Custom leather jacket maker options?

[Booneville]

Anyone has experience with "VintageLeatheDesigns" on Etsy? It's a Hong Kong-based shop.

I am digging this cafe racer. Four things that line with preferences:
- Schott caf1 style front zipper
- hand warmer pockets
- single back panel
- the ability to customize the length to fit a tall person.

Is there another maker you would recommend?

My upper $ limit is in the range of $6-700.

Thanks,

 

[dudewuttheheck]

There are many people would recommend here. Thedi, Field Leathers, Regius, Aero, 5 Star, etc. Budget, wait time, design language, etc all make a big difference. Are you looking just at cafe racers?

 

[Booneville]

There are many people would recommend here. Thedi, Field Leathers, Regius, Aero, 5 Star, etc. Budget, wait time, design language, etc all make a big difference. Are you looking just at cafe racers?

yes, CRs only. Thedi and Aero are out of my budget. My upper limit is $6-700. (Updating the original post with budget)

 

[dudewuttheheck]

yes, CRs only. Thedi and Aero are out of my budget. My upper limit is $6-700. (Updating the original post with budget)

I think 5 Stsr would work, but they are apparently quite risky if you don't know exactly what you want.

At that budget, you also might be better off getting a used Vanson, Aero, or Schott cafe racer.

 

[Monitor]

That's a lot of money. I'd get a brand new Vanson and wouldn't look back.

 

[Aloysius]

Anyone has experience with "VintageLeatheDesigns" on Etsy? It's a Hong Kong-based shop.

I am digging this cafe racer. Four things that line with preferences:
- Schott caf1 style front zipper
- hand warmer pockets
- single back panel
- the ability to customize the length to fit a tall person.

Is there another maker you would recommend?

My upper $ limit is in the range of $6-700.

Thanks,

Here you go:

Under 600 without armor, about 600 with armor.

You can get fancier but you can’t get better than this. I think just about everyone in the server would agree with me on this count. Given the affordable base price, even if you needed customization (which you probably wouldn’t), it will be inside your budget.

 

[torfjord]

Here you go:

Under 600 without armor, about 600 with armor.

You can get fancier but you can’t get better than this. I think just about everyone in the server would agree with me on this count. Given the affordable base price, even if you needed customization (which you probably wouldn’t), it will be inside your budget.

Yes, go for Vanson.

 

[Fonzie]

Vanson for the win.

 

[Brutus]

With a little patience finding a used Langlitz would be my advice.

 

[Edward]

I would absolutely not buy from the Etsy page linked to in the OP. Too many warning signs. Unfortunately, Etsy has in the last year or two become riddled with the same sort of stuff you see all over eBay - cheaper products being sold by businesses who sell *everything*, and it's hit and miss whether they produce a quality product or not. Not the reviews for this seller - half of them seem to be for iPhone cases. Sometimes sellers like this *can* do something great - or if and when something arrives, it might not look even remotely like what you were expecting. It's a gamble. If what arrives is great, then great - but even at that cheap price, if it's not, well.... Unfortunately, there is a high likelihood that the business model being operated here is to show you photos of a jacket model that might not even be theirs (likely lifted from some other brand's website) and then if you order, they will attempt to replicate it. Sometimes this yields a result that resembles the photos more than others.

If you are happy to buy used, with a little patience an Aero or something like a Schott would be an option - though depending on your size and preferences, that could take a bit. Schott currently have this model on sale on their own site, at the top end of your budget - https://www.schottnyc.com/products/mens-vintaged-steerhide-black-leather.htm?color=1&catID=5 These photos don't really sell it to me, but the Schotts I've actually handled were all pretty decent at used prices.

Vanson are an excellent option if they come within your budget and you like the style. There's a few that appeal to me (though some of their line is very much too modern for my tastes).

