Five Star Leather Jackets

[Hobbes1]

Thanks to Ton's recent 5Star posts which gave me the nudge to give Shawn the nudge. So now I have this coming (I think):
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First I just wanna say if anyone else thinks or feels like you are stuck in communication with Shawn. Always give him one more nudge. Without seeing Ton's most recent jacket I would have just kept waiting quietly and building up some grudge against Shawn. But in reality all it takes is one more nudge to get things going. FB Messenger.

Now about the jacket. It's the "winter halfbelt" on his web store in stock size 46. Only custom changes were the additional chest pocket and the B-10 fur lining.

I supplied the leather. Which is from Maverick Leather in Oregon. They called it Horween Wrangler Horsehide. But it is just 2oz navy CXL, I have the 3.5oz navy CXL too and they are almost identical, except the wrangler version is dyed through to the back where the regular navy CXL is still somewhat brown on the flesh side.

In my most communication with Shawn, he had mentioned he could import Horween leather if there is demand. I don't suggest sending him leather ourselves after I have done it a few times. The main drawback is the shipping cost and time. If I remember correctly, It cost me 250 dollars or more to ship a 30lb box of leather to Shawn. And it took almost two months. And there was trouble at Shawn's end with the customs office. This was at the height of the Covid restrictions, but still. In comparison, I just shipped a 40 lbs box of leather to Johnson for less than 50 bucks, and the package arrived within the week from Vancouver to San Fran. So while 5Star has the clear advantage of just as skilled but lower labor wages, the logistic costs are rediculously high for single transactions. It'd be different if Shawn were importing larger amount of leather himself, but that would be a totally different thing from what's available now.

Which is why I am looking forward to Shawn's own horsehide. I don't have an ETA on mine yet. So @Hobbes1 please let us know what it is like when you get yours. Thanks.

That looks great and I really like the idea of the "fur" liner. It's not zip-out is it?
Well done!

 

[Imuricecreamman]

I saw a recent B-10 jacket here or on facebook I forgot. Was it your jacket Imuricecreamman?
Anyways, the inside lining is synthetic, only the collar is real fur. Going for a light weight grab and go jacket this time around.

Nope, haven't gotten around to those yet. My steerhide j-24 with removable collar has been delivered at home though. Will be a fun jacket.

 

[Bfd70]

@Peacoat.
If you check the outerwear section you’ll see a 5 star thread with 240 pages. Call in sick to work tomorrow and dive in.

 

[Imuricecreamman]

 

[TheDonEffect]

There is a ton of info in the 5* thread.

In short, it's not quite as simple as 5* being a cheaper direct alternative to an established western/Japanese brand. So here's the distilled calculus from that thread based on data given by forum members.

Financially, the labor cost is about $20, plus shipping, IIRC $50-100. Rest of the cost is materials. So using your JL Horween CXL jacket, to make something comparable, you'd need to source and send 5* the leather, which will run you $400 on the low end, most likely 500-600. All in you're hovering around 550-700.

Sweat equity, you need to shop and send the leather to 5*, so the time savings you get from not being on a waitlist oftentimes gets wiped due to this process, because shipping stuff to Pakistan has it delays. You also need to provide your measurements, and very specific measurements at that, with details you want added in terms of fit. It's not terribly difficult, there are templates in the thread, but I never thought about arm hole openings size and angle before all this. Your spec sheet is critical in this regard. This isn't like Field Leathers where they ask you for measurements and a picture, and Field figures out how to make it look good and functional. I really wish forum members would post pictures of them riding, or riveting a bridge...

Lastly, no guarantee. 5* has built a reputation for delivering a well made product, to your specs, in fact before he ships it he sends you photos of all your measurements. Once you give the ok and the package is mailed, that's it. If you don't like the way it drapes, or restricts certain movements, or how the inner lapel rubs against you, etc etc, there's no practical recourse.

So if you're buying a stock template with minor alterations and customizations, using stock leather, which will cost you 250-350, great bargain, especially against the typical aniline/topcoat black cowhide leather jackets of the world. If you're looking for a tailored jacket with a brand name leather chrome/veg tanned leather (Horween, Badalassi, Vicenze, Bainbridge, Shinki etc etc), the calculus shows the price difference when considering all economic factors isn't quite as wide.

