Himel Bros jacket, 1st winter update

[ckchan]

I am a relative newcomer here and have gained a ton of knowledge through the generous members here- this has been a most welcoming place where a neophyte like myself has been able to understand more about the intricacies of different leather, makers, so on. I have also fallen into similar situation as OP where a jacket comes in the summer and your mind may not immediately be to inspect the jacket, even though in hindsight we should, and only come to wear the jacket for real come Fall.

It is hugely disappointing that Himel has responded like this, as I have handled his jackets in person at the Bryceland store in Hong Kong, it is magnificent with great stitching throughout. I also find it disappointing that he has chose IG, a very public platform to advocate his thoughts and even bash members overtly. I would like to imagine a less gracious person would have already posted on IG, his chosen platform, to showcase some of these great stitching that he did, but kudos to you that you have kept it here and on emails instead!

 

[ton312]

Maker dropping a jacket so half-assed that it wouldn't pass Zara's child labor sweatshop QC? It happens. When it comes to Himel, God knows it happens.

But (dis)missing that one single & only opportunity to become an absolute legend, a champion & a hero by writting off a $150 worth of leather, few meters of thread and a couple of zippers, remaking the jacket for the customer you deliberately tried to scam, with one "sorry" thrown into the mix, all that in front of literally the only audience that you can ever expect will give you money?

How freaking dumb do you have to be?

All of this^
But his tribe on Ignorantgram won’t know any better or care. Hopefully for his sake, that tribe is well funded.

 

[ton312]

you remind me if his recent video which explained how to dye light thread dark.

https://www.instagram.com/reel/Cp8MXcOAhkZ/?hl=en

https://www.instagram.com/reel/Cp8LAFmA-An/?hl=en


Coincidence?

You could easily (albeit painstakingly) fix that all thumbs stitching with a brown fabric marker. It will be an absolute labor of love but probably well worth it in the end. That’s what I would do. Think of like doing a cross word puzzle or one of those Japanese sand gardens. Slow and steady and it’s probably already hot as balls in in FL anyway.

 

[Aloysius]

What gets me is this whole handmade thing, given I am a novice and don't actually make things according to his words but I'm not sure there is a jacket company that uses automated robots to sew leather jackets.

They’re always sewn by people, correct. All he means by “handmade” is that the machinist makes the whole jacket, rather than there being sleeve makers, collar makers, etc. In other words the standard practice at places like Aero that he looks down on. The excuse doesn’t fly.

If you want a beat ''em up jacket then you can pick up a Vanson Comet for $589. Clearly the price of the Kensington is higher than any Cafe Racer in the market, besides the Italian fashion houses but that's a different market. So you expect the price to reflect their work.

My Vanson Comet has far better than Himel level stitching. It’s just lower “stitches per inch”.

I feel like he's trying to gaslight his customers.

It's not bad construction quality you're seeing. We were never about construction quality. We are about creativity. Didn't you understand that?

View attachment 509173

Funny that his whole stated mission of reviving the original techniques of vintage jacket construction was something Ken Calder did decades earlier and something Himel hasn’t done given the super high stitch counts, constant skiving etc. But of course, per Himel, Aero is a subpar brand precisely because they actually do the vintage construction techniques…

 

[Damon141]

You could easily (albeit painstakingly) fix that all thumbs stitching with a brown fabric marker. It will be an absolute labor of love but probably well worth it in the end. That’s what I would do. Think of like doing a cross word puzzle or one of those Japanese sand gardens. Slow and steady and it’s probably already hot as balls in in FL anyway.

Were those videos on dyeing light threads some kind of contingency plan?
I'm afraid we will never know.

I actually have a couple of those markers, I bought them to dye some vintage zipper tape. I didn't think of this until you mentioned that but it seems a whole lot easier than using dye. Should achieve similar results so it seems.

Here is a big ol' #10 Crown zipper with I believe (Photo2u are you out there?). to be from the 1950's, pre 1953 Coats & Clark
changeover.

I just used the fabric marker for between the teeth and some of the tape because the tape is thick cotton and soaked up the ink rapidly, so just where you might see the tape was fine for me.
This will adorn my first Field jacket

They’re always sewn by people, correct. All he means by “handmade” is that the machinist makes the whole jacket, rather than there being sleeve makers, collar makers, etc. In other words the standard practice at places like Aero that he looks down on. The excuse doesn’t fly.

My Vanson Comet has far better than Himel level stitching. It’s just lower “stitches per inch”.

