Chinese leather jackets

[PilotJens]

I can post the Instagram of the man behind Taylor Brando .
He isn't always available because he has to use a VPN.

 

[PilotJens]

Taylor Brando was the name I actually agreed on after countless weird combinations of either Skyrim / Marlon or Brando .
Skyrim leather
Brando Skyrim
Malon Brando

Chinese people try to name things after famous people because they want to be associated with it .
He insisted it had to be related to either Marlon or Brando

 

[PilotJens]

And they know about 5* leather and try to compete with them.

I told them to stay away from the Indian and Chinese hides for their European market . I can't verify if some sellers are tricking you into thinking that it is horween.

They mainly import horween ,"general" Italian leather , Leather from Tuscany .

 

[Canuck Panda]

I have had tons of jackets from Taobao/Aliexpress/and all the other Chinese resellers and also Five star. I got into Fivestar first because of the forum here. Then I got into Taobao on my own because I was bored during the Covid years. Back then, the average Chinese jacket was well under RMB ¥1,000 which was under USD 200. At that same time 5* was $350. However the main difference was that 5* was customizable and the Chinese jackets were not.

Another thing is that the Chinese jacket sellers take much better (edited) photos than 5*. And their jacket stock length is usually on the shorter side, about 0.75" (2cm) difference across the board.

At this point my best advise is to find an used name brand jacket with name brand leather. The biggest difference between a budget jacket and a name brand one is the leather. The name brand one isn't worth 5 times the budget jacket, maybe 30% more, but they want 5 times more, that is life. But thanks to the second hand market, you can find a name brand jacket for much less, just be patient.

Jacket on the left is a name brand one with name brand leather. Jacket on the right is a Chinese jacket with their own leather (btw this is probably the best one I had from there). Both are pull up type oil wax hides (油蜡皮). You can judge for yourself which you like better.

For me the budget leather hasn't figure out how to achieve the deep shine and consistency on the brand name leather. If they offer the same thing, they'd probably want the same price

 

[Technonut]

I had some crappy mirror pics previously posted... I managed to grab some better ones of the RL copy I purchased from AE. For around $200.00 USD, I'm quite happy with it :

EDIT: Here's the original RL directly patterned from shown in the AE listing:

EDIT: Adding another pic of an original RL:

 

[Technonut]

Can't complain about AE's shipping time to the States... The package arrived exactly 7 days after it left China..

I'm quite impressed with this FW La Brea knock-off for the $$ (around $225.00 USD shipped). The cowhide is supple, with just a bit of stiffness that some wear will take care of. I can already tell that it will show some nice grain over time. The construction and stitching is very good, and most details of the original FW La Brea are present (as far as I can tell from pics never owning one), including french seams and the lining stitching... The jacket is exactly as shown in the AE listing pics previously posted.. No surprises..

The fit is very good IMO.. AE's sizing charts are accurate, with the back length coming in at just under 24.25", which just covers my belt in the front, and about .25" over the back. Perfect for my preferred cut of most jeans..

The time-of-day / sun wasn't cooperating as much as I would've liked, but here's some pics (EDIT: For anyone curious, the shades are vintage USA-made Ray Ban Skyline Predators with B&L lenses. The newsboy cap was made for me many years ago by the Hat People in Oregon... https://www.hatpeople.com/tourshop/catalogue/cat.html ) :

 

[Technonut]

Nice and sunny in my part of the world this morning... Just the right time of year to get some wear on this jacket... :

In bright sunlight, the color is similar to this original FW La Brea I spotted (EDIT: This jacket shows a sold price of $3200.00 USD... https://www.grailed.com/listings/59139267-freewheelers-freewheelers-la-brea ) :

EDIT: These best represent the jacket's true color to my eye:

 

[Technonut]

Thought that I'd grab a few pics while it's sunny showing closer details of the jacket. I've worn it for a couple of days now, and it's beginning to break in well...

I personally like the cowhide (again, the bright sun is washing out the deeper brown color it actually appears in these pics) used in the jacket. The thickness is consistent throughout (I'd guess 1.2-1.3mm), and I can see that it should develop decent-looking grain over time.

IMO, this made-in-China jacket is a great value for the $$, and I have no regrets. At this stage of my life and circumstances, I really don't need expensive leather jackets crafted and christened by the sweat of talented artisans... New, well-constructed and fitting leather jackets made from decently tanned leather in the vintage styles which I enjoy, at prices that I can afford, are just fine with me...