Green Leather Jackets

[nattevagten]

Here are a couple hijacked from @dark wood and @Canuck Panda hope they don't mind

And a closer shot of mine under sunlight
View attachment 519855

Thanks! Ah, damn. I was hoping it would be emerald greenish, but looks like it’s a different shade, more 'swampish'.

 

[Canuck Panda]

The Kelpie is very dark green, almost charcoal or black depending on the lighting.

 

[Gone]

The Kelpie is very dark green, almost charcoal or black depending on the lighting.

How do you feel about the green kelpie overall, does the colour show through enough to be much of a difference to black, does it feel as though it will last long, do you have any wear spots showing what's underneath the top coat, I was notified by Aero that the leather is very different from anything else they offer and is likely to have scars and such, do you agree? I don't actually like horsehide, where I grew up they used to cull wild herds and that remains as a bad feeling, but I am considering the green kelpie for a Shackleton and am curious about your thoughts.

 

[Canuck Panda]

How do you feel about the green kelpie overall, does the colour show through enough to be much of a difference to black, does it feel as though it will last long, do you have any wear spots showing what's underneath the top coat, I was notified by Aero that the leather is very different from anything else they offer and is likely to have scars and such, do you agree? I don't actually like horsehide, where I grew up they used to cull wild herds and that remains as a bad feeling, but I am considering the green kelpie for a Shackleton and am curious about your thoughts.

Its more green than black. On the color scale it will be the darkest green before it turns charcoal.
Longevity is not an issue.
The top coating is clear and see through. So this is technically "quarter" aniline, not naked full aniline and not semi aniline. Water will make beads on the top first before finding lowest points to seep through. Make life easier.
Aniline hides will show scars, or natural markings. I take this as a bonus, not a flaw.

You can blow up the photos by pressing the + button. There are "natural markings" on both front and back. See if you are ok with them. Photo taken with Iphone I think the camera is pretty good. Stitching is olive drab so you can see the green kelpie is still in the green shade zone just very dark. I prefer the green kelpie over the black one, it has more depth.

 

[Gone]

Its more green than black. On the color scale it will be the darkest green before it turns charcoal.
Longevity is not an issue.
The top coating is clear and see through. So this is technically "quarter" aniline, not naked full aniline and not semi aniline. Water will make beads on the top first before finding lowest points to seep through. Make life easier.
Aniline hides will show scars, or natural markings. I take this as a bonus, not a flaw.

You can blow up the photos by pressing the + button. There are "natural markings" on both front and back. See if you are ok with them. Photo taken with Iphone I think the camera is pretty good. Stitching is olive drab so you can see the green kelpie is still in the green shade zone just very dark. I prefer the green kelpie over the black one, it has more depth.

View attachment 531969
View attachment 531970

Cool, thanks!

 

[jadub]

Finally going to get some pics of my green Badalassi FL on here. It’s made some appearances in other areas of the forum but I think it’s nice to have things categorized using unique features. The badalassi is getting more brown quickly. Also gaining more depth as well. It’s such a rich tone. Noisy but very nice leather.

This is a pic from the Grailed posting that I bought it from

This is a while after I got it

And this is recent

 

[newtojackets]

One of the coolest jackets I ever owned was an absolutely mint/perfect BRG Brimaco 742. I sold it in 2010 for $400. For whatever reason, at that time, they were sought after. Brimaco jackets are not exactly consistent in terms of quality and that sale price came at auction. In todays market it would likely sell for $200 or less.

I would pay $600 to get it back. Absolutely robust hide, thick and stiff, and the perfect shade of British Racing Green. Impossible to ever find again and despite having next to no interest in CR’s, that one I would love to have back.

How can one man have owned, yet sold then regretted so many amazing jackets

 

[ton312]

How can one man have owned, yet sold then regretted so many amazing jackets

My path is not necessarily the correct one.

 

[CombatWombat]

My brother in law has picked up one of these from Madera (since he knew I love collecting police jackets)

Old Portuguese army jacket that has a definite olive green to the leather.....
Apparently they're not that common but definitely not rare, though I'm not sure if the colour will grow on me but only time will tell lol

 

[Pkshfo74036]

This is my several year old green Tenjin Works JS02

 

[Saila]

This is my several year old green Tenjin Works JS02

View attachment 540172

Can you share your experience on how does it age especially this green one . Can you share a current pic by wearing it . I have been eyeing on this one

 

[theeprimitivesound]

This is my EB 140 Eco horsehide from Y2 Leathers, I picked this up in August, its still stiff, but softening nicely, it's such a killer jacket.

 

[JMax]

LW. Not a jacket but a really nice green HH.

 

[Maxwell Von Chesapeake]

LW. Not a jacket but a really nice green HH.

View attachment 572441

Dang...very great. Do you mind me asking how much something like this costs?

 

[JMax]

I couldn’t say how much Stuart charges at the moment for a custom vest. I’m not even sure he still offers this hide. I bought it from the original owner the instant I saw it on EBay.

 

[green_entrails]

Does anyone have previous green Lewis Leathers?
It's a ridiculous color, but I love it.

 

[Canuck Panda]

That's Kawasaki green I think.

 

[Motocann]

Does anyone have previous green Lewis Leathers?
It's a ridiculous color, but I love it.

I would love to own one!

 

[Edward]

That's Kawasaki green I think.
View attachment 610769

For sure. I'd be very surprised if that was a coincidence as well Lewis moved towards these sorts of bright colours being available in the mid-late 70s, broadly reflecting the rising popularity of Japanese bikes (racing styles rising particularly) on this side of the Atlantic as the British motorcycle industry broadly died the death. The only other green I've seen that came close to Kawasaki green were some of the old West German mc police leathers. Kawasaki was a popular brand in the UK especially, and a lot of riders (moreso ime with the racing style bikes) did like to match jacket and bike. Lewis' 1978 catalogue marketed a lot of the brighter colours, including a blazing orange, as a 'safety' feature. Visibility was becoming a bit thing as the drop off in the number of bikes on the road versus the number of people who'd only ever driven a car led to the first generation of drivers with truly no idea how to drive safely around motorcycles...

I love the look of the darker green Lewis hide, though having handled it (it's sheep), it's too much on the light side for my personal preferences.

 

[Canuck Panda]

For sure. I'd be very surprised if that was a coincidence as well Lewis moved towards these sorts of bright colours being available in the mid-late 70s, broadly reflecting the rising popularity of Japanese bikes (racing styles rising particularly) on this side of the Atlantic as the British motorcycle industry broadly died the death. The only other green I've seen that came close to Kawasaki green were some of the old West German mc police leathers. Kawasaki was a popular brand in the UK especially, and a lot of riders (moreso ime with the racing style bikes) did like to match jacket and bike. Lewis' 1978 catalogue marketed a lot of the brighter colours, including a blazing orange, as a 'safety' feature. Visibility was becoming a bit thing as the drop off in the number of bikes on the road versus the number of people who'd only ever driven a car led to the first generation of drivers with truly no idea how to drive safely around motorcycles...

I love the look of the darker green Lewis hide, though having handled it (it's sheep), it's too much on the light side for my personal preferences.

Imports were quite popular here in Vancouver in the 80s/90s, that was how I was introduced to it, both two and four wheels. Affordable and can go fast by 80s/90s standards.
The Lewis dark green sheepskin is a really nice hide but I am not sure if it is the best choice for MC jackets. Plus their current marketing/pricing strategy isn't my cup of tea. I am just glad I got a jacket from them before all the major increase pricing transformation. The it's expensive therefore it must be the best marketing strategy has spread fast... unfortunately.