Ever wish western companies would compete?

[Justhandguns]

Sounds awfully like UK academia!

UK Academia is certainly worse than that.... small pool of money with whole lots of high IQ personnel, it is as nasty as the politics.

It is interesting how some have forgot the core of communism is workers and farmers. The greedy entrepreneurs and capitalists were only allowed to take advantage of the poor workers so later like now the Gov't can take the wealth from the rich and redistribute to the poor who are the real supporters of the communist regime. The PRC Government simply would not allow capitalists to get rich and powerful enough to challenge the Gov't. Look at all those crack down on bribery and tax evasion in recent years and the money they confiscated. Look at Alibaba and Tencent now. Basically back to state owned enterprises. Plan is simple and clear.

Bartender Edit: Small snip here - let's steer clear of the politics, please.

The Japanese have a completely different mentality that it is hard for us Westerners to understand. Technically speaking, they are one of the most racist countries in the first world (even though they are always very polite....). They also never want to export the best produces overseas. Some of the brands mentioned such as Lewis and Vanson all have collaborations with their Japanese distributors, and as far as I remember, the wife of Derek is Japanese, hence the connections. Both Vanson and Lewis started making the 'slim' versions of their jackets for the Japanese market, that is why it is now an option if you want to look really slim and 'fashionable'. I believe that Vanson and Lewis (and Langlitz) type jackets were made popular in Japan by a manga called 'The Front of Armament', they featured heavily in this biker gangster comic.

 

[Will Zach]

How is the Bronson B-6? Better than Five Star offerings? Nice shearling? No chemical smell?

 

[Aloysius]

How is the Bronson B-6? Better than Five Star offerings? Nice shearling? No chemical smell?

Most Bronson jackets are copied from Buzz Rickson's (and sometimes Toys McCoy), so in that respect they tend to fit well.

 

[Monitor]

UK Academia is certainly worse than that.... small pool of money with whole lots of high IQ personnel, it is as nasty as the politics.




This is what they call the Chinese kind of communism. Basically it is a form extreme capitalism running by a single dictatorship. The previous leaders somewhere were a bit more open minded when some of these business thrived, but the current great leader wants to have a (large) share of whatever good business that you have. I recently could not resist the temptation of the Bronson B-6 jacket.... Deep down I really feel guilty but what the hell, the jacket is very well made.

The Japanese have a completely different mentality that it is hard for us Westerners to understand. Technically speaking, they are one of the most racist countries in the first world (even though they are always very polite....). They also never want to export the best produces overseas. Some of the brands mentioned such as Lewis and Vanson all have collaborations with their Japanese distributors, and as far as I remember, the wife of Derek is Japanese, hence the connections. Both Vanson and Lewis started making the 'slim' versions of their jackets for the Japanese market, that is why it is now an option if you want to look really slim and 'fashionable'. I believe that Vanson and Lewis (and Langlitz) type jackets were made popular in Japan by a manga called 'The Front of Armament', they featured heavily in this biker gangster comic.

Posting manga and anime on TFL is a bannable offence.

Or at least it should be. XD

 

[Blackadder]

UK Academia is certainly worse than that.... small pool of money with whole lots of high IQ personnel, it is as nasty as the politics.




This is what they call the Chinese kind of communism. Basically it is a form extreme capitalism running by a single dictatorship. The previous leaders somewhere were a bit more open minded when some of these business thrived, but the current great leader wants to have a (large) share of whatever good business that you have. I recently could not resist the temptation of the Bronson B-6 jacket.... Deep down I really feel guilty but what the hell, the jacket is very well made.

The Japanese have a completely different mentality that it is hard for us Westerners to understand. Technically speaking, they are one of the most racist countries in the first world (even though they are always very polite....). They also never want to export the best produces overseas. Some of the brands mentioned such as Lewis and Vanson all have collaborations with their Japanese distributors, and as far as I remember, the wife of Derek is Japanese, hence the connections. Both Vanson and Lewis started making the 'slim' versions of their jackets for the Japanese market, that is why it is now an option if you want to look really slim and 'fashionable'. I believe that Vanson and Lewis (and Langlitz) type jackets were made popular in Japan by a manga called 'The Front of Armament', they featured heavily in this biker gangster comic.

The Front of the Armament TFOA is one of the gangs in the Manga but not the leading gang. Lol. It is a biker gang hence the jackets. The main character does not belong to the biker gang. Manga names are Crows and Worst.
https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Crows_(manga)

 

[Blackadder]

Posting manga and anime on TFL is a bannable offence.

