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Five Star Leather Jackets

TooManyHatsOnlyOneHead

Call Me a Cab
Messages
2,286
Fits you like a hefty bag...:p:p:p

That's a pretty spot on fit. The knits though on the bottom hem, is that a particular design that had the wider knits? Don't think I've seen anything like that (unless you count the collar they tried to send me :rolleyes:)

Being new to the A and G styles, something I made a mistake on was not accounting for where I wanted the leather to measure. I just used typical back and sleeve length. Looking back I probably would have added an inch to the sleeves so the knits tucked in a little more. The back I got lucky because I went a little longer than usual and it worked out. But it's a good PSA for anyone else trying for the first time. Account for the knit length when giving the measurements.
 

Carlos840

I'll Lock Up
Messages
4,944
Location
London
If 5* were making BK jackets (which most of them are hh), I'd expect 5* to offer hh as well.

Not necessarily, they could be making BK jackets with leather exclusive to BK, just like Vanson has Horween that is exclusive to Left field.

Also, BK currently has lead times of over 6 months.
Imagine 5* delivering a BK branded jacket to the UK within one week, and then BK keeping it in stock for half a year before sending it to their customer.

Why not? If people have to wait longer your product is more exclusive.
Look at GW!

I'm not saying i am right and you are wrong, just that we don't know, and that something sounding weird doesn't make it untrue or impossible.
 
Last edited:

dannyk

One Too Many
Messages
1,812
Not necessarily, they could be making BK jackets with leather exclusive to BK, just like Vanson has Horween that is exclusive to Left field.



Why not? If people have to wait longer your product is more exclusive.
Look at GW!

I'm not saying i am right and you are wrong, just that we don't know, and that something sounding weird doesn't make it untrue.
I agree not impossible. In the sense there were how many Japanese makers all working out of the same warehouse and sharing machinery etc..but were their own brands with own designs and leathers. Which companies they were I can’t recall I know others here will. It’s completely possible Shawn runs the place that makes the jackets and decided to branch out on his own and can’t afford all the “good” stuff right out of the gates. Or has an agreement with BK to cover this part of the market and not encroach on BKs turf. Is it likely? I don’t know. Impossible? Definitely not.
 

Carlos840

I'll Lock Up
Messages
4,944
Location
London
I agree not impossible. In the sense there were how many Japanese makers all working out of the same warehouse and sharing machinery etc..but were their own brands with own designs and leathers. Which companies they were I can’t recall I know others here will. It’s completely possible Shawn runs the place that makes the jackets and decided to branch out on his own and can’t afford all the “good” stuff right out of the gates. Or has an agreement with BK to cover this part of the market and not encroach on BKs turf. Is it likely? I don’t know. Impossible? Definitely not.

Exactly my point.
For all we know BK could just be doing what @ton312 did but on a much larger scale and using brand exclusive hardwear and leather.
Someone orders, they make an order sheet similar to Tony's one but using their specific sizing and patterns, place an order in Pakistan, receive the jacket in Greece, pack it in a fancy box, send it to the client.

Or 5 Star just copied a label they happened to see on a BK jacket.

Both sound possible to me. I don't have any proof either way, i just thought the labels were a weird coincidence knowing the "BK are made in Pakistan" rumours.
 

dannyk

One Too Many
Messages
1,812
Exactly my point.
For all we know BK could just be doing what @ton312 did but on a much larger scale and using brand exclusive hardwear and leather.
Someone orders, they make an order sheet similar to Tony's one but using their specific sizing and patterns, place an order in Pakistan, receive the jacket in Greece, pack it in a fancy box, send it to the client.

Or 5 Star just copied a label they happened to see on a BK jacket.

Both sound possible to me. I don't have any proof either way, i just thought the labels were a weird coincidence knowing the "BK are made in Pakistan" rumours.
Yup totally agree. Any of those scenarios are completely possible. And really it’s BK/Andy’s own fault if none of that’s true for being so secretive and angry. I mean a lot of the brands even old Stu who’s site is stuck in 97 has had pics in his shop and shown off his space. A lot of people are way more open about their process and how they work. Brian the bookmaker has videos of himself working. Thedi has tons of shots of his shop and workspace. Schott does. Shawn himself has takes sour his entire damn process here.
 

dannyk

One Too Many
Messages
1,812
And without going down this rabbit hole too far or bringing up sore subjects I’ll add it really is a shame because BK do make some wicked designs and almost everyone who’s owned one says they are great.
 

VolkswagenNerd

New in Town
Messages
18
Location
USA
Exactly my point.
For all we know BK could just be doing what @ton312 did but on a much larger scale and using brand exclusive hardwear and leather.
Someone orders, they make an order sheet similar to Tony's one but using their specific sizing and patterns, place an order in Pakistan, receive the jacket in Greece, pack it in a fancy box, send it to the client.

Or 5 Star just copied a label they happened to see on a BK jacket.

Both sound possible to me. I don't have any proof either way, i just thought the labels were a weird coincidence knowing the "BK are made in Pakistan" rumours.

They just copied the label. I saw this on a thread from 2009.

IMG_2341.jpg
 

Marc mndt

I'll Lock Up
Messages
7,320
Why not? If people have to wait longer your product is more exclusive.
Look at GW!
Artificial scarcity :) That's exactly what high end luxury brands like Hermès do with their Birkin bags.

I think it's actually a pretty good business model, produce at low-cost and sell as premium.

