word out our opinion but at heart all of the replies are genuine contributions, people just want to "knock some sense" on your sizing based on objective what normal fitting is even with personal flair, since you are new member who never posted your jacket fit prior, we dont know your prefered fit and we use what normal and universally accepted as good fit honed through collective eyes here over the years. I bet we all dress like that back in the 90s but it was 30yrs ago... people just buy s m l jacket, but now we are in control of the sizes where half inch matter. If people dont care they would have chuckled and close the thread not bothering to type a single word.

Just know you were not being ridiculed, it is just a sane reaction of someone who see someone else that is supposed to wear size m but instead wearing size xxl while they can still do something about it to change his mind.

 

[Carlos840]

I'm glad you like the photos. I have more jackets, but I wear these the most. In terms of huge fitment... hmm... take a good look at the last two pics, lol. Because I actually received a comment from someone fairly recently regarding it maybe being too big, haha.

If you don't listen to strangers on the internet, listen to that person, they are right and trying to help you...

 

[Formeruser012524]

Before I leave the thread - and thanks again to all who tried / are trying to help - I'd like to set a few things straight so I don't make any mistakes in my quest of getting this jacket made in the future.

1.) Would it be possible to achieve this sort of color/look with fake leather? And if so, is there any specific type of material that is best suitable? I worry that, even if it could work with fake leather, that it might impact the quality/durability of the jacket, but I might be wrong.

2.) If it indeed has to be leather, what type of leather and thickness would be most accurate according to the images of the original? Someone mentioned Cowhide? That Indie one from Germany I posted earlier that I thought looked very good in terms of color and leather was "Stierleder" (Steerleather).

3.) Is there any software where I would be able to create the jacket in either 2D or 3D?, and make notes regarding all dimensions etc.? I'm good with 3D Modeling when it comes to architecture and other objects such as 3D-Printing related, but nothing I have available would work with clothes.

4.) I need to make sure I'm not getting ripped off. In other words, what would be a reasonable price range to expect, or a maximum price, for a request like this? So that if someone tells me it would cost "X" amount of Euros, I need to know if that's very cheap, acceptable, or expensive.

5.) Since I really do want it to be "oversized" as the actor is wearing it, what's the best way to approach this? I'm 184 cm tall, and I weigh 80 kg. The actor is the same height as me but he's "wider".

If I were in the US, I could probably get this done fairly easily, but I don't live in the US anymore. I'm in Germany since 2008 and it'd be best for me to find someone locally here to do it.

Thank you for your patience and willingness to help!

 

[Marc mndt]

Would it be possible to achieve this sort of color/look with fake leather? And if so, is there any specific type of material that is best suitable?

Why on earth would you even consider having a jacket made out of fake leather?

(You do know that 98% of people on this forum are leather jacket enthusiasts right?)

 

[Formeruser012524]

Why on earth would you even consider having a jacket made out of fake leather?

Because someone privately suggested it and I was quite skeptical, hence wanting to check with the experts here.

(You do know that 98% of people on this forum are leather jacket enthusiasts right?)

No, I did not know about this 98% statistic. Thank you.

On the other hand, even a leather enthusiast can, theoretically, be able to answer a question about non-leather material... or maybe not?

Either way, I apologize if I offended anyone with my question. Did not know it would cause this kind of reaction. Sorry!

 

[Monitor]

Before I leave the thread - and thanks again to all who tried / are trying to help - I'd like to set a few things straight so I don't make any mistakes in my quest of getting this jacket made in the future.

1.) Would it be possible to achieve this sort of color/look with fake leather? And if so, is there any specific type of material that is best suitable? I worry that, even if it could work with fake leather, that it might impact the quality/durability of the jacket, but I might be wrong.

2.) If it indeed has to be leather, what type of leather and thickness would be most accurate according to the images of the original? Someone mentioned Cowhide? That Indie one from Germany I posted earlier that I thought looked very good in terms of color and leather was "Stierleder" (Steerleather).

