Johnson Leather Jacket

[Canuck Panda]

They've got good customer service. I think two fittings is a good for full customs. First one is try on and the second one is correcting what liked/not liked about the first try on. Shipping is easier if you're in the US. Can't wait to see your custom jacket!

 

[Goel]

I can do 4 hides but the price needs to be more wholesale than retail.

3.5oz is really the best "heavier" weight for jackets. Anything over doesn't make much sense. The pleats won't work as well with the thicker leather and while it's ok to wear it's a pain to have to carry it around when not wearing it.

Yeah, the ones I got were about 20sf so it only took less than 3 skins to make the jacket and I got the extra one. The smaller white tail is usually only 12-15sf and thinner. The larger game hide from Horween is under valued. It would be my first choice if and when available.

There is the M500 and then there is a WWL-41. I don't have my WWL-41 x-zip with me right now, but it's a slimmer cut through the bottom half of the torso, with footballs under the pits, more vintage cutting. The M500 is the current police jacket that is more relaxed but not boxy.

I'll probably go for 3 black classic kudu hides, maybe 4. They're about 13-15 square feet each. I asked Tannery Row and they said the classic hides were the cleanest of the bunch, so their shouldn't be much wastage. I also asked if Horween was planning on running the deerskin and was told they aren't in the foreseeable future.

Noted on the crosszip. From the fit pics I think the M500 looks like a more versatile fit which I prefer and I can always add underarm gussets. I'm iffy on the waistband panel and side laces as well.

 

[Canuck Panda]

I'll probably go for 3 black classic kudu hides, maybe 4. They're about 13-15 square feet each. I asked Tannery Row and they said the classic hides were the cleanest of the bunch, so their shouldn't be much wastage. I also asked if Horween was planning on running the deerskin and was told they aren't in the foreseeable future.

Noted on the crosszip. From the fit pics I think the M500 looks like a more versatile fit which I prefer and I can always add underarm gussets. I'm iffy on the waistband panel and side laces as well.

I would need about 3.5 hides so I need to get 4. PM'ing you about the details.

If you don't need the side lacing system then the archive pattern is better (WWL-41). The archive pattern X-zip fits very similar to the current Perfecto, it comes with the built in underarm footballs and slim through the torso, very leathertog like. It is the fancier pattern out of the two in my opinion, compared to the modern M-500. I just have a bunch of M500 because it has the easy throw on and go fit. But if you are going custom route with nice Kudu I think WWL-41 is the fancier pattern to build from. Talk to JL they'll know best.

 

[newtojackets]

Picked up a used Johnson Leather recently. Thing is built like a tank:

 

[Canuck Panda]

They definitely made some heavy jackets for sure, 3.5oz cowhide and up, and very wearable too. Very good deals on the reseller market too. I recently saw a like new M200 jacket built with the super heavy hide, under a Japanese store brand. Let me see if I can still find it I will post it on the find thread.

 

[SlimJim]

Here are the comparison photos of my Masaye jacket when new vs now.
It has been 1.5 years and I have maybe 5000 bike miles thru rain and shine.
The upper arms are showing slight brown hue and the arms have developed deep creases that I thought I would never see.

 

[Canuck Panda]

Is Masaye "teacore"? I've got a Masaye jacket coming in, can't wait...

 

[TheDonEffect]

I don't recall it being teacore, I believe it was dyed through. Very interesting! And with all that exposure to the elements and water, no shrinkage as previously reported.

Great hide, very very wearable right out the box, almost akin to their standard heavy steer in terms of wearability from the start.

 

[SlimJim]

I don't recall it being teacore, I believe it was dyed through. Very interesting! And with all that exposure to the elements and water, no shrinkage as previously reported.

Great hide, very very wearable right out the box, almost akin to their standard heavy steer in terms of wearability from the start.

The shrinkage is noticed in the sleeves. But the wrinkles contributed to it as well.
I do not mind the current shorter sleeve lengths as this is a three season jacket with a cotton lining.

 

[Canuck Panda]

Padded racer shirt (CHPS) in black Masaye horsehide. Stock pattern has three pocket setup with lacing at the back. I went with two slanted chest pocket and deleted the lacing at the back. In hindsight that was a bad move on my part. I should have at least put in the waist cinch.

This is stock sizing 42. It's a bit longer than my other JL jackets. 22" front zipper and 27" back length. I am still getting used to the 22" zipper length. A double ended pull addition may be better for me.

The torso shape is slim straight and not as tapered as JL's other cafe racer models. This pattern has a drop 2" from chest (P2P 23") to waist (22") and flares out 1" at the hem (22.5"). Some sort of cinching at the bottom quarter of the jacket would provide a better seal. If deleting the lacing, then a cinch needs to add back in.

