Fedora Lounge Features - Report from Aero Leather Trade Week - By Craig Brown

[Jonst]

Yep... I'm a full week behind mails after the trade week and feels like a week behind whats been said here after the weekend off! So sorry for a delay in replies to PMs and mails about the new designs.

Battered is a separate leather, as Craig said. Tumbled/vintage is basically the same leather.... we're only stocking tumbled now, it's very slightly different to the old vintage, it's a bit less aged, but stunning leather. My favourite.

Thanks for the extra clarification about tumbled/vintage. I will rely on the photos of the new range more than my samples of the vintage leather. The photos of the tumbled leather certainly look stunning to me!

In relation to the photos of the Original Hercules on your site, are the first few pictures in the sequence of a jacket in brown tumbled leather? To my eyes it looks brown - close to the dark shade of the seal brown, but it might just be a combination of my eyesight and my ipad/laptop. The very dark brown tumbled leather is exactly what I am after.

 

[Benny Holiday]

The back's just seams, Benny. The Dustbowl has reverse pleats, the two-tone's have a nice detail as they use the darker hide inside the pleat.

Thanks mate, and thank you for the extra photo too Major. I love both the Dustbowl and the Sunset. My wife just said to me, "You've got two leather jackets, isn;t that enough?" To which I replied lol lol lol lol

 

[bretron]

Yep... I'm a full week behind mails after the trade week and feels like a week behind whats been said here after the weekend off! So sorry for a delay in replies to PMs and mails about the new designs.

Battered is a separate leather, as Craig said. Tumbled/vintage is basically the same leather.... we're only stocking tumbled now, it's very slightly different to the old vintage, it's a bit less aged, but stunning leather. My favourite.

Holly, I cant imagine how much your email inbox has blown up (thanks in no part to impatient fellas like myself :lol! I might suggest you address questions on this thread as they relate to the new collection lauch. My guess is the majority of questions you are getting right now are related. Just my worthless two cents

 

[HoosierDaddy]

 

[Sloan1874]

Lovely pic, isn't it? And nice article to go with it...

http://makeworks.co.uk/blog/2014/3/4/aero-leather

 

[jlanderson]

It is a lovely pic, though I see one Scottish redhead who should have opened her eyes for the camera! And there's Ken, looking cooler and more hip, at seven decades and counting, than I or most anyone else could hope to be.

Congrats to everyone at a great company.

 

[Fanch]

Great article and fantastic pic. However, must cut the redhead a little slack since she is obviously facing a blazing sun, at least blazing sun for Scotland.

 

[Benny Holiday]

That is a really good article. It's a company that really appears to value its staff and their skills. I can't believe I've had my halfbelt for nearly nine years. Man I love that jacket.

 

[Monitor]

After reading this article I'm even more happy that I finally became the proud owner of my first proper, brand new Aero - one that's actually made for me, and perfectly so at that! I only wish I was more fond of switching between jackets so that I'd have an incentive to order another one in the future.

 

[rocketeer]

Brilliant feature, had it on my Facebook link to Aero but did not follow up the feature. Nice to see the new team and the boss doing some work
JTee

 

[Sloan1874]

Talking of FaceBook, this popped up this morning: http://aeroleatherclothing.com/news-detail.php?id=153

 

[HoosierDaddy]

No more used Aero trade-ins allowed from now on either. Too bad.
HD

 

[cloudylemonade]

No more used Aero trade-ins allowed from now on either. Too bad.
HD

This isn't the case.... perhaps a poorly worded news story that's all! We're still taking them, just not actively advertising the fact as when we did we were bombarded with trade-ins, more than we can keep on top of!

 

[Mister Rivets]

Fedora Lounge Features - Report from Aero Leather Trade Week
By Craig Brown

The prospect of the Aero’s first trade in its 30 year history, launching a slew of new designs, has caused fans of their jackets to get back in touch with their inner child – specifically, the way they felt the night before Christmas. In a niche sector where even a new type of hide is a talking point, the simultaneous launch of 16 new designs from Aero is pretty much unprecedented. The suspense has been killing me too, so a chance to preview Aero’s new treasures at their Galashiels HQ is like getting invited to Santa's grotto and allowed to have a good old rummage.

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But I'm not alone. Invited? Yes. Unfettered access? Pretty much.

But allowed to descend into leather-bound mania? Sadly, no. Aero's founder, Ken Calder, is sitting behind his desk in the newly decorated sale room, talking serious business with traders in heavily cuffed jeans . Some have travelled from as far as Japan to see what’s in the offing. Cutting a dash in a Harris wool jumper, a leather waistcoat (more of which later), houndstooth trousers and a baker's boy cap, Ken occasionally breaks off to discuss the details of a jacket with Hiro from Aero Japan, advise a passing staff member, or check his dog Cally is happy. She is.