3.) Is there any software where I would be able to create the jacket in either 2D or 3D?, and make notes regarding all dimensions etc.? I'm good with 3D Modeling when it comes to architecture and other objects such as 3D-Printing related, but nothing I have available would work with clothes.

4.) I need to make sure I'm not getting ripped off. In other words, what would be a reasonable price range to expect, or a maximum price, for a request like this? So that if someone tells me it would cost "X" amount of Euros, I need to know if that's very cheap, acceptable, or expensive.

5.) Since I really do want it to be "oversized" as the actor is wearing it, what's the best way to approach this? I'm 184 cm tall, and I weigh 80 kg. The actor is the same height as me but he's "wider".

If I were in the US, I could probably get this done fairly easily, but I don't live in the US anymore. I'm in Germany since 2008 and it'd be best for me to find someone locally here to do it.

Thank you for your patience and willingness to help!

1) No. Fake stuff would obviously be vinyl which then has to be painted to resemble leather but that's where any and all likeness ends.

If you want my advice; Don't even consider this option. Vinyl jackets last only a couple of years at best before the fake finish starts peeling off at random places, turning the whole thing into an utter horror. When it comes to clothes, can't really think of anything else that's a bigger waste of money. . .

2) If you are referring to the jacket in the OP (I'll admit straight away I skipped most of the thread), seems like any regular heavy-ish brown cowhide or horsehide would do the job just fine. Cowhide and steerhide are the same thing. Looks like a substantial jacket so that's definitely the type of leather I'd go with.

Although... The jacket in question seems to be heavy sheepskin (having re-watched X-files just recently, I happen to remember this scene as the jacket caught my attention as well), the kind Avirex was using in the 90's but sadly, that stuff isn't available anymore. For whatever reason. . .

Which is what it could very well be. Avirex or Cockpit.

3) Blender for 3D, I guess? What would be the purpose of that?

4) Custom leather jacket by a reputable company will always be pricey but also worth the money (in most cases).
You can try 5 Star Leathers (which must've gotten recommended by now no doubt). They strike me as the perfect maker for the job, honestly.

5) Roughly speaking, size US 42 to 44 (or EU 52 - 54, if my conversion isn't faulty) ought to suit you just fine, though that's best discussed with the maker.

 

[navetsea]

Before I leave the thread - and thanks again to all who tried / are trying to help - I'd like to set a few things straight so I don't make any mistakes in my quest of getting this jacket made in the future.

1.) Would it be possible to achieve this sort of color/look with fake leather? And if so, is there any specific type of material that is best suitable? I worry that, even if it could work with fake leather, that it might impact the quality/durability of the jacket, but I might be wrong.

2.) If it indeed has to be leather, what type of leather and thickness would be most accurate according to the images of the original? Someone mentioned Cowhide? That Indie one from Germany I posted earlier that I thought looked very good in terms of color and leather was "Stierleder" (Steerleather).

3.) Is there any software where I would be able to create the jacket in either 2D or 3D?, and make notes regarding all dimensions etc.? I'm good with 3D Modeling when it comes to architecture and other objects such as 3D-Printing related, but nothing I have available would work with clothes.

4.) I need to make sure I'm not getting ripped off. In other words, what would be a reasonable price range to expect, or a maximum price, for a request like this? So that if someone tells me it would cost "X" amount of Euros, I need to know if that's very cheap, acceptable, or expensive.

5.) Since I really do want it to be "oversized" as the actor is wearing it, what's the best way to approach this? I'm 184 cm tall, and I weigh 80 kg. The actor is the same height as me but he's "wider".

If I were in the US, I could probably get this done fairly easily, but I don't live in the US anymore. I'm in Germany since 2008 and it'd be best for me to find someone locally here to do it.

Thank you for your patience and willingness to help!

1
no, fake leather won't crease nicely, they won't age at all.
2
from the image it has to be leather at least 1.3mm in my opinion
3
I have seen someone draw pattern and apply gravity to drape the costume over the wearer in MAYA
4
South east asian price is around 200-300usd
5
XXXL i dont know perhaps use your last jacket in your fit picture as base for measurement seems like in similar fit

 

[Formeruser012524]

1) No.