Funny that his whole stated mission of reviving the original techniques of vintage jacket construction was something Ken Calder did decades earlier and something Himel hasn’t done given the super high stitch counts, constant skiving etc. But of course, per Himel, Aero is a subpar brand precisely because they actually do the vintage construction techniques…

Given I don't know shit about the jacket industry but I it would be hard to knock Aero Leather's, once you read about them and compare, sure they might not work for everyone but that's with anything.
But they have a huge selection of solid leather choices, sure no Shinki but many Italian choices like badalassi, Scottish wool tartans, moleskin, cotton drill. They do it for half the price.
I read an article where a store in Japan ordered a huge quantity of leather jackets from Aero a long time ago which I wonder helped kickstart the thriving Japanese jacket industry, a case of chicken versus the egg, I wonder what came first.

 

[ton312]

Were those videos on dyeing light threads some kind of contingency plan?
I'm afraid we will never know.
View attachment 509288

I actually have a couple of those markers, I bought them to dye some vintage zipper tape. I didn't think of this until you mentioned that but it seems a whole lot easier than using dye. Should achieve similar results so it seems.

Here is a big ol' #10 Crown zipper with I believe (Photo2u are you out there?). to be from the 1950's, pre 1953 Coats & Clark
changeover.

I just used the fabric marker for between the teeth and some of the tape because the tape is thick cotton and soaked up the ink rapidly, so just where you might see the tape was fine for me.
This will adorn my first Field jacket
View attachment 509289

Given I don't know shit about the jacket industry but I it would be hard to knock Aero Leather's, once you read about them and compare, sure they might not work for everyone but that's with anything.
But they have a huge selection of solid leather choices, sure no Shinki but many Italian choices like badalassi, Scottish wool tartans, moleskin, cotton drill. They do it for half the price.
I read an article where a store in Japan ordered a huge quantity of leather jackets from Aero a long time ago which I wonder helped kickstart the thriving Japanese jacket industry, a case of chicken versus the egg, I wonder what came first.

TBH I’ve never heard of any maker dying thread. Seems like an utterly ridiculous endeavor as you can simply select from a literal rainbow of available colors before you sew a single stitch.

 

[hieu]

He's posting bad stitching on vintage jackets

 

[ton312]

He's posting bad stitching on vintage jackets
View attachment 509306

That was hilarious. His first jacket, the Brimaco, is a brand literally famous for being a piece of shit. I know all to well as I’ve owned around 20-30 of them. Wildly inconsistent hide quality and stitched incredibly poorly. I blew out the forearms in my favorite bright blue Brimaco by simply bending my arms.
Just wow. Master back peddle level.

 

[Jasonindenver]

Well, I certainly won’t be adding an Imperial to the closet, nor will I be a part of the “Tribe” now. Plenty of other places to spend my money.

 

[marker2037]

Well, I certainly won’t be adding an Imperial to the closet, nor will I be a part of the “Tribe” now. Plenty of other places to spend my money.

And so it begins...

 

[Aloysius]

I just used the fabric marker for between the teeth and some of the tape because the tape is thick cotton and soaked up the ink rapidly, so just where you might see the tape was fine for me.
This will adorn my first Field jacket

Oh God. Seeing this caused me pain. That's such a beautiful zipper tape. Why are you doing this to it? Jacket companies charge extra for these beautiful contrast zippers.

I read an article where a store in Japan ordered a huge quantity of leather jackets from Aero a long time ago which I wonder helped kickstart the thriving Japanese jacket industry, a case of chicken versus the egg, I wonder what came first.

Aero came first. This isn't disputed by anyone (that's why Aero is held on a pedestal in Japan, even though Westerners who exclusively wear Japanese-made jackets hate Aero).

They were the original repro leather brand and Japan is where they hit it big. You can watch a TV news clip from the late 80s or early 90s in which they interview Ken and interview the Japanese importer, who's talking about how no one else (at the time, of course) makes this stuff.

 

[Will Zach]

Were those videos on dyeing light threads some kind of contingency plan?
I'm afraid we will never know.
View attachment 509288

I actually have a couple of those markers, I bought them to dye some vintage zipper tape. I didn't think of this until you mentioned that but it seems a whole lot easier than using dye. Should achieve similar results so it seems.

Here is a big ol' #10 Crown zipper with I believe (Photo2u are you out there?). to be from the 1950's, pre 1953 Coats & Clark
changeover.