Many members here beta tested with their wallets 5*, and 5* benefitted from learning alot about what the premium jacket market wants and they've come a long way. I feel in a year or two, if they stay the course, they can make some serious noise. Like they're considering stocking Horween CXL apparently, thing is though Horween even at wholesale is not cheap, and perhaps others with more knowledge can chime in, there really isn't a "wholesale" price per se, rather the buyers with relationships (like Aero) get preferential treatment. Rough generalization put CXL leather cost for a jacket at around 400 bucks, which is why Horween jackets almost always tend to cost $700+, more so if CXL, no matter who makes it. So I wonder if 5* has the business model and brand that can get people to not scoff at a $500, $600 price tag, and therefore is it worth 5* to endure a higher overhead cost if their market doesn't support it, since they can easily operate with their own in house leathers and attack a lower price point.

 

[TheDonEffect]

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Nice, details and thoughts please.

 

[ton312]

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Man that’s a solid D pocket! Got a shot on f the back?

 

[Rugby]

Thank you for the cliff notes. Definitely going to go through the 5* thread. It seemed so strange to me that they were so much cheaper than just about everybody else in OTR and custom leather jacket market. I have a couple of jackets by Taylor when they were made in the US. They've lasted for decades of police use and general wear. My father and relatives were cops. But since they started making them in Pakistan and importing them, the material quality has dropped a couple orders of magnitude, pricewise though, very attractive. That's why I am hesitant to commit right away to a Pakistani maker, but I have to read that thread. I'm sure it is quite informative.

 

[Hobbes1]

It's here. Pictures shot in late afternoon, no direct light but outside. No fit pics atm.
This is a nice jacket and very wearable. Collar and lapel folds need some training.
It weighs about 4 pounds but is soft and supple. Smells good. Feels good. It's the first HH jacket I've had and a nice contrast to the premium goat that 5* offers. More to come

edit: just wanted to add: these pictures were shot literally right after unboxing the jacket. I had not even worn it once. The hide has some character straight off!

 

[ton312]

It's here. Pictures shot in evening, no direct light but outside. No fit pics atm.
This is a nice jacket and very wearable. Collar and lapel folds need.some training.
It weighs about 4 pounds but is soft and supple. Smells good. Feels good. It's the first HH jacket I've had and a nice contrast to the premium goat that 5* offers. More to come

Looks outstanding. Time to fire up the message canon. I def want a trim HB in it.

 

[TheDonEffect]

Thank you for the cliff notes. Definitely going to go through the 5* thread. It seemed so strange to me that they were so much cheaper than just about everybody else in OTR and custom leather jacket market. I have a couple of jackets by Taylor when they were made in the US. They've lasted for decades of police use and general wear. My father and relatives were cops. But since they started making them in Pakistan and importing them, the material quality has dropped a couple orders of magnitude, pricewise though, very attractive. That's why I am hesitant to commit right away to a Pakistani maker, but I have to read that thread. I'm sure it is quite informative.

Well, at the beginning, 5* was more or less what you expected, a cheap alternative, because that's what they were doing, making jackets to a very low price point. Things like discontinued stitch lines, mismatched thread, unfinished edges, etc, all the usual low quality for low price stuff. So there were some teething pains there. In a short amount of time, Shawn upped their game (and quietly their price too iirc) and their construction I think is great, I'd say as good if not better than anything $1k hanging on a rack, like a Schott.

Their leather offerings are much better than the beginning, I mean they do not compare to the name brand leathers (Horween Badalassi, Shinki) but to say a house leather offered by Schott, I don't see any disadvantages. And you can order a bunch of swatches from them as well if you have any reservations.

If they have a stock style that you like, then really the only potential issue will be your expectations regarding fit. Alot of cops especially of the past didn't wear tailor fitted jackets, most of them had plenty of space since it had to be all day comfortable and functional. But on these forums, the general expectation of a good fitting jacket is a tailor fitted jacket that looks great when standing with arms to the side in a slightly flexed position, and that fit is really hard to get right and then be functional, especially if you're more oblong shaped like me, lol. Like I said earlier, since majority of these jackets were made for riding or work, I wish we had more pictures of people in a riding position or riveting a bridge...

Consider this, if you get a tailor made suit, most will have to do 3 fittings. A top notch talented Savile Row tailor maybe can get it on the first try with minor adjustments before delivery, but most will need at least 3 fittings. Now imagine doing it online with a company that didn't do this not very long ago, and frankly can't learn from mistakes since they don't take returns or do anything in person. Heaven forbid you choose a stiff thick leather on top of that, at least suit wool is super easy to work with.

I wouldnt hesitate to buy from 5* if it was solely based on quality. I think if you choose one of their stock sizes and make some small corrections (sleeve length for instance) to fit you better, I think you'll be happy.

