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Hack/Manufactum leather jackets

Sir Jacket

Practically Family
Messages
855
Location
London, United Kingdom
Anyone heard of these jackets before? I have just discovered Manufactum and have developed mild addiction to their beautiful (and pricey) products. Hadn't heard of this leather jacket manufacturer before – I think they are German. The linked one looks like an Aero 30s HB; wonder how the quality compares.

More of their outerwear here.

Also some extremely cool, vintage-model shoes. I bought a pair of these.
 

Benproof

A-List Customer
Messages
350
Location
England
Anyone heard of these jackets before? I have just discovered Manufactum and have developed mild addiction to their beautiful (and pricey) products. Hadn't heard of this leather jacket manufacturer before – I think they are German. The linked one looks like an Aero 30s HB; wonder how the quality compares.

More of their outerwear here.

Also some extremely cool, vintage-model shoes. I bought a pair of these.

Wow - some ignorant statements about the brilliant Hack family tradition here.

Yes ...I've been to their shop in Koln. Hack are a German family owned company and they make first class contemporary mall jackets if you like that kind of thing. I had the horsehide brown - incredibly thin and glossy without horse creases, like a summer jacket and unbelievably light and very manoeuvrable. Great quality and well stitched however very contemporary in feel. It has a 'hanging' effect and is remarkably thinner (not an effect from wearing a pygmy child sized jacket for a grown up adult rock star look either). It does not have the legacy wear nor authenticity remodelling of the motorcycle innovated jacket styles of the LL or Schott Legendary or Aero FQHH which is my narrow little preference. Hack focus on a more contemporary streamlined tailoring style. The images in the HH version are very true to appearance - the jacket really does hang like that! The one you reference looking like an Aero 30's HB is not a bad guess from the look however the tailoring and cut is more contemporary and the wear is completely different. That one came out just at the end of the SS15 and has always stayed out of reach - very niche but maybe a bit too exquisite imho. It is priced at just over 1000Euro, which back then, made it the same price as LL or Aero jacket.

The rest of the range looked like shopping mall jackets on me. The main problem I had with it was that the pit to pit distances were big enough for one and a half people, not to mention the beer belly for all the Holsten Pils. I gave up buying leather jackets because nothing actually *fits* unless it's custom made or blue moon fortune.

During summer, jackets dropped by 25% in price in store. Probably safer to pop into the store if you are on the continent. I don't know about online - a word of advice - the UK site charges identical prices, except a £ instead of a Euro sign. It is cheaper to buy on the continent than it is for the UK. It was £1 = 1.30 Euro, so about 1/3rd cheaper, just by buying in store, and then on sale again, that was another 1/3rd off the price in Euros so in fact, they are great value sometimes. If you choose the www.manufactum.de they have a better range than the .co.uk site assuming that you can work out a continental proxy. I checked the website prices distinctly uncompetitive this year. Maybe the Brexit question mark effect.
Otherwise Manufactum are a brilliant in shop retailer. They are one of the few companies who do Etaproof natural waterproof cotton, instead of plastic impermeables and have great staff. They champion a lot of niche artisans like Joah Kraus although I'm always impressed by British designers and haven't wandered too far from home.

Internet wise, you may find the German penchant for paying for everything by bank transfer rather awkward (they don't/didn't do paypal/credit card as most German companies don't).
 

bn1966

My Mail is Forwarded Here
Messages
3,111
Location
UK
Wow - some ignorant statements about the brilliant Hack family tradition here.

