Himel Brothers Leather Co.

[tropicalbob]

I think that's what people really want to believe. I've said this before but the best stitched jacket I've ever seen was my Made in China Alpinestars. If I didn't know any better, I would've thought the jacket had been made by a robot. But that's not so surprising considering how many jackets that same seamstress made prior to mine. Seamstress that makes jackets for Zara or H&M makes approximately 200 times more jackets a year than the entire Himel's team. So of course her work is unrivaled.

Good point. It's not something we often take into account, but sitting at the machine seven or eight hours a day, five days a week, must take its toll on the eyes, the fingers, etc. How people like Julie at Aero manage to pull it off as beautifully as they do is really impressive.

 

[ton312]

There's no denying the beauty of Himmels patterns. Or the fact that shinki is expensive (tho I have to lol just a bit b/c they seemed to only make vinyl/Naugahyde jackets in Japan during the 60's and 70's like those Sudco monstrosities) But...Thread that doesn't perforate the leather? Isn't that glue? Surely I'm misunderstanding something here...

 

[ton312]

And compare it to the same area on the Himel shown. That's the kind of stuff you're paying for... You might not care, but there is a difference.

Ok now I am really confused. Isn't this the problem area on the Himmel? By the throat latch. Those stitches are the ones in question right? To quote Dave Chapelle "as the white boys on the Internet like to say, what are those?"

 

[dudewuttheheck]

I always thought the whole point of spending the $$ on a Himel was you got one obsessive perfectionist doing the work.

How do they justify the prices vs Aero or RMC or Eastman or any of the other small scale factories?

I'll add, I'm not against Himel at all and I'm not a stitch obsessive perfectionist either but whenever people talk about a Himel jacket, its almost with religious reverence and they are perfect. I just dont see how somehow the Himel factory employed all the worlds perfect craftsmen and the other makers got the rest.

He has been very open about the fact that he is not the only one making the jackets. He mentioned this more than once when I met him at Inspiration before I ordered my jacket. It is a very small team. I believe he has two other sewers so it's not a huge amount of people. You are completely missing the point. Himel and his team still make the jackets differently than other makers, using different thread (all cotton), sewing slower, and tighter space between stitches. The quality control also is higher on Himel jackets than most other makers. At a certain level (Himel, Goodwear, Flat Head, Freewheelers), it is difficult to tell the difference in stitching and in fact, I would argue that Himel is not top in ultimate quality (Freewheelers and Flat Head both hold this trophy).

If I wanted the ultimate quality/bragging rights jacket I would buy a Goodwear, but I don't like the designs enough. Himel jackets are appealing not just because of the leather used, the way they construct the jackets (stitching, materials, skiving, etc) but also the designs themselves. There are few makers that I even love one design from. There are 4 other Himel jackets that I want in addition to the one I already have. That's how much I love the designs/patterns.

Jesus Christ! As much as I dislike Himel, the stitching is not wonky. It's just stitching. What A1 said, it's contrast stitching. It's like that all over the jacket and it's just as wonky on all of your jackets (and any other jacket) but you just don't notice it 'cause it's all in one tone while here, the black thread on white leather accentuates the characteristics of a hand made product.

I told you people don't really know what they're paying all that money for...

It is wonky. It's not even. It may not be a big deal to some, but I can guarantee that Freewheelers and Flat Head would not sell a jacket with stitching like that. I have looked over my Himel jacket very closely and it does not have these imperfections. The people who are criticizing this (Benj and I) notice stitching on all jackets, even if they are not contrast stitching. Yes it accentuates it, but I would have noticed this on my jacket.

 

[ton312]

I think most people would've noticed and probably did before it became such an issue. My feeling isn't that the collar is an atrocity but the area by the throat latch is a bit sloppy. To me it'd be nbd if the jacket fit to the nuts and was otherwise a solid build. BUT. If the selling point is God tier (thanks Monitor, this is my favorite adjective now) stitching and unmatched perfection then I guess the customer has a right to a beef. It is something tho. You can look around and see guys wearing cheap vintage Leathers and the fit is so good and the style so easy that not even $10k will buy that. At the end of the day it's the man that makes the jacket. How you carry it off and the way you wear it. A couple of shabby stitches aren't going to hurt your style. Might even make it better. That said I see the point of it all but don't necessarily understand it.

 

[dudewuttheheck]

I think most people would've noticed and probably did before it became such an issue. My feeling isn't that the collar is an atrocity but the area by the throat latch is a bit sloppy. To me it'd be nbd if the jacket fit to the nuts and was otherwise a solid build. BUT. If the selling point is God tier (thanks Monitor, this is my favorite adjective now) stitching and unmatched perfection then I guess the customer has a right to a beef. It is something tho. You can look around and see guys wearing cheap vintage Leathers and the fit is so good and the style so easy that not even $10k will buy that. At the end of the day it's the man that makes the jacket. How you carry it off and the way you wear it. A couple of shabby stitches aren't going to hurt your style. Might even make it better. That said I see the point of it all but don't necessarily understand it.