 

[Rugby]

And the fit is an issue with me. I am 6'5", 260lbs and athletic built. The jacket I got from Johnson Leathers I had two fittings before settling on everything. All my other jackets were given to me by similarly sized family. My LW order was messed up by Stu, but it fits my son who is 6'7" quite slim but muscular, otherwise I would have returned it for a remake. I like my jackets to be functional and provide room for more than a T-shirt underneath. I'm thinking about a trucker order from 5*…maybe

 

[TheDonEffect]

And the fit is an issue with me. I am 6'5", 260lbs and athletic built. The jacket I got from Johnson Leathers I had two fittings before settling on everything. All my other jackets were given to me by similarly sized family. My LW order was messed up by Stu, but it fits my son who is 6'7" quite slim but muscular, otherwise I would have returned it for a remake. I like my jackets to be functional and provide room for more than a T-shirt underneath. I'm thinking about a trucker order from 5*…maybe

Good luck!

 

[TooManyHatsOnlyOneHead]

Since you mentioned JL and LW, honestly, Five Star is going to be a big drop down. I know that sounds like a knock, but I'm just being real. If I were you, I'd reach out to Greg Field.

Five Star is a really good product in certain situations. I think the best bang for buck has been for people getting premium goat (although the steer recently has gotten popular as well) and slight variances on a stock pattern. Also with your size, you do get value since most off the shelf jackets aren't going to fit you.

There is a fun side to Five Star in creating something from scratch but you really need to be meticulous and really, you don't know what you don't know. All of us had misses on various issues. Sometimes they were negligible, sometimes they made the jacket unwearable.

If you hadn't mentioned LW and JL, then i would have said, give it a shot. But you're going to be underwhelmed by the leather. Unless you supply your own, but then that's a whole other level of meticulous.

I'm still considering some sort of shearling jacket from FS because that seems to be real deal. Not just good for money, but straight out good. I would also consider buying some sort of stock jacket for an entry level person or maybe one of my growing sons. Again, most likely in premium goat.

 

[TheDonEffect]

Since you mentioned JL and LW, honestly, Five Star is going to be a big drop down. I know that sounds like a knock, but I'm just being real. If I were you, I'd reach out to Greg Field.

Five Star is a really good product in certain situations. I think the best bang for buck has been for people getting premium goat (although the steer recently has gotten popular as well) and slight variances on a stock pattern. Also with your size, you do get value since most off the shelf jackets aren't going to fit you.

There is a fun side to Five Star in creating something from scratch but you really need to be meticulous and really, you don't know what you don't know. All of us had misses on various issues. Sometimes they were negligible, sometimes they made the jacket unwearable.

If you hadn't mentioned LW and JL, then i would have said, give it a shot. But you're going to be underwhelmed by the leather. Unless you supply your own, but then that's a whole other level of meticulous.

I'm still considering some sort of shearling jacket from FS because that seems to be real deal. Not just good for money, but straight out good. I would also consider buying some sort of stock jacket for an entry level person or maybe one of my growing sons. Again, most likely in premium goat.

Agreed. Going with 5* to get a good fit takes some beta testing and some risk, almost everyone who got a jacket they liked had to go through a couple, thus adding to the cost since there's no return. Myself, I already discarded one because it was not wearable since I was a CHL guinea pig.

 

[born113]

5* began to implement an independent system for rating their orders by customers. This is stupid and dangerous in all cases except one. The owner attracts investors. It means that the value for money of their jackets is about to change. Well, they will certainly make new brands.

 

[born113]

If it's not a secret, why is everyone here persistently creating new messages? There is a discussion thread 5* (240 pages).

 

[Marc mndt]

5* began to implement an independent system for rating their orders by customers. This is stupid and dangerous in all cases except one. The owner attracts investors. It means that the value for money of their jackets is about to change. Well, they will certainly make new brands.

I don't have a clue what you're talking about.

 

[Imuricecreamman]

First impressions: The jacket is wonderfully constructed. Leather is wonderfully supple, but lacks character (Character can be built) This is tagged a size 38, still feels a little big. Proportions feels good, movement is great. Love the wider upper sleeves. The sleevezips are not necessary as the end of the sleeves are too wide anyway with them fully zipped. Some minor tweaks on this in the @Hobbes1 brown horsehide would be sooooooo cool.
Some pics....

 

[Peacoat]

If it's not a secret, why is everyone here persistently creating new messages? There is a discussion thread 5* (240 pages).

Before the change to the new system, I had no problem in merging threads. This one needs to be merged into the existing 5 Star thread. After the change, I haven't been able to figure it out. Will keep trying.