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The pair of shop dummies standing guard behind him in the latest jackets look pretty jaunty too. At the opposite side of the room, another mannequin swaddled in Aero's new-design Irvin, could almost be sweating slightly.

The new designs hang tantalisingly from a double rack, with little white tags bearing their names.
Holly, Ken's daughter and integral part of the Aero machine, appears at my side: "They’re all there, help yourself, any questions, just ask.”
I do believe my hands are shaking slightly, but here goes...

So, first impressions of the collection: Ken seems to have sought inspiration in the 1920s and 30s. Many would not look out of place on the set of Boardwalk Empire , with an emphasis on period details such as detachable belts, elasticated side gussets, hookless zips, moleskin as standard on handwarmer pockets. There’s a mix of fabrics and leathers, and restyled buckles, which will perhaps end the perennial complaint about slipping cinch straps.

The Aeromarine
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Of all the new designs, the Aeromarine has attracted the most attention online so far: up until now the model has been pretty much the preserve of Japanese jacket makers, putting it out of the price range of many western buyers. Aero’s version is striking with its shawl collar and proto-A-1 styling. Close fitting with high armholes and low-slung waist adjusters that give it a straight-up-and-down feel, it’s based on a 1920s jacket that has sat in the factory archive for some 15 years. Early plans for this style to include a zip have been shelved for now, but might be revived in future.

Aeromarine in "battered brown horsehide"
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Aero Hollywood
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Beyond it’s ‘what’s that?’ styling, the Aeromarine hide choices also stand out - not least the shank tanned cream horsehide, a soft, buttery leather, and the enigmatic ‘battered brown horsehide’, similar to oil pull in texture, but with a strong grain, by dint of the light base and dark top coat, that changes the patina with every crease. The two hides give very different emphasis to the character of the basic jacket, the cream lends a slightly ‘dressy’ feel, while the ‘battered brown’ has a more utilitarian look. You pays your money, you make your choice. The cream horsehide makes a second appearance for the Hollywood. A lighter, slim version of the ubiquitous 30s Half-Belt, this one won’t stand up by itself when you take it out of the box.

the Original Hercules
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Another model that has loitered in Aero’s archives for years is the Original Hercules. Unlike its perennially popular brother, the Original Hercules is a short, neat jacket, lacking the more striking elements such as the front cording and distinctive curved pocket flaps. Lined in cord and with moleskin in the sleeves, the jacket has a more subtle styling: cinch belts virtually set on the hips, triple stitching on the seams, a throat latch, hookless zip and a three panel back.

Thunder Bay
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The third recreation of a vintage design is the Thunder Bay. A model that appeared on the sale page late last year, it’s based on Ken’s own jacket, which was worn and repaired until it could take no more and then retired to Aero’s archives. Despite having examined this one on my laptop since it first debuted, in the flesh, so to speak, the Thunder Bay is even more impressive in reality: something akin to a biker-style jacket with a thick shearling and mouton collar (the rust on black is a particularly nice combo), the cord lining, stud cuffs and belted waist effectively seal out the elements.

Is this steer hide or horsehide. I'm in the process of ordering one.

 

[AeroFan_07]

^^ Ok which jacket are you reffering to here? There were 16 discussed.

This is an article I had not seen before - last brought up in 2014 - before I had ever heard of FL

 

[Boyo]

This is an article I had not seen before - last brought up in 2014 - before I had ever heard of FL

Funny to look back at the user names long gone and those still here ...

 

[Mister Rivets]

^^ Ok which jacket are you reffering to here? There were 16 discussed.

This is an article I had not seen before - last brought up in 2014 - before I had ever heard of FL

The Aeromarine, However I am going to cancel the order I've started. I get the feeling the jacket will run big. I've seen one person wearing a aeromarine where the shoulders actually hit on the shoulders. every single aeromarine I'm looking at is to big in the shoulders and sleeves. the sleeves are my biggest concern which is affected by the shoulder to shoulder.

 

[AeroFan_07]

Mr Rivets, as both Tony and I indicated in the other thread, contact Carrie at Thurston Brothers. She is a master at nailing the fit on jackets. Give it a try, it's not a lot more $$$ than direct through Aero.

 

[Marc mndt]

The Aeromarine, However I am going to cancel the order I've started. I get the feeling the jacket will run big. I've seen one person wearing a aeromarine where the shoulders actually hit on the shoulders. every single aeromarine I'm looking at is to big in the shoulders and sleeves. the sleeves are my biggest concern which is affected by the shoulder to shoulder.

Here's an Aeromarine. Looks good to me.

Photocredits: Aero's Instagram account

 

[ton312]

Here's an Aeromarine. Looks good to me.

View attachment 313769
Photocredits: Aero's Instagram account

This one too