Horween USA and Aero Leather Joint Statement

[HoosierDaddy]

Aero announced that even Amanda was also let go. Otherwise...the company was being 'misused' by several until others in authority stepped in to immediately remedy the situation. However..it certainly seems 'arranged' from the top(then)..no matter how you may slice or dice it.
HD

 

[ForestForTheTrees]

My take away from this thread is that it is seemingly impossible to distinguish steerhide from horsehide on a consistent basis. Were there actually a noticeable difference between the two, a situation such as the one raised in this thread wouldn't have been allowed to continue on for even a short period of time, let alone for years - especially at a company that specializes in such things. Mind boggling.

 

[HoosierDaddy]

My take away from this thread is that it is seemingly impossible to distinguish steerhide from horsehide on a consistent basis. Were there actually a noticeable difference between the two, a situation such as the one raised in this thread wouldn't have been allowed to continue on for even a short period of time, let alone for years - especially at a company that specializes in such things. Mind boggling.

It's not at all impossible for an expert like Ken Calder...or even Will Lauder. It was initiated by and allowed to continue by Will Lauder who was the 'Managing Director' these years since Ken had retired. Otherwise..entirely on purpose. Ken is now back in charge busy cleaning up the mess.
HD

 

[GriffDeLaGriff]

Almost every workplace has a whistleblower policy and mailbox to anonymously tip off misdeeds like this. It wouldn't be a valid excuse. I've had bosses tell me to do something outside of either my policy or company policy and I just say nope not going to do it. My integrity is worth more than my job, plus the lawsuit I would file would more than make up for any loss of employment.

We live in different countries and I can´t just file lawsuits and get a load of money. I have also worked for small companies and you have not, so trust me when I say that you either do it - or go about 4 months without pay while your looking for a new job.

Im not saying its a valid excuse, and the things I did werent very bad, they were stuff like using a different white fish in a buffe then what was told the group. No real harm done, but still not fun.

I also didnt say the machinists had nothing to do with it, its very possible in workplaces that a small team formed of members from every station does something together outside of company policy, but thats speculation. Im just saying there are situations where people do things out of policy because the boss orders them to, without that person being a bad person. Where the line is drawn is subjective, but a premium custom made item for $1000 is beoyond my line, just so that is clear.

 

[Die-Motte]

I also contacted Holly and asked her to check my 2011 Stuart and Halfbelt. The Stuart is confirmed as horsehide. The answer on my Halfbelt is still pending. I was under the impression that the Halfbelt might be a hybrid because the top panels of both sleeves are much thicker than the rest of the jacket.

While waiting for Holly`s answer I told my husband (who is a happy owner of a beautiful extremely heavy steerhide Highwayman) the whole story! His answer: "Okay, your jacket is probably not horse but steer. Apart from the fact that you might have paid a little more for the horse, where is the difference?"

I had to think about this answer but now I came to my personal conclusion how to handle this situation:
Whatever my Halfbelt might be (horse, steer or maybe both), I am going to keep it! It is a great jacket, beautifully broken in and perfect for me.

Apart from that I think we should keep thinking about what would have happend if Aero kept quiet about this horsehide-steerhide-issue... Nothing!!! Al the owners of Aero jackets would have been perfectly happy with their jackets! Nothing to worry about!
But this outstanding company informed their customers about this (almost unbelievable, I must admit) story! Please keep in mind what this can mean for them! Hundreds of emails from worried customers to answer, a still unknown number of replacement jackets to be made free of charge in addition to the regular production. I think this can ruin a company!
So my decision is to repay them for their honesty by keeping both jackets, no matter what they are. And I will definitely buy another Aero jacket in future!

@Holly: You don`t have to answer the mail with pictures of my HB I have send you a few days ago;-)

 

[dr.velociraptor]

We live in different countries and I can´t just file lawsuits and get a load of money. I have also worked for small companies and you have not, so trust me when I say that you either do it - or go about 4 months without pay while your looking for a new job.

...

 

[Mendonjo]

Maybe a little off topic but i dont care what anyone says, the whistleblower gets screwed too. I have seen it more than once, regardless of what any law says.

 

[Cooperson]

A letter from Ken Calder posted today on the Aero website.

http://www.aeroleatherclothing.com/news-detail.php?id=130

 

[Fanch]

A letter from Ken Calder posted today on the Aero website.

http://www.aeroleatherclothing.com/news-detail.php?id=130

I saw that too. No one more than I wishes Aero well and applauds their effort to deal with what seems to be a daunting task. At this point, I don't know what more could be asked of them.