Gotcha. And what you were saying makes perfect sense.

2) If you are referring to the jacket in the OP (I'll admit straight away I skipped most of the thread), seems like any regular heavy-ish brown cowhide or horsehide would do the job just fine. Cowhide and steerhide are the same thing. Looks like a substantial jacket so that's definitely the type of leather I'd go with.

Although... The jacket in question seems to be heavy sheepskin (having re-watched X-files just recently, I happen to remember this scene as the jacket caught my attention as well), the kind Avirex was using in the 90's but sadly, that stuff isn't available anymore. For whatever reason. . .

Which is what it could very well be. Avirex or Cockpit.

I'm unaware of the differences between sheepskin and lambskin when it comes to leather, but I have plenty of lambskin jackets and they are very very light except for maybe two or three, but that's because of the stuff inside of them. For some reason I think this jacket has significantly thick leather, but I might be wrong.

3) Blender for 3D, I guess? What would be the purpose of that?

No idea... I just thought having more than just a 2D drawing can give the creator a better chance of getting it right. I'm also not sure what 2D software to use for this.

4) Custom leather jacket by a reputable company will always be pricey but also worth the money (in most cases).
You can try 5 Star Leathers (which must've gotten recommended by now no doubt). They strike me as the perfect maker for the job, honestly.

So what's a realistic price range to expect? Since you skipped most of the thread, I'm in the EU and I prefer to let this be done in Germany, preferably by someone who sees me in person. If I do it with someone overseas with only drawings and photos I'm afraid I have the risk of paying lots of money plus shipping and then get something that isn't quite what I wanted.

5) Roughly speaking, size US 42 to 44 (or EU 52 - 54, if my conversion isn't faulty) ought to suit you just fine, though that's best discussed with the maker.

Yes I know it's weird and probably unheard of on this forum, but I need it to be oversized, so that it looks the way it looks in those original photos. If you take a look throughout the thread, whenever you have time (or if you have desire), you would get a clearer picture of what I want.

Thank you for your help.

 

[Formeruser012524]

1
no, fake leather won't crease nicely, they won't age at all.

Yup, gotcha.

2
from the image it has to be leather at least 1.3mm in my opinion

Seems reasonable. So... cowhide perhaps?

3
I have seen someone draw pattern and apply gravity to drape the costume over the wearer in MAYA

What software is usually used for making clothing drawings?

4
South east asian price is around 200-300usd

Wot? Some jackets I bought here in Germany cost 500 Euros, and they weren't custom made. That seems insanely cheap. Is the quality reliable? What are some places worth contacting?

5
XXXL i dont know perhaps use your last jacket in your fit picture as base for measurement seems like in similar fit

Gotcha.

Thank you.

 

[Peacoat]

If you do have an oversized custom jacket made, please don't request the shoulder seams to be 4" off the shoulder down the upper arms as in the jacket you posted. For everyone here, that is like fingernails on a chalkboard. You can have an oversized jacket made, but please keep the shoulder seams where they need to be.

Some of my winter textile jackets and parkas are a little oversize for layering, but the shoulder seams fit as they should.

Just my 2¢ worth.

 

[Guppy]

Before I leave the thread - and thanks again to all who tried / are trying to help - I'd like to set a few things straight so I don't make any mistakes in my quest of getting this jacket made in the future.

1.) Would it be possible to achieve this sort of color/look with fake leather? And if so, is there any specific type of material that is best suitable? I worry that, even if it could work with fake leather, that it might impact the quality/durability of the jacket, but I might be wrong.

2.) If it indeed has to be leather, what type of leather and thickness would be most accurate according to the images of the original? Someone mentioned Cowhide? That Indie one from Germany I posted earlier that I thought looked very good in terms of color and leather was "Stierleder" (Steerleather).

3.) Is there any software where I would be able to create the jacket in either 2D or 3D?, and make notes regarding all dimensions etc.? I'm good with 3D Modeling when it comes to architecture and other objects such as 3D-Printing related, but nothing I have available would work with clothes.

