Five Star Leather Jackets

[MoFo]

... has that squeaky topcoat. It is a seal steerhide. I definitely wiill not get that one sgain.

I have one seal premium goat - it's not squeaky at all! It's great

 

[Hobbes1]

@Hobbes1 Shawn's seal goat is very very dark grey brown. Anthracite type color. But it wears to show some lighter shades underneath.

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The black is just black all the way through. I personally prefer the seal because it can swing two ways. If you do decide to go goat instead of steer, make sure you ask for the thickest goat skin. It feels so much more premium than the thinner one.

Thanks! I need to go back and search this thread thoroughly for your previous posts. I recall that you put up a lot of different pictures and experiences with the various leathers from 5*.
In some previous correspondence with Shawn, he stated that they have lots of new leather in a large variety of colors coming. I tried to get some time frame on when, but he adopted radio silence at that point and I gave up after several requests. So, there might be loads of new leather options at 5*...someday

 

[Canuck Panda]

Thanks! I need to go back and search this thread thoroughly for your previous posts. I recall that you put up a lot of different pictures and experiences with the various leathers from 5*.
In some previous correspondence with Shawn, he stated that they have lots of new leather in a large variety of colors coming. I tried to get some time frame on when, but he adopted radio silence at that point and I gave up after several requests. So, there might be loads of new leather options at 5*...someday

Shawn is active on facebook. I believe this is the best way to get a hold of him. He also has been radio silent with me for a while. I take it that he is just overwhelmed with the workload and is only answering to the ones he has definitive answers to. But he does deliver, eventually. I had a radio silent period before my last jacket was delivered, and then one day out of the blue I get an email from Shawn with the QC pics. Now I am back in the radio silent gap, until my next jacket is ready for QC pics review. His stock patterns are much faster, but customs are taking longer in my experience.

He has shot a short 5 second video showing his irvin sheepskin unboxing before. We could ask him to do the same for all of his new leather selection, instead just give us the small square picture on his facebook page, which doesn't show anything at all. It would take a short trip down to his leather storage area and keep the camera rolling.

But he is good for goatskin. The thick stuff is good.

 

[TheDonEffect]

Didn't someone send Shawn some Shinki or Badalassi?

 

[Marc mndt]

Didn't someone send Shawn some Shinki or Badalassi?

Would you send gold to a blacksmith?

I think with the quantities you'd have to buy for one jacket (for proper panel matching) you might as well buy a Badalassi Thedi for the same money.

 

[red devil]

Would you send gold to a blacksmith?

I think with the quantities you'd have to buy for one jacket (for proper panel matching) you might as well buy a Badalassi Thedi for the same money.

All the more reasons as the Badalssi in a Thedi is chosen by Theo, the Badalassi you buy and send is chosen by the supplier.

 

[Hobbes1]

Would you send gold to a blacksmith?

I think with the quantities you'd have to buy for one jacket (for proper panel matching) you might as well buy a Badalassi Thedi for the same money.

some people here seem to feel
It’s worth it to send Shawn Horween leather to make jackets. End results looked good, imho.

 

[TheDonEffect]

Would you send gold to a blacksmith?

I think with the quantities you'd have to buy for one jacket (for proper panel matching) you might as well buy a Badalassi Thedi for the same money.

I just remembered someone sending him some for a jacket and perhaps for Shawn to make his own like what ended up happening with chl. Problem with that was that instead of getting a normal 3oz cxl he got a ridiculous 5-6oz and patterned his chl after that.

 

[Monitor]

Sending expensive leather to 5* thus defeating the purpose of a decently made budget leather is another thing that I am having trouble understanding.

Shawn, from what I've seen, has a selection of some perfectly fine leather, exactly the kind that makes his product financially approachable so it seems to me that sending in high-end leather which, of course, has no actual benefits over cheaper options other than prestige that comes with luxury, only negates that one single benefit 5* has over other makers.

 

[Canuck Panda]

I've sent Shawn different types of Horweens, Cavalier Chromexcel 2.5oz, Vermont 3.5oz, Essex 3.5oz...etc.

I sent my Shinki to two other makers not because Shawn is not good jacket maker, but because I already have too many jackets in the queue with him, and I didn't wanna put all my eggs in one basket. Delays are like the norm these days.

FWIW, I am also sending Shawn Badalassi Vachetta 5.5oz to copy. As soon as he sends me my custom leathertog using the softer black CHL.

The CHL might started off as an attempt to copy Horween CXL, it actually has the bones of the Badalassi Vachetta. Cow double shoulder, thick as hell. The problem with the earlier CHL was that they were not soft like the Badalassi Vachetta. I strongly believe all it needs is oil, about a quart for each jacket, hot stuffed.

 

[TheDonEffect]

Sending expensive leather to 5* thus defeating the purpose of a decently made budget leather is another thing that I am having trouble understanding.

Shawn, from what I've seen, has a selection of some perfectly fine leather, exactly the kind that makes his product financially approachable so it seems to me that sending in high-end leather which, of course, has no actual benefits over cheaper options other than prestige that comes with luxury, only negates that one single benefit 5* has over other makers.

