Horween USA and Aero Leather Joint Statement

[Lungomare]

Hello!

Summarizing your replies I am now quite sure that my 1950's Flight Jacket is Horse and the HWM is somewhat else but Horse, because of its weight. All the FQHH jackets mentioned in this thread are about 2.5 kg, but my HWM is about 1 kg more.

Some jackets got a mixture of Steer and Horse - maybe mine is such a hybrid ... Holly hasn't answered my mail with all the pics attached yet. Might see more clearly after her statement ...

What I am thinking of? I simply was defrauded by Aero (by Will, by Amanda, by the machinist and whoever was involved in this scandal!).

Kind regards,

Johannes

 

[GriffDeLaGriff]

First I've heard about this Griff, is it really the case?

I must have written it uncarefully.

What I meant was that I have a feeling some of them might have left, and if so - it is sad. Why? Because my jackets made by Moira and Vicky are the most perfectly made jackets I have ever seen in my life. They are infact so well made so that the love for the craft shines through the work - the jackets are more then the sum of their parts.

 

[GriffDeLaGriff]

Hello!

Summarizing your replies I am now quite sure that my 1950's Flight Jacket is Horse and the HWM is somewhat else but Horse, because of its weight. All the FQHH jackets mentioned in this thread are about 2.5 kg, but my HWM is about 1 kg more.

Hi.

My Highwayman size 38 with mustard cotton lining and garbadine in sleeves - no leather strip - weights 3kg. The leather is thin in some areas so if it were as thick all over I have no problem believing it could come in over 3kg.

Now, I dont know if my jacket is horse, but as I changed to it - from a steer jacket there was alot of difference so I am fairly certain mine is horse. The leather was lighter, more shiny, more waxy and had a different color.

 

[regius]

Holly, this is good news after all, for all our hard working old horses who invest in a furtune and time to get a good leather jacket.
I highly applaud Holly's work ethics and proactive actions. Now, looking at my Cordovan Vintage HH Halfbelt that arrived six months ago, I am beginning to have doubt about the nature of this hide. My experience tells me this is indeed horse, as it's not resilient/stretchy, the biology of the animal is the last line of defense. But, it is just very very heavy and thick. I understand the factory in Galashiels is swamped with returns and adjustments, so I am not planing to send it back for inspection, but I may do it in the short future. I will email Holly if I decided. Meanwhile, I am buying apprentice made and sales jackets, so I hope those are labelled correctly!

 

[wdw]

Regius, Aero have said that no vintage FQHH was involved in this problem, so as long as it was indeed vintage you should be fine. However, from what I saw at the Aero factory yesterday, the simplest check is by comparing the weight, with steer being noticeably heavier.

As Johannes says, using around 2.5kg/5.5lbs for a 42" FQHH Half Belt looks like a good benchmark, so we can all judge our jackets against that, factoring in whatever variables.

 

[Unwissender]

It may interest someone ......

My LHB FQHH, cotton lining size 50 weighs 3.8 Kg

 

[saucerfiend]

For the record, my FQHH Highwayman in size 42, from June 2011 with double leather cuffs and 2" leather strip along the bottom weighs in at 6 lbs 14 oz. Sent info and loads of pics to Holly. No response as yet. My reciept actually says "Heavy FQHH".

Brian

 

[Baron Kurtz]

Man, this whole Aero story gets mental-er by the day. Hopefully there'll be an end to the craziness of the past year soon, for Aero especially, and everyone involved.

bk

 

[frussell]

It's a bummer for sure. I've got emails in to Holly right now as well. My LHB weighs in at a whopping 10 lbs., but then again, it's a 52, with some extra length at the bottom. The weight is my least concern, as the parts that are breaking in after very little wear don't match up with horsehide I've seen. I'll wait to panic until I hear from Holly. Frank.

 

[garzo]

I can't help but wonder, I had a so-called "mottled horsehide" Highwayman a couple of years ago that was immensely thick and incredibly heavy, so much so that I ended up parting with it -- thing felt like it was line with cement. I just saw this this heavy steerhide trainee jacket on the Aero sale site and it looks really similar to the mottled horsehide, which was probably close to 4 oz; I don't think I've ever seen a thicker, stiffer jacket than that mottled horsehide. I don't have a picture of my jacket but here is a very similar Highwayman in the same mottled horsehide along with the link to the current "heavy steerhide."
Could these two hides have been one and the same?

http://www.thefedoralounge.com/showthread.php?22750-Aero-Highwayman-mottled-horsehide

http://www.aeroleatherclothing.com/product-detail.php?id=1172

 

[mattp]

How does the breaking in differ with the steer and the horse? My insanely thick brown cafe racer has broken in much quicker than I thought it would; with weekend wear only over the past 2-3 months it has softened immensely. Holly thinks it must be steer, for what it's worth it weighs 3.32 kg / 7.32 lbs (size 42) and we're working out the details for a replacement.
Cheers,
Matt

 

[Lungomare]

It may interest someone ......

My LHB FQHH, cotton lining size 50 weighs 3.8 Kg

Seems to be steer like mine ...

Johannes

 

[Unwissender]

.... that may be the the folds I has exactly as your jacket it. Also on the left chest / shoulder.
I send my jacket tomorrow to check for Aero!
@ Holly, when will I get the jacket back?

 

[Cole]

.... that may be the the folds I has exactly as your jacket it. Also on the left chest / shoulder.
I send my jacket tomorrow to check for Aero!
@ Holly, when will I get the jacket back?

It makes little sense to ask that question now, when the jacket is not even on the way to Aero. I'm shure they will check it and inform you as soon as possible for them.

 

[Unwissender]

That makes sense to ask how long does the processing! Maybe it's better to send the jacket later etc

 

[Unwissender]

Seems to be steer like mine ...

Johannes

It is now certain that your brown jacket, steer is?

 

[Don Tomaso]

Guys, I would really recommend to stop stirring this pot too much. I can sympathize with everybody who is concerned that his FQHH-jacket might be mundane steer now, but let'sbe sensible about this. The jacket in question is as nice as it was before, only your perception changed. I would also recommend to stop spreading upset posts in this thread and contact Holly by email and discuss the matter in a more gentlemanly manner. No offense intended.

 

[Don Tomaso]

.... that may be the the folds I has exactly as your jacket it. Also on the left chest / shoulder.
I send my jacket tomorrow to check for Aero!
@ Holly, when will I get the jacket back?

Hey, relax.;-)

 

[wdw]

Maybe we should all take a deep breath and step back from drowning Aero in an avalanche of perfectly good returned steerhide jackets. As nobody seems to have noticed the difference, and probably wouldn't have if the weight issue hadn't come up, why not just keep the jackets and see if there might be a little compensation or an incentive for you to buy another guaranteed FQHH in the future, if horse is so important.

It's not like steer is something third rate in comparison. The cost differential seems to be because horse hides are smaller, less efficient and take longer to work with. Is horse inherently "better" in some way?

I would suggest that the biggest losers were those unfortunates who, like me, got a diabolical mixture of horse and steer, probably made up of offcuts, as these jackets would no doubt just look a bit weird as time goes on. People should look for differences in thickness, grain and colour to see if things match or not.

 

[wild_balls]

I totally agree!

Guys, I would really recommend to stop stirring this pot too much. I can sympathize with everybody who is concerned that his FQHH-jacket might be mundane steer now, but let'sbe sensible about this. The jacket in question is as nice as it was before, only your perception changed. I would also recommend to stop spreading upset posts in this thread and contact Holly by email and discuss the matter in a more gentlemanly manner. No offense intended.