Or at least it should be. XD

Listing fashion brand item is. LOL

 

[Justhandguns]

How is the Bronson B-6? Better than Five Star offerings? Nice shearling? No chemical smell?

No chemical smell, I am very impressed with the quality of the jacket, even though it is not a 100% faithful repro, it is a pretty good one. The hide is soft and supple, less 'wrinkles' than the ELC offerings, but for me, it is good enough.

Posting manga and anime on TFL is a bannable offence.

Or at least it should be. XD

Haha, well, just make one exception for me this time please.

The Front of the Armament TFOA is one of the gangs in the Manga but not the leading gang. Lol. It is a biker gang hence the jackets. The main character does not belong to the biker gang. Manga names are Crows and Worst.
https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Crows_(manga)

Thanks for the clarification, I don't follow these manga, but I remember even Vanson somehow used a few shots from them to showcase their jackets.....

Listing fashion brand item is. LOL

Hahaha, depends on how they define the word, fashion, of course.

 

[scurvyfreedman]

Oh, wow, that is really cool! :O
This video is actually one of my saved favorites for my 80s music collection. Awesome.

Or you are just pulling my leg. lol

Joan Jett and I have a lot in common. Big time Orioles fan. And, she has lived where I grew up for most of the past 50 years. Long Beach, NY. The Runaways were considered a Long Beach band for the most part. At least that's what we all said.

 

[Jasonissm]

There are a few stores that stock Japanese leather jackets, here in Sydney we have both Corlection and Blue Works who stock Rainbow Country, Freewheelers, Real McCoys, The Flat Head, etc. (although in limited quantities and at the usual markups) while I've found it relatively harder to find brands from the West here (Corlection does carry Lewis Leathers), but that may also be due to the type of stores I frequent.

Being able to try on a Rainbow Country in my size helped a lot, whereas something like Vanson, probably have to just rely on some guesswork and online measurements. Either way I love both and still on the hunt!

 

[Liveinstyle33]

I have that exact shearling aviator from Taobao/Aliexpress. I left it outside for two years now and it has faded a lot. Will take a photo and post it. These jackets are actually made quite well. The only thing bad about them is the poor quality hardware. But the stitch work is on par or even better than some expensive jackets I have.

I've been working in outsourcing for over 25 years now. First it was Mexico and then China, now it's spread out from India to Vietnam and everywhere in between. It was very common in the early 2000's in China for the factory owners to withheld wages from the workers and only pay them in lump sum at the end of the work year (before Chinese new year). This is not the case anymore and hasn't been for a while now. Thanks to phones and internet. Every worker knows their worth and the factory owners now just don't have the leverage they used to. That's why a lot of them moved to less developed countries. The wages in China is not as low as one thinks anymore. The Chinese business cuts cost mostly by going as direct as they can without any middle guys in the middle. And of course some cheap out on material to hit certain price points, but that's the case everywhere in the world. But while wages went up there, the hours became longer. Or the toxic work place culture. In most Asian countries, no one leaves first when it's time to go home. I hope this gets changed soon. No one likes to sleep at their desk/bench. This is so dumb because people are pressured to stay even when there is no actual work.

One of my best friends is from mainland China, I met him at Rice University. He is a former finance worker for banks. He tells me all kinds of stories like this. He used to have to drink in business meetings constantly, a cultural thing, so much so that it gave him a fatty liver and now he avoids alcohol.

 

[Liveinstyle33]

Joan Jett and I have a lot in common. Big time Orioles fan. And, she has lived where I grew up for most of the past 50 years. Long Beach, NY. The Runaways were considered a Long Beach band for the most part. At least that's what we all said.

Very cool! My dad was from Long Island, his big family came from that area. I've been up there many times despite being born in Texas and living here for most of my life.

 

[Blackadder]

One of my best friends is from mainland China, I met him at Rice University. He is a former finance worker for banks. He tells me all kinds of stories like this. He used to have to drink in business meetings constantly, a cultural thing, so much so that it gave him a fatty liver and now he avoids alcohol.

My experience is we do the meetings and negotiation during the day and at night we have dinner and lots of drinks to seal the deal.
Also I witnessed first hand the siesta. It is lights off in the whole office after lunch for workers to take their nap. A practice carried over from the state owned enterprise days.
And no I have never seen the office workers staying after work because they would either be out drinking and cultivating business and relationship or they simply go home.
Factory workers on the other hand may need to work over time to fulfill orders.
Those are my first hand experience albeit it was back in the 90s and early 00s.