The Masaye horsehide is very different than CXL. I think this is Olivvia (wet green) leather.
Out of the box it has that veg tan type mottling under the surface already. Very aniline finish. Very soft temper, will not stand on its own. Polar opposite to CXL. The leather is dyed through, not teacore. But I can see brown tone developing from the mottling, the tannings reacting to air. The inside trims are already showing some brown hues, even though this is black leather. Very interesting.

I think I have this same type of leather used on my monkey boots. If that's the case then it should last well. Not as waterproof as CXL type leather, but much softer and easier to wear.

Anyways, a few key points from what I've learned on this one:
1) Add waist cinch on the CHPS pattern
2) Modify lengths or go with a double ended front zip.
3) JL does quilting very well. I know it's just for looks and not really protection like the armors, but I like the look.
4) Masaye drapes very well.

 

[TartuWolf]

@Canuck Panda
That looks incredible on you even without any laces or side cinches.
Do you regret not having them for how it looks now or for the potential future flexibility of the jacket in relation to body changes?
The quilting looks fantastic yeah. The underarm footballs seem extremely effective too, almost no shoulder rise when you lift your arms.
Can elaborate on "Modify lengths or go with a double ended front zip."? Just wish you had gone shorter both back and front?

 

[Canuck Panda]

@Canuck Panda
That looks incredible on you even without any laces or side cinches.
Do you regret not having them for how it looks now or for the potential future flexibility of the jacket in relation to body changes?
The quilting looks fantastic yeah. The underarm footballs seem extremely effective too, almost no shoulder rise when you lift your arms.
Can elaborate on "Modify lengths or go with a double ended front zip."? Just wish you had gone shorter both back and front?

The drapery leather makes the jacket looks less boxy. There are good room in the middle for future belly growth . A tab cinch either at the half belt or below it like 40s is definitely recommended.

Johnson patterns does mobility very well, most American brands are actually. With JL there’s more customization while others are more OTR. But the base pattern blocks are all very good.

About the length, I’m used to having 21” zipper length. 22” is on the longer side for me. i Have them on walk around jackets but for the moto style jackets I would prefer the shorter front zipper length so the front don’t ride up. Gonna see if a double ended zip pull will do.

 

[TheDonEffect]

Man that looks great! Sometimes I wish I had my crosszip done in the masaye.

 

[Canuck Panda]

Anybody here wants to do a Shinki group buy for your current/next JL project? It should be under 10 dollars a square foot. (Last time I bought from them it worked out to be just under $11/sf shipped, in theory the larger volume could get better first cost to offset the Fedex shipping and import costs). Each hide average about 15 sf and it takes about 3 hides for a medium sized jacket, add a hide for the larger sizes. JL's bring your own leather discount is 150. So for a medium sized jacket this could translate to approx 300 bucks for the leather cost after JL's BYOL discount. I've read here that their Horween upcharge is now 300, so this would be about the same except you get Shinki instead of Horween on your JL jacket.

What do you guys think? Show of hands who wants some Shinki on their JL's?

 

[Rugby]

What kind of weight are we talking about?

 

[TheDonEffect]

Ohhhh you evil temptress. Perhaps should contact JL to see if they're willing to do something like this.

 

[Rugby]

Ofcourse no doubt JL should be contacted to make sure we're not stuck with sheets of leather. CanuckPanda is the devil

 

[Aloysius]

Anybody here wants to do a Shinki group buy for your current/next JL project? It should be under 10 dollars a square foot. (Last time I bought from them it worked out to be just under $11/sf shipped, in theory the larger volume could get better first cost to offset the Fedex shipping and import costs). Each hide average about 15 sf and it takes about 3 hides for a medium sized jacket, add a hide for the larger sizes. JL's bring your own leather discount is 150. So for a medium sized jacket this could translate to approx 300 bucks for the leather cost after JL's BYOL discount. I've read here that their Horween upcharge is now 300, so this would be about the same except you get Shinki instead of Horween on your JL jacket.

What do you guys think? Show of hands who wants some Shinki on their JL's?

View attachment 536119

Great idea and I have a Johnson order I was going to make soon.

However, if we're going to do this, maybe we should go for one of the Shinki horsehides that is not commonly stocked by jacket makers. For instance, one of the chrome- or combination-tanned options.

 

[handymike]

Something unique!

 

[Aloysius]

This waxed leather could be cool, from the description.

Obviously this is Engrish but gives us some idea:

""The Vintage" Horse leather featuring a vintage feel that makes use of the wildness of horse leather.

After dyeing the front side of the horse leather it is finished with wax. Enjoy the wild uneven texture and the vintage look and feel."

No photos of the black, which is what I'd like, but the brown and blue look great.