Did the Price of Aero Jackets go Down?

[Rich22]

I think that they make outstanding jackets and I regularly get complimented on the Aeros I own. Weirdly, I also wouldn't want to pay much less than 700 GBP for a jacket or about 180 GBP for boots, but I have a sort of 'cap' on what I'll pay, too, and it's not much north of those numbers (for me, 900 is about it). I imagine that a pair of Trickers is better, in some ways, than a pair of Loakes, or that some of the highest-end makers have perfect stitching, etc., but that doesn't make that much of a difference to me (or not enough to justify the price difference), so I'd likely never know as I probably won't get to wear said item and I'm not sufficiently invested to research it and wouldn't remember the terminology if I did (which is pretty handy, actually). I'm glad that I bought the Aeros I own when I did.

I never mind paying less for something I think is good

I own an excellent pair of Church's Oxford Brogues that I got discounted from £450 down to £300 a few years ago, and paid a little less than that for the pair before. Not cheap, but £300 is worth it to me for quality. But then Church's were purchased by a luxury chain and doubled their prices overnight. Now the pair I have retail for just under £1,000, and the store I used to go to has no sales. They're still great shoes, but I can't justify that for a pair of shoes when I've spent decades buying them for less than a third of that. The next time I need new smart shoes I'll be shopping elsewhere, as there are still excellently made alternatives for reasonable prices.

It would be sad if there are soon no excellent leather jacket makers with reasonable prices in Europe, only luxury stuff, leaving more of us to have a shot at Asian manufacturers when we want new jackets. I desire quality for its craftsmanship, not for luxury status.

Fewer people will wear leather jackets in Europe as a result. When I was living in China and winter came every other person seemed to be wearing one, because they can be had for a fraction of the price. Sure, lots wore fast fashion rubbish, but some of my friends and colleagues wore lovely tailored stuff made from good leather, that wasn't a luxury price.

 

[mvilla]

Honestly, I've seen prices double or even more doing groceries here in UK since last year... Even Field Leathers have raised their prices by £100 since March (and I believe they came from another raise not long before that). UK is struggling and the f***ing Tories are now blaming immigrants lol

 

[Marc mndt]

What occurred to me is that, if an Aero is going to be a grand, would I begin to think about a Thedi (if I'm spending that much money, why not a bit more?)

A horsehide Thedi was around €1300 four years ago. Today it's around €1750.

 

[zebedee]

A horsehide Thedi was around €1300 four years ago. Today it's around €1750.

Ah, that'd put paid to that idea!

 

[Rich22]

A horsehide Thedi was around €1300 four years ago. Today it's around €1750.

Is it still at €1,750? That was the 2021 price.

 

[Rich22]

Honestly, I've seen prices double or even more doing groceries here in UK since last year... Even Field Leathers have raised their prices by £100 since March (and I believe they came from another raise not long before that). UK is struggling and the f***ing Tories are now blaming immigrants lol

Groceries have gone bonkers. I've been out of the UK for most of the last 13 years, so I often only get to see the prices once or twice a year when I visit. I'm back right now. My favourite feta cheese has nearly doubled in a year...

It's hard to see how inflation is "only" 11% or so for the last 12 months. It's a dire situation.

Add to that, house prices in the UK have lost any grip on reality. Why a property that costs a homebasher £80k to build sells for £1.3m in the London suburbs is baffling. The awful government are afraid of upsetting homeowners by building many new (and not horrendously low quality) homes and driving the price of existing homes down. Meanwhile salaries are now only 50% of what Americans earn. You guys see why I don't see my future in my country of birth.... (and I didn't even mention Brexit or the Tory party in this message!).

 

[zebedee]

Groceries have gone bonkers. I've been out of the UK for most of the last 13 years, so I often only get to see the prices once or twice a year when I visit. I'm back right now. My favourite feta cheese has nearly doubled in a year...

It's hard to see how inflation is "only" 11% or so for the last 12 months. It's a dire situation.

Add to that, house prices in the UK have lost any grip on reality. Why a property that costs a homebasher £80k to build sells for £1.3m in the London suburbs is baffling. The awful government are afraid of upsetting homeowners by building many new (and not horrendously low quality) homes and driving the price of existing homes down. Meanwhile salaries are now only 50% of what Americans earn. You guys see why I don't see my future in my country of birth.... (and I didn't even mention Brexit or the Tory party in this message!).

Been out of the UK for about 21 years. The context helps me understand price rises. I often miss the architecture and the autumn/winter. It would make sense to live somewhere with a climate that matches the Aero collection/Pike Bros. gear, but I have little common sense. I can wear them for about three months in Hong Kong, so I make sure that wear rotation is heavy. When it rains here, it really rains and it's perfect for knocking the glow out of new leather in half an hour.

 

[Al 916]

Damn, if only the then government hadn't sold our gold reserves at market low...it would have paid for Covid....damn.....

Or shall we avoid politics maybe......

 

[Rich22]

That gold sale... Good God.... I was working on the financial markets back then, and everyone outside of government thought it was stupid even at the time! We probably should avoid politics to avoid depressing ourselves unnecessarily...