Yes ...I've been to their shop in Koln. Hack are a German family owned company and they make first class contemporary mall jackets if you like that kind of thing. I had the horsehide brown - incredibly thin and glossy without horse creases, like a summer jacket and unbelievably light and very manoeuvrable. Great quality and well stitched however very contemporary in feel. It has a 'hanging' effect and is remarkably thinner (not an effect from wearing a pygmy child sized jacket for a grown up adult rock star look either). It does not have the legacy wear nor authenticity remodelling of the motorcycle innovated jacket styles of the LL or Schott Legendary or Aero FQHH which is my narrow little preference. Hack focus on a more contemporary streamlined tailoring style. The images in the HH version are very true to appearance - the jacket really does hang like that! The one you reference looking like an Aero 30's HB is not a bad guess from the look however the tailoring and cut is more contemporary and the wear is completely different. That one came out just at the end of the SS15 and has always stayed out of reach - very niche but maybe a bit too exquisite imho. It is priced at just over 1000Euro, which back then, made it the same price as LL or Aero jacket.

The rest of the range looked like shopping mall jackets on me. The main problem I had with it was that the pit to pit distances were big enough for one and a half people, not to mention the beer belly for all the Holsten Pils. I gave up buying leather jackets because nothing actually *fits* unless it's custom made or blue moon fortune.

During summer, jackets dropped by 25% in price in store. Probably safer to pop into the store if you are on the continent. I don't know about online - a word of advice - the UK site charges identical prices, except a £ instead of a Euro sign. It is cheaper to buy on the continent than it is for the UK. It was £1 = 1.30 Euro, so about 1/3rd cheaper, just by buying in store, and then on sale again, that was another 1/3rd off the price in Euros so in fact, they are great value sometimes. If you choose the www.manufactum.de they have a better range than the .co.uk site assuming that you can work out a continental proxy. I checked the website prices distinctly uncompetitive this year. Maybe the Brexit question mark effect.
Otherwise Manufactum are a brilliant in shop retailer. They are one of the few companies who do Etaproof natural waterproof cotton, instead of plastic impermeables and have great staff. They champion a lot of niche artisans like Joah Kraus although I'm always impressed by British designers and haven't wandered too far from home.

Internet wise, you may find the German penchant for paying for everything by bank transfer rather awkward (they don't/didn't do paypal/credit card as most German companies don't).

Thanks for your you detailed post giving us some background info :)
 

Sir Jacket

Practically Family
Messages
855
Location
London, United Kingdom
Yes, thanks for those details, Benproof. I couldn't see myself buying one of the jackets, no; they are a bit mall-y. But otherwise it's a good selection of classic/vintage-leaning. The emphasis is on quality manufacture; hence the Latin, which I agree possibly is a little pretentious.
 

jacketjunkie

Call Me a Cab
Messages
2,321
Location
Germany
Manufactum is very expensive because bluntly, their marketing is directed at people who don't care about the numbers at the tag. I've eben to two of their shops, their whole concept is luxury and exclusivity for the rich. Not the place if you look for value for the money or the so called bang for the buck.

I still check their website every now and then because occasionally there are exceptions to what I said above. Their Bertl Work Boots are a good example for such an exception. They are made from 10 oz thick leather (4mm) and are for sure the most brutal, most sturdy boots in the world. Brutal as in literally brutal, too. They need months of breaking in, because you cannot walk in them when they are new. Even with thick wool socks, the thick leather will carve itself in your skin at your calf, where the boots end. I have bled in these shoes, I have worn them in over months, starting with short sessions to the supermarket around the corner, over 30 minute walks to work to hours of working in the garden. You think breaking in an Aero jacket is a big deal? You have no idea. But now, they are comfortable and they will last forever. So, if you are into super sturdy and don't mind some months of self-inflicting pain, don't hesitate to buy. :D
 

Sir Jacket

Practically Family
Messages
855
Location
London, United Kingdom
Actually, Manufactum was started by the former head of the German Greens, so their middle-class target market may (or may not) be highly ironic.

There's noting intrinsically elitist about well made things. It's just that mass manufacture has made so many goods very cheap but of poor, short-lasting and often environmentally destructive quality.

An appreciation of craftsmanship is surely something we all share on this forum. I speak as someone with no liking at all for exclusivity.
 

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