No idea if Goldtop are distributing anywhere in the US, though for currently USD512, their jackets really are very nice. The ones I've handled in person were, imo, as good as the production line Schotts that are now double the price, which, unless you have a particular attachment to buying USA-made, might make them worth considering.

https://goldtop.co.uk/collections/jackets/products/the-flat-tracker-jacket?variant=40127554257067

https://goldtop.co.uk/collections/jackets/products/the-68-cafe-racer-jacket?variant=37942677962923

The 76 Cafe Racer if you like that style is available in a range of five or six different colours - https://goldtop.co.uk/collections/jackets The other two seem to be black only, though at one time and another they have publicised the option of paying a little more for a special order. If you intended to ride in it, the armour is worth having; if not, you can always save a few quid by ordering without.

 

[Aloysius]

Schott would be an option - though depending on your size and preferences, that could take a bit. Schott currently have this model on sale on their own site, at the top end of your budget - https://www.schottnyc.com/products/mens-vintaged-steerhide-black-leather.htm?color=1&catID=5

The fact that he referenced this model in his original post made me assume that for some reason (possibly sizing) it doesn’t work for him.

 

[Noah Way]

Simmons Bilt makes very nice jackets and they have a great version of this at your price range.

Simmons Bilt Cafe Racer

 

[Aloysius]

Simmons Bilt makes very nice jackets and they have a great version of this at your price range.

Simmons Bilt Cafe Racer

The Simmons Bilt uses a copy of Aero’s Cafe Racer pattern which, even leaving ethical issues aside, is a tricky fit.

There is no reason whatsoever to get this over a Vanson. And in this case when you consider all costs it’s likely outside of the price range anyway, for a notably lesser product.

 

[El Marro]

If I were looking for a Cafe racer I would buy the Vanson Comet PLU-3 (which is what I did when I was looking for a cafe racer). It is simple and perfect.

 

[Noah Way]

The Simmons Bilt uses a copy of Aero’s Cafe Racer pattern which, even leaving ethical issues aside, is a tricky fit.

There is no reason whatsoever to get this over a Vanson. And in this case when you consider all costs it’s likely outside of the price range anyway, for a notably lesser product.

Vintage Cafe Racer is a widely reproduced style. The Vanson linked above is almost identical to the Simmons Bilt and Aero. All have subtle differences between them.

Simmons Bilt are high quality jackets and the Toohey's are a delight to work with. They care about what they do, and they do it very, very well. The jacket they made for me is excellent in every way and tailored to perfection.

To the OP, search this forum for Simmons Bilt and read for yourself what people have to say.

 

[El Marro]

Vintage Cafe Racer is a widely reproduced style. The Vanson linked above is almost identical to the Simmons Bilt and Aero. All have subtle differences between them.

While Aero and Simmons both offer a diverse selection of hides to choose from Vanson has them beat when it comes to the pattern. If you are looking for a black cafe racer than Vanson is hard to top.

 

[Aloysius]

Vintage Cafe Racer is a widely reproduced style. The Vanson linked above is almost identical to the Simmons Bilt and Aero. All have subtle differences between them.

Simmons Bilt are high quality jackets and the Toohey's are a delight to work with. They care about what they do, and they do it very, very well. The jacket they made for me is excellent in every way and tailored to perfection.

To the OP, search this forum for Simmons Bilt and read for yourself what people have to say.

I think you misunderstood.

When I said it “uses a copy” of Aero’s pattern, I didn’t mean the fact that both are two-chest-pocket cafe racer jackets. I meant it’s literally a copy of Aero’s pattern. If you’re suggesting that people search the history of Simmons Bilt, then you know very well that they stole Aero’s jacket patterns, as came out in court. (I didn’t mention this stuff earlier because I didn’t want to rehash the whole history, but since you want to take advantage of that, I’ll be up front.)

So this means the Simmons cafe racer isn’t just the same genre of jacket–it’s the same jacket, albeit an unauthorized copy, as the Aero Cafe Racer. And the Aero model is the most finnicky Aero pattern, with the top block not suited to the shoulders of many wearers. This will hold true on the Simmons as well.