I agree with this. My favorite jacket on this forum is A-1's DD and I think DD has pretty mediocre stitching.

 

[ton312]

I never even notice the stitching on jackets posted here. Just fits and how folks wear them. I look at how my own are sewn together but I'm usually looking for a failure point that will lead to something coming apart (and I do this only on the vintage ones). I expect my new stuff to be sewn together right and given the weight of the leather I expect some slight inconsistencies as I'd imagine sewing these things together is quite a difficult task and takes some seriously strong and steady hands. The Thedi I just picked up is probably stitched better than anything else I own. It's also about half the weight. I think the lighter hides lend themselves to laser precision a bit more. I could be wrong, just a hunch. If the jacket in question were mine I'm sure I'd have overlooked the collar stitching, noticed the zipper stitching and probably not have cared. Even the most perfect stitching in the world means nothing to the fit, which is ultimately all that really matters. Nobody is going to compliment the stitching on your jacket. The fit however will be the source of compliments or ridicule!

 

[SpeedRcrX]

I agree with @ton312 when I take possession of my Kensington I first look if anything was amiss and then I tried it on. I didn't look at the stitching until now and this thread, LOL.

So is mine perfect, no. A human being made it and we can't expect perfection every times. I'm far from doing perfect work every times and I think I'm not that bad at it.

Does it bother me ? No, because it's a tiny thing and people won't see it unless I show it and make a remark then people think I'm crazy and tell me I'm obsessional.

Am I satisfied with this jacket? Damn right I'm ecstatic about it. It fit me well and people compliment me, I can't ask for more.

The only coat which has perfect stitching is my leather peacoat from Lost Worlds, even after all those years owning the jacket, I'm still impress.

 

[navetsea]

I think that most of the brands we like on this forum have great craftsmen, the differences are just in what the makers are trying to accomplish.


Very clean seams that are sewn super close to the edges, which I think looks a LOT better

And compare it to the same area on the Himel shown. That's the kind of stuff you're paying for... You might not care, but there is a difference.

I think there is a reason why on the aero the stitching is a bit far for the edge, because the folding edge is used to cover/ seal the zipper teeth, stitching close to the edge is really nothing special nor require a special skill.

 

[dudewuttheheck]

Well of course the fit matters more than anything else (although I'd actually put leather just as high due to my love of Shinki)

I look at the stitching and craftsmanship of my jacket and others' jackets if I can see it in the pictures posted.

 

[Carlos840]

If i received that jacket after paying more than two grand, i would be sending it back before even trying it on!
There is no way the area behind the throat latch was not a "ooops moment" it just looks bad.
For that price i would expect much better.

On a side note, my email is still unanswered after two weeks... What is going on there?

 

[Harris HTM]

Well, one of the main arguments, as I have understood from this forum, why Himel jackets cost more than twice than Aero's, SB, etc is the laser-precise stitching, and the attention to details right? As @Carlos840 said: if I had spent 2k on such a jacket (which by no means can I afford) then I wouldn't be happy with it.
To avoid any misunderstandings: I don't doubt that a Himel is probably a superior product than its competitors. I just wonder what the comments would be if a poor guy had uploaded photo's of his SB or BK with such a seam.

 

[ton312]

Well, one of the main arguments, as I have understood from this forum, why Himel jackets cost more than twice than Aero's, SB, etc is the laser-precise stitching, and the attention to details right? As @Carlos840 said: if I had spent 2k on such a jacket (which by no means can I afford) then I wouldn't be happy with it.
To avoid any misunderstandings: I don't doubt that a Himel is probably a superior product than its competitors. I just wonder what the comments would be if a poor guy had uploaded photo's of his SB or BK with such a seam.

This is too easy:
BK must've sewn the jacket during a crazy social media rant and while viciously smashing away at the keyboard he lost sight of his stitching path.
SB is nothing but two bit hacks so it's no surprise they can't sew in a straight line.
Aero, well everybody is entitled to a bad day now and again.
Kidding of course but to your point Harris, yeah it wouldn't be pretty.

 

[Superfluous]

Japanese Suede Horsehide:

 

[jon11]

another very nice example

 

[767fo]

Just took delivery of a Canuck in Shinki and I can tell you it is flawless. This is my second jacket with Dave and he could not have been better to deal with. We are lucky to have people like Dave and John who have a passion for our hobby. I'll try to post some pics if I can figure out the new format.

 

[767fo]

Sent from my iPhone using Tapatalk

 

[767fo]

I really couldn't be happier with it. I will try to
Post some fit pictures.


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[Jägernaut]

That's beautiful, man. That's one of my dream jackets but way out of my price range.

 

[dudewuttheheck]

The Canuck is one of many jackets I still want from Dave. Very nice!