Eastman Raf Irvin jacket

[kowalski]

Hi All

I noticed price Raf jacket Eastman Irvin has increased two times !!!why ?? - (790 GBp)

I paid for his jacket ELC four years ago 475 GBp !!

why is it such a big increase in the price

Sorry for my english I hope you understood me

best regards from Poland

 

[aswatland]

The price of raw materials, especially sheepskin has rocketed in recent years contributed to the ELC price rises for sheepskin jackets.

 

[Dumpster Diver]

I have heard claims to a shortage of sheep in New Zealand and in other countries including the UK, but I have no way to confirm the facts.

 

[kowalski]

lack, scarcity of sheep ? jackets Irvin have become so popular? I not believe

pity that the price has increased wanted to buy a second Irvin but now I will not be afford it

 

[Smithy]

I have heard claims to a shortage of sheep in New Zealand and in other countries including the UK, but I have no way to confirm the facts.

Can't talk for the UK, but personally my family sheep and cattle farm back in NZ and we have no shortage. We have more stock now than we did 10 years ago.

 

[Bunyip]

Sheep everywhere here too, somehow lamb cutlets and roasts have skyrocketed as well the irvins!

 

[Sloan1874]

It's hard to find companies that can do the quality of repro shearling too. It comes at a cost. I know Aero spent a long time sourcing their new stuff.

 

[Smithy]

Sheep everywhere here too, somehow lamb cutlets and roasts have skyrocketed as well the irvins!

Bunyip, wool and meat prices have gone through the roof. The Chinese especially have a huge demand for wool and the Mid East and traditional markets are gobbling up lamb and mutton exports.

I agree though, it's crazy living somewhere like Oz which farms a large amount of lamb and beef and then you see the prices in the butchers and the supermarket.

 

[Capesofwrath]

It's not just Eastman, Aero prices have risen by a similar amount in the timescale the OP mentioned. Most standard FQHH jackets rose from £425 to £625 in a couple of years and the newer models from this spring even more so. I suspect it's more to do with the pound falling against the dollar since the financial crash which makes most hide more expensive to import, but also means the finished product is cheaper in the important US market. This allows margins to be increased, or possibly rebuilt having been squeezed at the higher exchange rate without US customers being affected as much as UK or Euro customers where rates have not changed so much.

It's also a question of supply and demand. Demand is increasing all the time even at the higher prices, so prices will tend to keep going up until demand is affected.

 

[aswatland]

The exchange rate is clearly a factor. However talking to jacket makers they cite the increased demand for sheepskin in China as the main reason for the steep rise in prices.

 

[andyfalzon]

The price of raw materials, especially sheepskin has rocketed in recent years contributed to the ELC price rises for sheepskin jackets.

The Chinese now control the sheepskin market.

 

[aswatland]

The Chinese now control the sheepskin market.

There you go chaps, direct from the keyboard of a jacket maker!

 

[Capesofwrath]

The Chinese now control the sheepskin market.

So Sax Rohmer was right all those years ago?

 

[havocpaul]

And the cost of treating and tanning the fleeces to get the quality needed, all jacket makers have had to increase their prices recently to reflect all the production costs, if you don't want to pay the prices you can always find second-hand jackets from the likes of Aero and ELC regularly on eBay and even some militaria dealer sites online.

 

[kowalski]

Price used jacket ELC not much different from the price of a new jacket, unfortunately

http://www.ebay.co.uk/itm/Eastman-R...D&orig_cvip=true&rt=nc&_trksid=p2047675.l2557

 

[aswatland]

This was an extremely rare, large sized very early ELC jacket in superb condition and therefore commanded an unusually high price. Normally used ELC Irvins sell for around £450-500 on Ebay.

 

[kowalski]

My ELC Irvin is size 44 I'm happy with the fact that my jacket hanging in the closet and hers price goes up . Very well
who bought the jacket at the old price to let it enjoys

Best regards All from Poland and hapy new year :cheers1:

 

[mihai]

The fact that the price of sheepskin increased is quite strange.
For example in Romania, the farmers that raise sheep complain that there is no interest for skins and wool. Very often they choose to throw them away unless needed for personal use. Few of them try to process them. They sell wool products that are dirt cheap. For example, a pair of wool socks is about 3-4 euros.

I suspect that the real issue comes from the processors of such products(skin, wool) who demand large amounts and certain parameters (size, texture ...). This limits perhaps the supply of such materials.

 

[John Lever]

I understand that in most of Europe sheepskin is classified as toxic waste and has no commercial value.

 

[B-24J]

My ELC Irvin is size 44 I'm happy with the fact that my jacket hanging in the closet and hers price goes up . Very well
who bought the jacket at the old price to let it enjoys

Best regards All from Poland and hapy new year :cheers1:

Have a happy New Year Kowalski. Your ELC is looking great!

John