Aero’s Board Racer is a much easier fit on most people.

The Vanson, on the other hand, is a completely different jacket, with a pattern that is very hard to beat by anyone, even at many times the price (let alone cheaper than Simmons).

That said, given that I’m talking to a new account that’s shilling a somewhat notorious brand, I realize it is entirely possible that I’m talking to a marketing account.

EDIT: fixed spelling of ‘top block’

 

[Aloysius]

Accusing me of shilling for Simmons is inane. Because I like something that you don’t you try to disparage me. Ad hominem attacks tend to prove exactly the opposite of what was intended.

You have five posts, all but one of which are shilling Simmons Bilt.

Your other comments echo the same. Details of shoulder fit between brands - do you have both jackets? “Much easier fit on most people” - what exactly is the basis for your authority on this matter?

Clearly you didn’t even pay attention to what I was saying… I was saying that the Aero Cafe Racer pattern, which the Simmons Bilt is a copy of, is a very tricky fit. There are countless threads on this forum about this (the “Aero lines” phenomenon). It’s not a “between brands” comparison so much as a “between patterns” comparison. It just so happens that one of these brands copied one of the patterns in question so it’s affected by the same problems.

The Board Racer pattern is different (shared with a jacket called the “Ridley” if sold in the US, ‘slimfit bike’ in the UK). Countless people who encounter fit issues with the Cafe Racer pattern (including other jackets with the same pattern) have no such issue with the Board Racer pattern (including other jackets with the same pattern).

Your behavior is so overt one might wonder if you aren't shilling for Vason.

Ah yes, I have been on this site for seventeen years to shill for a company whose existence I didn’t even know about when I first joined.

Pattern making is Vanson’s speciality. Everyone knows this.

I'm surprised you haven’t accused me of shilling for Borsalino as well. I did post about them, too.

We’ve had tons of sock puppet accounts here over the years that shill their employers, then do one throwaway post in another topic.

 

[AeroFan_07]

Anyone has experience with "VintageLeatheDesigns" on Etsy? It's a Hong Kong-based shop.

I am digging this cafe racer. Four things that line with preferences:
- Schott caf1 style front zipper
- hand warmer pockets
- single back panel
- the ability to customize the length to fit a tall person.

Is there another maker you would recommend?

My upper $ limit is in the range of $6-700.

Thanks,

As has been mentioned on here several times, Vanson is an excellent choice, however a full single-piece back may be a tough find from any of the makers.

Schott's "641" has a one-piece back, and a few years ago it was right at or under your price range, however now it's getting much closer to $900 once you get it shipped to you.
https://www.schottnyc.com/products/single-rider-leather-jacket.htm?catID=5

Another less-expensive option would be Fox Creek, as I understand it many if not most of their products are still made in house in US. I have owned a couple FC jackets and they are fine, the cowhide they use isn't my first choice, however they are still solid jackets. Looks like a one-piece back on this "Grayson" model above the kidney belt area:
https://www.foxcreekleather.com/men/leather-motorcycle-jackets/

@Guppy has owned a few TRD-Leather jackets and their CR is a very reasonable $425, also US-made, other than the kidney belt area it appears to have a one-piece back.
http://www.trdleather.com/product_p/rsmj-1.htm

Otherwise there are plenty of used CR's out there to choose from.

 

[Aloysius]

Another less-expensive option would be Fox Creek, as I understand it many if not most of their products are still made in house in US. I have owned a couple FC jackets and they are fine, the cowhide they use isn't my first choice, however they are still solid jackets. Looks like a one-piece back on this "Grayson" model above the kidney belt area:
https://www.foxcreekleather.com/men/leather-motorcycle-jackets/

Their cafe racer would fit OP’s needs pretty perfectly and because they’re all MTO I wonder if they’d be willing to put on a second chest pocket to suit his style preference.