I agree, but others have sent leathers to hopefully get Shawn to make his own comparable leather.

 

[Hobbes1]

Sending expensive leather to 5* thus defeating the purpose of a decently made budget leather is another thing that I am having trouble understanding.

I believe that Shawn’s operation is capable of taking that expensive leather and turning it into a great jacket for lower labor costs and at a faster turnaround than high end brands. This may boost the appeal to some folks. Just my $0.02 worth.

 

[red devil]

I believe that Shawn’s operation is capable of taking that expensive leather and turning it into a great jacket for lower labor costs and at a faster turnaround than high end brands. This may boost the appeal to some folks. Just my $0.02 worth.

If they can work leather, they can work any branded leather you can send them. That's not the point. If you think about it, ordering a batch of leather and sending it to a maker will always cost more than choosing the leather directly from the maker. So there must be a pay-off for going this route.

Here, as @Monitor mentioned, what is the pay-off? The price will not be much lower factoring all in, so maybe speed of execution as you wrote? Even that is not so obvious if you are taking the effort of ordering leather, waiting for it to clear, and then making it. So might you not wait a bit more and order it from a maker who already has the leather?

Sending them the leather so that they can emulate it is another approach, it allowed them to come up with new leathers, they already got CXL, Badalassi and Shinki by now?

 

[MrProper]

Here, as @Monitor mentioned, what is the pay-off?

One point in favor is that you can create your own design there, get this according to your own measurements and in a very short time.
If, on the other hand, you are satisfied with a manufacturer's design and can wait, there is probably little to be said for organizing your own leather and commissioning 5* with it.

 

[Monitor]

I believe that Shawn’s operation is capable of taking that expensive leather and turning it into a great jacket for lower labor costs and at a faster turnaround than high end brands. This may boost the appeal to some folks. Just my $0.02 worth.

I absolutely agree that they're capable of making you a fine jacket but as @red devil stated, providing your own leather might shift the overall cost into the high(er)-end maker territory & at that level, it may be more prudent to invest into a jacket that's got a higher return value - Which is an important factor at the end of the day, regardless of how we may feel about it.

One point in favor is that you can create your own design there, get this according to your own measurements and in a very short time.

That is a good point but I don't suppose that many people have such an outlandish design ideas that most other companies can't pull off. But yeah, good point.

 

[Hh121]

All the more reasons as the Badalssi in a Thedi is chosen by Theo, the Badalassi you buy and send is chosen by the supplier.

You can always trust Thedi, but can you trust others?
Just kidding, I think both points are valid, I can only say I enjoy my two fivestar cxl very much.

Both are Horween cxl.

 

[red devil]

One point in favor is that you can create your own design there, get this according to your own measurements and in a very short time.
If, on the other hand, you are satisfied with a manufacturer's design and can wait, there is probably little to be said for organizing your own leather and commissioning 5* with it.

If I want to create my own design, with higher end leathers or unique ones, I generally knock on Jonhson Leathers door

Currently have something very unique in the works, hope it works out so I can post it in a few months lol

You can always trust Thedi, but can you trust others?

Yes, I have met Theo and I know his approach. He is too passionate to choose bad leather. A supplier doesn't always care.

Just kidding, I think both points are valid, I can only say I enjoy my two fivestar cxl very much.

As long as you are satisfied, that is the most important point! It is a deliberate approach to get leather and send it, it will make that project more special to you. At least that's what the moose hide feels to me

 

[Hobbes1]

I think, ultimately, sending the jacket maker your leather is a process that some people really like. There is no doubt what you are going to get in a finished product. OTOH, you won’t know what sort of leather you are getting from Shawn (or maybe some others) until you have it in hand if you get his own stock. I have learned a lesson with that, myself. My main disposable income goes to music gear so i don’t want to spend $1500 on a jacket. Shawn’s price point or second hand work well for me.

 

[Canuck Panda]

I went a little nuts with Vaseline this afternoon. These are Shawn's conic goat and seal goatskin after applying a coat of Vaseline. The shine stays and the grains are showing through. Although I am not sure what the long term effect is. I apply Vaseline on a bunch of my jackets ranging from Shinki, Vicenza to Shawn's goatskin, the common effect is the shine and leather have gotten softer. It did wonders for bulky seams.

Fingers crossed but I think Vaseline might be the answer for the stiffy CHL...

 

[Yamahana]

I went a little nuts with Vaseline this afternoon. These are Shawn's conic goat and seal goatskin after applying a coat of Vaseline. The shine stays and the grains are showing through. Although I am not sure what the long term effect is. I apply Vaseline on a bunch of my jackets ranging from Shinki, Vicenza to Shawn's goatskin, the common effect is the shine and leather have gotten softer. It did wonders for bulky seams.

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View attachment 395600

Fingers crossed but I think Vaseline might be the answer for the stiffy CHL...

Is the seal goatskin the Gunrunner? I really like that design, considering one with a different pocket design. Yours looks great the way the lapels lay.