I disagree, at least in part and not having handled it yet. From the photos (which could be God only knows what in reality) the grain and color variation looks pretty good:Yeah, I'm figuring as much. The pictures of the HH and early CXL jackets aren't getting me to pull my wallet out and throw it at Sean just yet, this does seem to be very early in the beta stages. I've read that the wax runs, now the smell isn't there, but beyond that the graining and depth of color just isn't there yet. They just look like painted jackets.
Consider that there are presumably a bunch of tanneries trying to make premium leather and gain the notoriety of the brands you mentioned, and do so at a good price point, and yet only the usual suspects remain, I think it may be a while before Sean gets the recipe right if he elects to stick with it.
Of course I hope he succeeds though, I mean getting a Horween CXL-esque bespoke jacket for 1/3 of the cost of an Aero and in 1/3 of the time? I mean, that's what dreams are made of.
What has me perplexed is that this is the same jacket, and the color isn’t even remotely similar:
I suspect Shawn takes pics in a space with zero natural light. Either way the grain looks good to me, especially on that back panel. I don’t think this is boot/belt or bag leather. If it were the seams would show splits and little v shaped cracks. I have handled and owned the heaviest and thickest stuff from Cal and LW. I do not think this hide will be either as heavy or as stiff as either one. More to come
Hopefully before the weekend. I will give my full and honest appraisal.