 

[bvbellomo2]

I am surprised on the packaging comments. It unceremoniously goes in the trash, and if it is nice enough, I feel bad being wasteful and bad for the environment. If the company can save $2 and pass $1 on to me, I'd be happy, and I thought everyone not making an unboxing youtube video felt the same way.

Japan can't compete on cost in most markets (even within Japan, without protection from cheaper imports), and Japanese hold quality in high regard, so most products are overly attention detailed, and too expensive to export. It is only a few odd things like Jeans and Jackets and beef where USA and other consumers will pay big bucks for the best of the best that exporting makes sense. Once these niche's become popular, Western companies can't compete - no matter how nice a USA made selvedge denim is, it isn't exotic and won't sell to the same crowd at the same price.

Where I feel the Japanese can't compete and should is sizes. As a large western shaped man, I will never wear a Japanese jacket. I don't care about stitch quality if a jacket doesn't fit.

 

[Edward]

Where I feel the Japanese can't compete and should is sizes. As a large western shaped man, I will never wear a Japanese jacket. I don't care about stitch quality if a jacket doesn't fit.

This undoubtedly is a drawback with items created specifically for much of the SE Asian market, where the average size is smaller. While those remain 'exotic imports' for niche markets in the West, that won't change. Not unless they start actively targeting the Western consumer. Since I shrunk last year from a 48" - pushing towards 50" waist to a 42", I've found it infinitely easier to find vintage-repro stuff in general that fits me. Bronson are an attractive mix of price and style (and I've been impressed with the cap I received from them), but unfortunately they are also a little too small for me across the range. The biggest I've seen in their waists is a 38 (which I doubt I'll be again at this point in my life). With jackets, their top end is a 44 that *might* fit me, though I'm *probably* a 46 in those. I don't expect this to change unless they begin to actively target the Western market, in which case scaling up to suit the average sizes of the Western, middle-aged male who tends to be the primary buyer for this sort of thing makes sense.

If Bronson ever do go up to a 42, I have a real hankering for a pair of their black and white hooped convict pants. No idea when or where I'd wear 'em, mind, but.....

 

[bvbellomo2]

This isn't even just about size, unless you are Tacko Fall, you might find something that fits your length if you slim down enough. The problem is overall shape. Japanese jackets (and other tops) are made for guys with broad shoulders and no chest. Someone barrel chested is never going to look good in one, even if they find one large enough.

 

[Xopher]

My buddy Mike Merling of Golden Age Motorcycle Clothing is an Vanson dealer. He as taken original garments to Vanson and worked with them very closely on replicating the patterns exactly and using top quality reproduction hardware. He has a line which he Co-Labels. I would say his Vanson collaborations are just as good as the Japanese stuff.
He has a really nice shawl mackinaw coming out here in a week or so.

 

[Aloysius]

My buddy Mike Merling of Golden Age Motorcycle Clothing is an Vanson dealer. He as taken original garments to Vanson and worked with them very closely on replicating the patterns exactly and using top quality reproduction hardware. He has a line which he Co-Labels. I would say his Vanson collaborations are just as good as the Japanese stuff.
He has a really nice shawl mackinaw coming out here in a week or so.

This company? Which is the Vanson collaboration line?

I'd love to make a trip out to his shop and check it out.

 

[Jasonissm]

This isn't even just about size, unless you are Tacko Fall, you might find something that fits your length if you slim down enough. The problem is overall shape. Japanese jackets (and other tops) are made for guys with broad shoulders and no chest. Someone barrel chested is never going to look good in one, even if they find one large enough.

Don't understand how you can make a generalisation that all Japanese patterns are like this. The Flat Head, this is true for, most other brands it is not true at all. In fact, especially older Rainbow Country is even too wide, without taper at all, and Jason Momoa famously wears his Centinela.

While it is true most Japanese brands stop at either size 42 or 44, they have a massive amount of different patterns, Fine Creek Leathers, I know their too wide, barrel shaped body with little V taper.

 

[Aloysius]

Jason Momoa famously wears his Centinela.

True, though it fits him terribly. (Not because of Japanese v American pattern; it was obviously a one off for him, just a poorly patterned one.)

 

[bvbellomo2]

Maybe I am not familiar enough with Japanese brands. For me, it isn't about v taper. I taper nicely and can do even better losing weight. My challenge is always to get something that fits my chest without being a circus tent around my belly. Jason Momoa is definitely a western physique, but if I had his money, I am sure I could find a customization.