4.) I need to make sure I'm not getting ripped off. In other words, what would be a reasonable price range to expect, or a maximum price, for a request like this? So that if someone tells me it would cost "X" amount of Euros, I need to know if that's very cheap, acceptable, or expensive.

5.) Since I really do want it to be "oversized" as the actor is wearing it, what's the best way to approach this? I'm 184 cm tall, and I weigh 80 kg. The actor is the same height as me but he's "wider".

If I were in the US, I could probably get this done fairly easily, but I don't live in the US anymore. I'm in Germany since 2008 and it'd be best for me to find someone locally here to do it.

Thank you for your patience and willingness to help!

1) The only reason to consider fake leather is to get it made as cheaply as possible because you don't intend to wear it for more than a year.
2) It's really impossible to say, but my best guess from the photos is that it's a fairly heavy weight cowhide. Most leather jackets are cowhide, unless otherwise specified it's a safe assumption. Getting the specific look of that leather would require a lot of information and research into the actual jacket. I'd guess it's a pre-distressed leather, probably chrome tanned, because most leather is chrome tanned.
3) If you're talking about designing a pattern for the jacket in software, I don't see why you couldn't use something like a CAD program or Adobe Illustrator for the drawings. Depending on your skill with such software, it might be easier to draw a pattern out by hand. If you're talking about drawing the jacket as worn on a model, maybe a paint program would work better than a vector-based drawing tool. I don't understand why you'd want to make a 3D digital model of the jacket if your end goal is to own a wearable jacket. 3D models wouldn't be how a jacket maker would create it. 3D modeling software doesn't generally do soft body or mesh materials very well. That's changed a lot in the last 10-20 years due to advancements in computing power and the software itself, but it's still really difficult unless you're an artist and already deeply into these tools, I wouldn't think it'd be worth the time and effort to try to learn them.
4) Whatever you spend on a custom, one-off jacket, is going to be much more than you would spend for off the rack or for a used jacket. Do not go bargain hunting and expect to get exactly what you want, exactly what you have envisioned. For a full custom jacket, and all the research into the leather choice, pattern making, etc, you can expect to pay at least $1000 on the low end, and sky's the limit on the high end. Realistically, $2000-2500 would be pretty reasonable.
5) If you're going full-custom, there's no reason not to go with exact body measurements. Provide the maker with your body measurements, following their instructions, and describe to them to the best of your ability how you'd like it to fit. You should have something in your own closet right now that you can use as a good starting point, so I'm not sure why you would be asking the forum for opinions on this question. Based on your height/weight, you're probably a size 42-44 off the rack, which is a good starting point. For a slightly oversized look, you might try a 46. If you were going for the look in the photos you posted, which I'm glad to hear you're not, I'd bump up to a 48-50.

But really, I would recommend that you just spend a long time searching the web for a used 90's vintage jacket that's close, using sites like ebay, etsy, and northerngrip, and be patient. You'll probably find something under $200. It might take you several months of searching to find it, but if you order a full custom jacket, it'll take about that long to get it made anyway.

 

[Formeruser012524]

If you do have an oversized custom jacket made, please don't request the shoulder seams to be 4" off the shoulder down the upper arms as in the jacket you posted. For everyone here, that is like fingernails on a chalkboard. You can have an oversized jacket made, but please keep the shoulder seams where they need to be.

Some of my winter textile jackets and parkas are a little oversize for layering, but the shoulder seams fit as they should.

Just my 2¢ worth.

I appreciate your insight, but I do want the shoulder seams to be where they are as in the original picture. Meaning, the design of the jacket, a "regular fit", would be with shoulder seams where they are supposed to be, meaning at the shoulders. But because my version will be oversized, it will look like in the original photos, as you said several inches off the shoulder down the upper arms. Yes, I know, call me crazy, out of style, out of touch, but I am creating a replica that needs to be as close as possible to the original.

