Johnson Leathers Appreciation Thread

[CanadianGuy84]

Hi all,

Second post, yay. I was surprised when I made a JL comment in my inaugural post that they aren't as well known in some spots - particularly Vancouver, Canada, where I live.

Who else is a fan of these jackets? I've owned just one - the men's moto jacket - since 2016, and love it. It's aged beautifully, fits me so well, and is one of my most treasured items. It was the first "serious" jacket I got when I took the plunge into leatherwear around that time.

The only thing that would make me love it more: if the black quilted lining was red tartan. I've spoken with JL about relining it - which they can do - but shipping back and forth from San Francisco to Canada isn't cheap. Of course, local shops here can do it, but there's also the trust issue.

I also love their retro-vintage website and approach, and the staff there have always been lovely.

Who else appreciates Johnson Leathers? Any thoughts on these jackets? How do they "rank" relative to the other brands?

Hope everyone is doing well,

Joseph

PS) Pic is me in the jacket mentioned.

 

[JMax]

They make great jackets…

 

[TheDonEffect]

Yup, they're great, if you ever find yourself in the bay area you should definitely visit them. Smaller shop but right in the middle of things there in the city, great guys.

 

[Pandemic]

Yep.

 

[jeo]

My custom JL was my most pleasurable jacket buying experience. Allen is the nicest person I've ever dealt with. If I ever do a full custom project again, I'll only go with JL. Sad to say I don't wear this one much anymore as I've filled out a bit since I bought this in 2013, but I still love it!

 

[Peacoat]

I have 2 of their jackets and am a fan.

 

[jacketjunkie]

They are the best of all worlds. Great pattern for mobility, any customization whatsoever and a wide selection of leathers including clx.

 

[Canuck Panda]

There are a lot of Schott and a few Vansons in Vancouver second hand market. Not so much the other brands. I've never seen a JL. I only learned about them here. And it turned out to be a gem. I have only one JL now, but adding more to my collection.

Stock M500 in deerskin:

Most comfortable jacket I have to date. What everyone else said about it is true. It's a westcoast hidden gem.

Re-lining:

I've used Boundaries (now Awltogetherlether). She used to operate out of Re-Ride shop on Main, but moved to a new location which I have not been to. Not the cleanest job, but held up well. She tapered my SB from 23" hem to 20" hem. And cost was very reasonable. If I remembered correctly it was less than 80 dollars from 2 years ago.

 

[MrProper]

What is the price range for a Made2measure jacket? Unfortunately, the website does not give any info.

 

[El Marro]

I was surprised when I made a JL comment in my inaugural post that they aren't as well known in some spots - particularly Vancouver, Canada, where I live.

To be honest, they are not that well known right here in the San Francisco Bay Area where they are located. I live just across the bay in Berkeley and I only discovered them six years ago when I did a google search for “leather jacket”. I agree with all of the great things people have said about them here, they do great work and I am lucky to live so close to them.

 

[JMax]

To be honest, they are not that well known right here in the San Francisco Bay Area where they are located. I live just across the bay in Berkeley and I only discovered them six years ago when I did a google search for “leather jacket”. I agree with all of the great things people have said about them here, they do great work and I am lucky to live so close to them.

Or unlucky. My lord, the temptation would be too much to bear.

 

[Canuck Panda]

What is the price range for a Made2measure jacket? Unfortunately, the website does not give any info.

The stock M500 was $650 plus the cost of leather. Usual leather cost between 250 to 500 depending what you want. JL has Blattwerk, Horween, just to name a few.

A customized M500 is $850 plus the cost of leather, so two hundred more. I will post mine when it come in a few weeks I hope. A customized trucker is the same price, 850 plus leather.

I've found custom ordered JL prices to be just less than custom order Aero, but comes with a detachable fur collar for the money. The wait is starting to get longer now though.

 

[MrProper]

The stock M500 was $650 plus the cost of leather. Usual leather cost between 250 to 500 depending what you want. JL has Blattwerk, Horween, just to name a few.

A customized M500 is $850 plus the cost of leather, so two hundred more. I will post mine when it come in a few weeks I hope. A customized trucker is the same price, 850 plus leather.