 

[frussell]

Got my reply from Holly today. My LHB labeled FQHH is steerhide. I'm not unfamiliar with either hide, as I spent many years making leather goods such as chaps, saddlebags and tooled leather gear. Once it's tanned, dyed and stitched together, pretty hard to tell the difference, but I always felt something was "off," especially the weight. I know steerhide is great leather, so I don't need to hear the benefits. I ordered horsehide, paid for horse, and waited over 8 months for horse, so I'm going through the replacement process. It will be interesting to see how long it takes, if it will cost me a dime either way (hopefully not, I paid in good faith once already), and if my second order without Mark Moye as the middleman will be more successful. The LHB I got is not a great fit by any means, so I've always wondered if he fudged up my detailed measurements, or if it was on the other end. Since I'm a big fella and the misfit was on the big side, I was going to live with it, as big guys are usually shorted on material, not given extra. I'll post details on the process, if anyone is interested. Enough rambling. I'm not happy I waited so long and paid so much for the wrong jacket, (or that I'll miss yet another short SoCal winter in the process) but I am impressed with Aero's handling of this matter so far. Frank

 

[767fo]

Got my reply from Holly today. My LHB labeled FQHH is steerhide. I'm not unfamiliar with either hide, as I spent many years making leather goods such as chaps, saddlebags and tooled leather gear. Once it's tanned, dyed and stitched together, pretty hard to tell the difference, but I always felt something was "off," especially the weight. I know steerhide is great leather, so I don't need to hear the benefits. I ordered horsehide, paid for horse, and waited over 8 months for horse, so I'm going through the replacement process. It will be interesting to see how long it takes, if it will cost me a dime either way (hopefully not, I paid in good faith once already), and if my second order without Mark Moye as the middleman will be more successful. The LHB I got is not a great fit by any means, so I've always wondered if he fudged up my detailed measurements, or if it was on the other end. Since I'm a big fella and the misfit was on the big side, I was going to live with it, as big guys are usually shorted on material, not given extra. I'll post details on the process, if anyone is interested. Enough rambling. I'm not happy I waited so long and paid so much for the wrong jacket, (or that I'll miss yet another short SoCal winter in the process) but I am impressed with Aero's handling of this matter so far. Frank

Can you please post pics of the LHB that was labeled HH? Thanks

 

[frussell]

Certainly, if it helps at all. I'm no great photography wiz. I'll post a few times, as I sent Holly lots of pix of different areas of the jacket.
Label, front and back first:



collar/shoulder shots, both sides:

 

[frussell]

A few more, hope they help. Some are better lit than others. Keep in mind, other than a few wishful hours in front of the TV in air conditioning, this thing only got worn outside twice, for a total of 1 hour, so any broken-in look happened a lot sooner than I would have expected with horsehide.
Detail shots:





Hope these are helpful, sorry about photo quality. Frank

 

[767fo]

Thank you very much for taking the time. Did Aero say it was mixed with steer and HH?

 

[frussell]

They didn't say and I didn't ask, although I wondered about that also. With the time difference and work schedules, it's email only, and about a day's lag time in communications. I'm waiting for Holly's next message regarding how we work the return/exchange. Frank

 

[767fo]

They didn't say and I didn't ask, although I wondered about that also. With the time difference and work schedules, it's email only, and about a day's lag time in communications. I'm waiting for Holly's next message regarding how we work the return/exchange. Frank

I am sure they will take good care of you. Thanks again for the pics.

 

[Unwissender]

@Frussel, how heavy is your jacket? I have a longer-LHB Uk size 50. it weighs 3.8 kg

Greetings.

 

[frussell]

I don't have a conversion chart handy, but my size 52 weighs in at around 10 pounds. Frank

 

[Cooperson]

Really difficult to tell, even from the close up shots of the grain - maybe the wrinkles on the collar, but what do I know. Easy to see how steer has been passed off as horse for so long without detection from customers.

The sad thing is, with all these jacket re-makes, the 6 month waiting list might now be a bit optimistic!

 

[eClairvaux]

Thank you very much for taking the time. Did Aero say it was mixed with steer and HH?

I wondered as well... I begin to think the hides with the long wrinkles (that none of my FQHH-labelled jackets have) and/or heavy grain are steer, while those with the higher sheen and finer pores are horse.

Still very hard to tell though. I am tempted to let a friend who is a biochemist at the university do a batch of DNA-tests on mine, just for the fun of it. At least that is the only 100% sure method, albeit a bit costly normally.

Will let you know about the results, if I can talk her into it.