 

[Formeruser012524]

If you were going for the look in the photos you posted, which I'm glad to hear you're not, I'd bump up to a 48-50.

I am though, lol.

But really, I would recommend that you just spend a long time searching the web for a used 90's vintage jacket that's close, using sites like ebay, etsy, and northerngrip, and be patient. You'll probably find something under $200. It might take you several months of searching to find it, but if you order a full custom jacket, it'll take about that long to get it made anyway.

Cool.

Thanks for taking your time to help out.

 

[Formeruser012524]

This would be something you could ask a good local tailor, if you happen to know one near you. I have a feeling that you are better off having someone make you a new jacket entirely though. It is probably easier to start from scratch than to change/eliminate pockets, add wind flap, etc. Johnson Leathers in San Francisco does very good work and I’m sure they could make you something resembling this jacket from photos alone. Depending on the leather you choose you are probably looking at somewhere between $700-$1000 for a custom jacket.

It's interesting how this information differs depending on who you ask. This is from a post on the third page of the thread. The range being written here is $700-$1000, and in the more recent post by another member, it's minimum $1000 to around $2500. Another person said only $200-$300 when it comes to South Asian makers. Now I have started asking around a bit here in Germany where I live, and someone claims he can pull it off for 600 Euros which is around 700 dollars. I'm not sure if I can trust them. I will definitely do my research and ask several people who are willing to do it. But first, I need to make a drawing, and it will take a long time. Until then, I do thank everyone who helped. I might ask two or three more questions in the coming days and that would be the end of this thread as far as I'm concerned. You guys have been a great resource.

 

[Monitor]

I'm unaware of the differences between sheepskin and lambskin when it comes to leather, but I have plenty of lambskin jackets and they are very very light except for maybe two or three, but that's because of the stuff inside of them. For some reason I think this jacket has significantly thick leather, but I might be wrong.

Lambskin is much lighter and thinner. Sheepskin is soft but very thick and robust leather. It was used more extensively during the 80's and the 90's, though any specific usage it might have had had fallen entirely on cowhide nowadays.

Either way, sheepskin is very soft & grainy leather, blistery and by the look of it, I'm fairly certain the jacket from the episode is made in it. Check out the pic below.

So what's a realistic price range to expect? Since you skipped most of the thread, I'm in the EU and I prefer to let this be done in Germany, preferably by someone who sees me in person.

For a full-on custom like that? That also depends but I think you could get a fantastic jacket for 400-600 Euros tops. I'm surprised you're having trouble finding a maker as I know for a fact there are some fantastic leather workshops in Germany.
These guys, for instance; https://www.starkausleder.com/
Can't say if they're willing to make jackets but I got leather trousers by this maker and they're seriously among the highest quality leather anything that I ever handled.

There's a lot of fetish / BLUF leather makers in Germany as well & fetishism aside, these guys are known for fantastic workmanship, quality and material and since you could get measured and all, I'd say they're your most feasible option.

Some shops that do custom work...
http://lederwerkstatt.net/?page_id=2
https://mr-chaps.de/konfektion/
https://www.misterb.com/en/clothing/leather/jackets

This maker seems to have a style that could easily be altered to resemble the X-files jacket and they do every jacket per customers specifications.
https://www.wesp-leder.de/wp/produkt-kategorie/jacken/

Yes I know it's weird and probably unheard of on this forum, but I need it to be oversized, so that it looks the way it looks in those original photos.

It's not unheard of, it's just that most members on TFL agree on what constitutes a well fitting jacket - Shoulder seams actually being on shoulders, for instance - and vastly oversized look isn't the part of it. But with the 90's seeing a revival of a sort, your X-files jacket would be extremely fashionable right now so it's all good. We've been seeing a lot of Kim K in this sorta fit in 2020, actually.

 

[Formeruser012524]

Is there a big difference between Cowhide and Steerhide? Because the Indiana Jones Replica I posted earlier in this thread, which in terms of color and "surface" almost exactly resembled the original jacket, is actually Steerhide according to the website.

Thoughts? Or would this be insignificant?