Field Leathers

[FL2021]

If U end up using a leather other than Shinki, which is expensive...is the cost saving being passed down? Or is it irrelevant?

 

[Marc mndt]

If U end up using a leather other than Shinki, which is expensive...is the cost saving being passed down? Or is it irrelevant?

I asked, to my surprise there's no price difference between Shinki and steer from unknown Tannery.

Not that I care about tannery / brand names, but I'm sure Shinki is more expensive.

 

[MrProper]

Not that I care about tannery / brand names, but I'm sure Shinki is more expensive.

I'm guessing that a big part of the calculation is the labor time and the over/under price doesn't matter too much. However, I have no idea how big the difference in purchase price is.
Probably a no name cow hide that you buy little of is only marginally cheaper than the high quality one in larger quantities?

 

[Duke Mantee]

Shinki isn’t particularly expensive - it’s not cheap, but there‘s a lot more expensive leathers to be had.

edit to say everyone ’knows’ shinki - but it’s not very accurate to just say Shinki when we talk about a leather they make since there is a healthy range which includes cordovan (and other shell finishes), horse in a number of finishes, shrunken leathers and even fish.

 

[Marc mndt]

When Greg just started his Business there was a £100 price difference between Badalassi and Shinki if I remember correctly.

There's probably more to it than just the costs of the raw materials. Shipping costs are also into play. Shinki comes from Japan, Badalassi from Italy which is a lot closer to the UK.

 

[Duke Mantee]

When Greg just started his Business there was a £100 price difference between Badalassi and Shinki if I remember correctly.

There's probably more to it than just the costs of the raw materials. Shipping costs are also into play. Shinki comes from Japan, Badalassi from Italy which is a lot closer to the UK.

That’s maybe only a couple of £ per sq ft (albeit an important difference). I don’t know dates here but was the UK still ‘in Europe’.

Cost to buy also needs to consider shipping, import tax etc.

There’s other issues at hand now since Shinki Hikaku buy the majority of the skins from Poland (and sometimes Italy and maybe the odd other sources) so things like the Ukraine war as well as covid (residual and new) is having a big impact.

 

[Jaime]

Which leather did you ultimately choose?
I am not liking the pigment brown. I will either go with the brown cowhide, black pony, or just hold off on the jacket for now.

Yeah I'm the same, I wanted brown because I feel that's what works better with an aviator style which is what I'm getting, and immediately discarded the pigment Shinki. If I wasn't limited by brown my second favorite was the black aniline, I think its gorgeous, but in this case, I will go with the brow Italian cowhie, love the shade, love the way it distresses and it is more supple than horse which for the kind of jacket I want, it will be perfect.

 

[Marc mndt]

Reminds me of the Californian I sent your way. Really a beautiful hide....in a years time it may pass as an original vintage piece at that rate.

It's getting there. The Californian will be hard to beat in terms of patina though.

 

[Canuck Panda]

I've bought both Shinki (from Hashimoto) and Badalassi (from Italy dealer). And I am in Vancouver if that make a difference. Badalassi landed price was about $0.50 more per square feet, but I could use less sq. ft. Badalassi to make a jacket where as I needed more Shinki to make one because horsehide fronts have more natural markings than steer shoulder.

So I would think price evens out between the two in finished product.

The difference is that Greg's veg cow is "teacore" or it's hand applied aniline dye on the surface, where as aniline Shinki is struck through in drum. The wear would be different.

One thing to know about Greg is that he is very picky about his leather choice. He won't settle for less. I know this first hand because when I ordered my first Manhattan I asked for "mane mark" down the back panel and he rejected me. I've got some respect for him after a while as I figured out what he was trying to accomplish. He is trying to make a name for himself by using only very top selection of clean cuts and hides. I think that's why there isn't a lot of brown aniline shinki from him, they aren't the cleanest hides in my experience and cost a lot of wastage.

 

[Jaime]

One thing to know about Greg is that he is very picky about his leather choice. He won't settle for less.

This is honestly what makes me feel happy and secure about choosing the cowhide with no name over a more well-known shinki horsehide. I know that both types of leather will be inherently different, that's one thing I assume, but the other thing is that in terms of quantity I know it will be at the highest standards for Greg and that's enough for me even if the hide doesn't have "the name"

 

[Canuck Panda]

This is honestly what makes me feel happy and secure about choosing the cowhide with no name over a more well-known shinki horsehide. I know that both types of leather will be inherently different, that's one thing I assume, but the other thing is that in terms of quantity I know it will be at the highest standards for Greg and that's enough for me even if the hide doesn't have "the name"

I am quite certain the veg cow hide came from one of the veg tan group that Badalassi also belongs to, there is a few of them in this association, with the hand symbol thing. It's just that Badalassi has been promoted more on the retail market than the others like Shinki vs the rest of the Himeji tanneries. But pricing and quality wise are all about the same, just different types of top finishing.

This symbol:

 

[Daniel Veit]

This is part of a recent slideshow on Gregs instagram.
There seems to be hope for us shinki lovers...

 

[Damon141]

Is Badalassi out of the picture?

I wish it was easier for Greg to get different shades of Shinki, is it relationships with the tannery?

I ask because Himel bros probably has a similar output of jackets considering they both have one person doing the stitching but they have those 3 shades of pigment and 3 shades of oil tanned Shinki.
Maybe just not enough output at the tannery In comparison to demand for the leather.

 

[Momein]

Just for the members without Insta.

 

[Aloysius]

Just for the members without Insta.

View attachment 471273

I checked with Greg and this will be the last chance for a new customer to get a pony jacket, so if the size works, get it. (The pony leather he has is just for finishing early orders; this jacket was made from some left over.)

 

[Jaswinder Singh]

Ok. I finalized my jacket to use the brown cowhide. I will post pictures here once it arrives.

 

[Rgcards]

Ok. I finalized my jacket to use the brown cowhide. I will post pictures here once it arrives.

Jasw is that you in st Louis?

 

[trainspotter]

I checked with Greg and this will be the last chance for a new customer to get a pony jacket, so if the size works, get it. (The pony leather he has is just for finishing early orders; this jacket was made from some left over.)

I was lucky to grab this one. Beautiful jacket, probably my best one till now

 

[Marc mndt]

Some pretty cool artwork created by Martin Orme

 

[trainspotter]

I was lucky to grab this one. Beautiful jacket, probably my best one till now

Here it is...