I've found custom ordered JL prices to be just less than custom order Aero, but comes with a detachable fur collar for the money. The wait is starting to get longer now though.

I.e. to Europe are then with customs and VAT about 1200 EUR and thus similar to Aero and Lewis leathers. Can be considered

 

[TheDonEffect]

Difference though is that they will do full custom with design and measurement. Aero will take your measurements and get you their closest fit and make small alterations.

 

[Jin431]

Love me some JL, they cut great patterns with superb mobility. I have 4 of them right now and have another on the way and will order a cafe racer and trucker from them in the future.

What is the price range for a Made2measure jacket? Unfortunately, the website does not give any info.

Depends on the leather and amount of mods to be made, I'm guessing bigger sizes would command a slightly higher price as well. The most I've paid is 1.2K taxes included with the full custom French cyclist in veg tan seal brown Horween Vermont with a detachable mouton.

Thanks to @Canuck Panda i was able to source shinki from Japan (cost me 450 with shipping but supplier provided me 40sq ft and I only need around 30sq ft for a size 36 jacket so it could have been $100 cheaper) and getting a Cross zip CHP made with a detachable collar. Also quoted 850 + tax So not bad for the amount of mods I requested to be changed from their standard pattern which is a lot.

 

[Aerielle Max]

They are superb! I wish to stop by soon.

 

[Carlos840]

They make great jackets, mine is a Langlitz copy and it is definitely in my top 10:

To me the main problem with JL is that their website is crap, in the 10 years i have been in this hobby its has never gotten better.
I also think their house models are very boring and uninspiring. They don't really do the repro/heritage scene, they don't have the Thedi touch of constant reinvention, they just chug along making unremarkable jackets with the odd amazing model coming out here and there...

If they had a good website and a specific JL style they would be far more interresting.

 

[Pandemic]

To me the main problem with JL is that their website is crap, in the 10 years i have been in this hobby its has never gotten better.
I also think their house models are very boring and uninspiring. They don't really do the repro/heritage scene, they don't have the Thedi touch of constant reinvention, they just chug along making unremarkable jackets with the odd amazing model coming out here and there...

If they had a good website and a specific JL style they would be far more interresting.

This x100!!

If you supply measurements and a design, they will build you something amazing at a ridiculously low cost.. But their house patterns are very meh and even the fit they offer to walk-in customers seems very unimpressive.

 

[Edward]

Difference though is that they will do full custom with design and measurement. Aero will take your measurements and get you their closest fit and make small alterations.

Completely different business models, of course. It's hard to get a clear picture from Johnson's website as it seems that they really prioritise local business rather than using the web to target a market (fair enough choice, of course), but they do seem to excel where someone has a clear idea of a particular style they want.

They make great jackets, mine is a Langlitz copy and it is definitely in my top 10:

To me the main problem with JL is that their website is crap, in the 10 years i have been in this hobby its has never gotten better.
I also think their house models are very boring and uninspiring. They don't really do the repro/heritage scene, they don't have the Thedi touch of constant reinvention, they just chug along making unremarkable jackets with the odd amazing model coming out here and there...

If they had a good website and a specific JL style they would be far more interresting.

I do have the impression they're not targeting a specific style niche - or at least not one that fits here. They do seem to be much more focussed on the offline market, which I imagine has its advantages over dealing with measurements and such remotely. I don't know that I'd want them to suddenly get a great website, though, or it might drive the price up! They do seem to be very competitively priced for US manufacture, even if for those of us at this distance the saving would be largely eaten up by shipping and import charges, along with a weak pound (not as historically low as it reached in 2016, but still far from where it was in early 2016 / 2015). I do have an urge to get out to the Bay Area one day, though (I've wanted to visit Alcatraz for well over thirty years, since I discovered the origin of the name of a now gone but much loved Belfast military surplus place where I bought as much of my wardrobe as I could get away with in the early 90s), and in that circumstance I could well see myself dropping in there for a visit...

 

[Pandemic]

I think @Jin431 mentioned they do a lot of government contracts and police jackets.