I just used the fabric marker for between the teeth and some of the tape because the tape is thick cotton and soaked up the ink rapidly, so just where you might see the tape was fine for me.
This will adorn my first Field jacket
View attachment 509289

Given I don't know shit about the jacket industry but I it would be hard to knock Aero Leather's, once you read about them and compare, sure they might not work for everyone but that's with anything.
But they have a huge selection of solid leather choices, sure no Shinki but many Italian choices like badalassi, Scottish wool tartans, moleskin, cotton drill. They do it for half the price.
I read an article where a store in Japan ordered a huge quantity of leather jackets from Aero a long time ago which I wonder helped kickstart the thriving Japanese jacket industry, a case of chicken versus the egg, I wonder what came first.

Great job sourcing these zippers. These are hard to find. A so-so dyeing job though. You can dye the tape dark brown with RIT liquid dyes by dunking the whole zipper in a warm water solution of the dye. Easy peasy. Let soak for an hour, wash multiple times with cold water and you have a nice uniformly dyed brown tape. Or if you want to get fancy use a reactive dye. Cotton takes dyes well.

 

[ton312]

Great job sourcing these zippers. These are hard to find. A so-so dyeing job though. You can dye the tape dark brown with RIT liquid dyes by dunking the whole zipper in a warm water solution of the dye. Easy peasy. Let soak for an hour, wash multiple times with cold water and you have a nice uniformly dyed brown tape. Or if you want to get fancy use a reactive dye. Cotton takes dyes well.

Great idea. Fieblings will actually stain metal parts if it’s etched/scratched where the Rit won’t. Good advice here for those looking to stain the tape.

 

[Marc mndt]

He's posting bad stitching on vintage jackets
View attachment 509306

We all knew this was going to be his excuse (one of many), showing wonky stitching on vintage jackets. Vintage jackets that were never meant to be luxury products. Of course he tried to counter this by saying Himel is not about making art pieces but about "making wearable, do your best to destroy them pieces". But with pricing well above $2k he positioned himself in the luxury segment.

If that price point doesn't even get you the construction quality level that other repro makers are offering at half the price, then what are you paying the luxury price for? Their creativity he said. Yet in terms of creativity he's basically doing what every other repro maker is doing: either offering 1:1 copies of vintage designs (like the Beck 333) or mix and match vintage design features into a 'new' design (like the Avro which is basically a Leathertogs front with a Canadian style halfbelt back).

Vintage sewing techniques? Other makers are using those too. Not exclusive to Himel.

One thing not a single other maker is offering: 'The tribe".


Also, it's just as easy to make a compilation of vintage jackets that show much better construction quality than @Damon141 jacket. Himel showing vintage stitching from his collection doesn't prove anything.

 

[torfjord]

Please keep posting his IG shenanigans in this thread. He blocked me after I made this comment:

 

[Monitor]

You just keep on diggin' that hole, Dave-o. Who knows, maybe you gonna pop out on the other side.

 

[red devil]

Yet in terms of creativity he's basically doing what every other repro maker is doing: either offering 1:1 copies of vintage designs (like the Beck 333) or mix and match vintage design features into a 'new' design (like the Avro which is basically a Leathertogs front with a Canadian style halfbelt back).

And he deludes himself thinking he's an artist... Worst part is that he managed to convince his "tribe"

 

[Carlos840]

He's posting bad stitching on vintage jackets
View attachment 509306

I knew that red herring was going to be thrown in at some point!

 

[hieu]

lmao I just got blocked on ig. 100% he's reading this thread. ))

 

[Damon141]

Great job sourcing these zippers. These are hard to find. A so-so dyeing job though. You can dye the tape dark brown with RIT liquid dyes by dunking the whole zipper in a warm water solution of the dye. Easy peasy. Let soak for an hour, wash multiple times with cold water and you have a nice uniformly dyed brown tape. Or if you want to get fancy use a reactive dye. Cotton takes dyes well.

I should've just left it alone like Aloysius said but no turning back now

The only reason I didn't do a dye is because I read somewhere that soaking a zipper in dye could possibly loosen the teeth. Now obviously there are so many variables brand, material, type of zipper that this is not going to be certain but I saw this fabric marker instruction on Mash Japan and just went with it, it was more precautionary due to the zippers age.

After that photo I gave it a couple more coats but I didn't go all the way because I had went through 3 markers and figured the rest would be hidden. Definitely could have done better indeed