Look at ralph lauren with their RRL brandline.
BB521028-386A-4C89-8AF1-A0D995849CB9.jpeg
E12BDC68-EDFD-4677-BA9F-0F27ADB3C2FE.jpeg
This is a RRL cossack from their summer '20 collection. The build quality was mediocre but the leather and hardware were really crappy.
82782C98-373D-4A59-9F0B-5C705C623FFF.jpeg


I haven't handled a 5* but judging from all of your photo's, I'd say this RRL was below 5* quality. They were produced in India, probably made a hundred of them which brings down production costs even more. Let's say these were $100 to produce. Ralph Lauren sold these for $2250.

Why wouldn't Bill Kelso do something similar? I'd say it's definitely plausible.
 

Bahabp100

Practically Family
Messages
855
Artificial scarcity :) That's exactly what high end luxury brands like Hermès do with their Birkin bags.

I think it's actually a pretty good business model, produce at low-cost and sell as premium.

Look at ralph lauren with their RRL brandline.
View attachment 288025 View attachment 288024 This is a RRL cossack from their summer '20 collection. The build quality was mediocre but the leather and hardware were really crappy.
View attachment 288028

I haven't handled a 5* but judging from all of your photo's, I'd say this RRL was below 5* quality. They were produced in India, probably made a hundred of them which brings down production costs even more. Let's say these were $100 to produce. Ralph Lauren sold these for $2250.

Why wouldn't Bill Kelso do something similar? I'd say it's definitely plausible.
Compared to 5* build and leather ?
6E8381A7-318F-490D-815C-197EA1FD6879.jpeg
 

warrior-poet

New in Town
Messages
30
Location
Charlottesville, VA
It also depends on which screen you're looking at. I recently got an Iphone 12 which shows much warmer colors than my previous Iphone X which's screen is much more blue.
Digital monitors can be calibrated (and should be, if you're concerned about such things). But there are still a multitude of variables involved in photographing objects like this--what type of light source is used (and was it direct, indirect, diffused, or bounced using reflectors), the color and light-absorbing nature of the material and the surrounding background, the aperture setting and exposure, and on and on. Professional photographers sweat these details, but as ton312 demonstrated, lighting has a dramatic effect on color rendering. Then of course the final photo can be wildly manipulated (hello, Photoshop!). The only real way to know what you're getting is to request a sample swatch for approval. Measurements are a different kettle of fish. I can only say that the more photo details and measuring data you can provide, the better.
 

Superfluous

My Mail is Forwarded Here
Messages
3,995
Location
Missing in action
My jacket arrived late yesterday, it only took 4 days to make it from Pakistan to the West Coast of the USA. Crazy. I like the jacket in general, it's well constructed and the leather seems to be high quality. I expected the 1.4mm goatskin to be more substantial than it is, but I really don't know anything about goatskin weight vs thickness. The quilted lining is nice, I can tell the difference in warmth from a stock G1 I had previously. The lining is fused instead of stitched, we'll see how it holds up.

The measurements are for the most part the same as I ordered except the back length is a 1/2 inch shorter, and the wrist measurement is 1/4" to 1/2" larger. When I look at the back measurement photo Sean sent me I can see the measuring tape looks a bit slack, like they saw it was a bit off and moved the tape to make it look right. I understand how tolerances work, 1/4" is to be expected, but 1/2" or more and sending a photo that doesn't show reality doesn't seem right to me.

This is my first time doing made to measure, there are definitely some size tweaks I would make if I was doing this again. Tell me what you think of the fit. I snapped some selfies in the grocery store.

For some reason the gallery thinks my photos are rotated wrong. They look correct if you click the image name instead of opening the gallery.

I admittedly know about as much about G-1 specs as I know about iguana mating rituals. That said, the bottom knit appears rather large.
 

Berto

One of the Regulars
Messages
281
Artificial scarcity :) That's exactly what high end luxury brands like Hermès do with their Birkin bags.

I think it's actually a pretty good business model, produce at low-cost and sell as premium.

Look at ralph lauren with their RRL brandline.
View attachment 288025 View attachment 288024 This is a RRL cossack from their summer '20 collection. The build quality was mediocre but the leather and hardware were really crappy.
View attachment 288028

I haven't handled a 5* but judging from all of your photo's, I'd say this RRL was below 5* quality. They were produced in India, probably made a hundred of them which brings down production costs even more. Let's say these were $100 to produce. Ralph Lauren sold these for $2250.

Why wouldn't Bill Kelso do something similar? I'd say it's definitely plausible.

At the end of the day it's about doing big money.

I have no doubt BK is doing big money producing in Pakistan. Very big money.
 

Seb Lucas

I'll Lock Up
Messages
7,562
Location
Australia
At the end of the day it's about doing big money.

I have no doubt BK is doing big money producing in Pakistan. Very big money.

This hasn't been established as a fact yet, so perhaps not. :D My money is on Turkey, where many leather garments are made on to spec for 'manufacturers.'
 

earl

A-List Customer
Messages
316
Location
Kansas, USA
Artificial scarcity :) That's exactly what high end luxury brands like Hermès do with their Birkin bags.

I think it's actually a pretty good business model, produce at low-cost and sell as premium.

Look at ralph lauren with their RRL brandline.
View attachment 288025 View attachment 288024 This is a RRL cossack from their summer '20 collection. The build quality was mediocre but the leather and hardware were really crappy.
View attachment 288028

I haven't handled a 5* but judging from all of your photo's, I'd say this RRL was below 5* quality. They were produced in India, probably made a hundred of them which brings down production costs even more. Let's say these were $100 to produce. Ralph Lauren sold these for $2250.

Why wouldn't Bill Kelso do something similar? I'd say it's definitely plausible.
I've long watched the RRL thread at SF. Never owned any RRL. While I like many RRL designs, the discussions by owners on that thread suggests that many RRL pieces are substandard in terms of construction and/or quality of materials relative to price.
 

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