Leather Jackets in China : Fabric Markets, Taobao, Vintage, and Custom Leather Shops

[Edward]

That's complicated, and I don't see it will happen very soon(As much as I wish) . The people in China vintage jacket forum have totally different taste and knowledge about leather, they thought the leather quality of Aero has declined over the years, they prefer Japanese stuff even though it costs more. Vanson also received pretty good feedback.

Interesting. Certainly not my experience with Aero, though perhaps the Chinese prefer the heftier leathers that aren't as popular for the wider Aero customer base as they once were.

 

[4444Design]

been working and living in China BJ for almost 7 years from 2007 until 2013 ...

i think one thing which is typical for Chinese business if they see a chance to make money they will do it as long as there is enough profit

during that time i was pretty active on TaoBao and ordered some leather stuff also. due to my poor mandarine one of my workmates did all correspondence which worked pretty fine. i was not only purchasing garment but also furniture and things for my apartment in BJ and finally got to "Diamond buyer status" which meant discounts in restaurants and so

i rarely ordered leather jackets coz back then there still where those big "fake markets" where a lot of leather stuff was offered - not only faked brands but also noname stuff. was always a burner to watch tourists buying fake Harley Davidson garment "en masse" coz they couldn`t believe the difference in pricing

as far as i understood a lot of the jackets and stuff which is sold there was "lost from the truck" made by the same factories which also produce for the international market so the quality was comparable to the "real" stuff which is sold for 5 times the price in US and Europe

as for the 3 jackets i ordered on TaoBao 2 where pretty near on the originals and "on stock" - for the 3rd was produced on order only and was a catastrophy. They asked for my measurement and my Chinese pal send them whatever they requested ...

finally when i got the jacket it was so off what was ordered (dimension wise and quality of leather) i sent it back and got the price fully refunded

i still order via TaoBao mainly stuff from BRONSON which works fine

bottom line: business ethics in China are quiet questionable in terms of reliability - if you are a "Lao Wei" (foreigner) people know there is almost no chance they get charged by a court or something if a customer is not satisfied

they provide proper work if you constantly check whatever they do - as soon as they feel uncontrolled work gets sloppy and quick

would i order a custom-made jacket again in China? definately NO!

 

[TheJuniper]

been working and living in China BJ for almost 7 years from 2007 until 2013 ...

i think one thing which is typical for Chinese business if they see a chance to make money they will do it as long as there is enough profit

during that time i was pretty active on TaoBao and ordered some leather stuff also. due to my poor mandarine one of my workmates did all correspondence which worked pretty fine. i was not only purchasing garment but also furniture and things for my apartment in BJ and finally got to "Diamond buyer status" which meant discounts in restaurants and so

i rarely ordered leather jackets coz back then there still where those big "fake markets" where a lot of leather stuff was offered - not only faked brands but also noname stuff. was always a burner to watch tourists buying fake Harley Davidson garment "en masse" coz they couldn`t believe the difference in pricing

as far as i understood a lot of the jackets and stuff which is sold there was "lost from the truck" made by the same factories which also produce for the international market so the quality was comparable to the "real" stuff which is sold for 5 times the price in US and Europe

as for the 3 jackets i ordered on TaoBao 2 where pretty near on the originals and "on stock" - for the 3rd was produced on order only and was a catastrophy. They asked for my measurement and my Chinese pal send them whatever they requested ...

finally when i got the jacket it was so off what was ordered (dimension wise and quality of leather) i sent it back and got the price fully refunded

i still order via TaoBao mainly stuff from BRONSON which works fine

bottom line: business ethics in China are quiet questionable in terms of reliability - if you are a "Lao Wei" (foreigner) people know there is almost no chance they get charged by a court or something if a customer is not satisfied

they provide proper work if you constantly check whatever they do - as soon as they feel uncontrolled work gets sloppy and quick

would i order a custom-made jacket again in China? definately NO!

Thanks for all of that input, 4444 Design

As much as I'd like to give some of the custom-made jacket shops in China a chance, I think I'm leaning against that decision at the moment. My first custom-leather jacket in China was a disaster too. And my first pair of custom-order shoes (from Ray Kwoh) had quite a big flaw. I had been on the fence about ordering a Shinki leather jacket from Ray Kwoh, but once I got those shoes, I ditched that idea and ordered a Simmons Bilt.

I too am addicted to Taobao. And honestly, some of the ready-made off-the-rack leather jackets aren't so bad. I bought these 2 jackets a few years ago for about $200 each. They're still holding up fine, minus some discoloration on the buttons. They're not investment or keeper jackets, but they work. I'm currently trying to sell the brown one on Xianyu, and I'm going to keep the black one at my parents' house as my "lightweight vacation motorcycle jacket."


I recently took a gamble and bought this Schott 103US knockoff from Xianyu. It was practically brand new and I paid $120 for it. The jacket fits great, the leather is heavy, and it appears to be of decent quality. The stitching at the top of the front zipper started coming out after about a week, so I took that in to be repaired for about $3, and it seems fine now. It'll be my beater jacket this winter ... we'll see how it holds up.


Here's the Taobao link for the Schott 103US in the Motor Rock store.

I've also heard people on this forum saying decent things about AvirexFly (no relation to Avirex, formerly Cockpit). I've personally never tried them, but here's the Taobao link.

Never tried BRONSON, but I have bought some good quality shirts from a similar shop called SIMONS. They also make heavy leather knockoffs that look decent and have good reviews. Here's the Taobao link.

 

[4444Design]

Second your comment "Juniper" and yes - I'm also checking TB at least once or twice a week for new stuff.

I still own 2 BELSTAFF knock-offs which I bought "off the shelf" since 5 years without any problems - still nice colour, all hardware still fine

Greetz
Thomas

 

[mtrlr]

Ok, I'm going to chip in a bit on this thread. I'm a Canadian living in Shanghai for the last 15 years, and will move back to Montreal next month.

Regarding the fabric markets, there are a few in Shanghai, with a high concentration of tailors, you can custom make almost any clothes you want. You can even bring in your own design drawing. There are also other tailors scattered around the city.

As for quality of the work, it really depends. I had a few of my blazers and a few pairs of dress pants made. I usually look at the fabrics they have, and the work quality of their samples. After I make the decision, I don't try to low ball the price by bargaining hard, I just ask to have one made first, and I emphasize on the quality. If I'm not satisfied, this will be the first and last one. I had my blazer made for 700RMB/each, and a pair of dress pants for 250RMB. These are prices from 2 years ago. I still have the other 2 blazers and pants from 10 years ago. So quality is not bad. I do a bit of exercises, so normal off-the-rack blazers tend to be too large at the hip, and trousers tend to be to tight for my thigh (due to squatting). Tailoring is really a competitive market, they don't make a lot of money to begin with, so if you try to squeeze on the price, you are going to get products with corners cut.

Regarding leather jackets, I have not bought any off-the-rack. But if you want to buy leather jacket not too expensive, you can go to Haining, in Zhejiang province, 4-hour drive from Shanghai. There are huge malls with everything leather. You can have "leather" jackets from 300RMB all the way to 8000RMB (or more).

Now, as for Tony Leather, it's a very small workshop, and can only take on small orders. I have visited them, and have ordered a custom jacket, it's a modified version of brakeman coat. It's the busy time of the year now, I have not received mine yet. They can make different styles, such as the Highwayman, Half belt, cafe racer, Tenjin js01, brakeman coat, leather peacoat (yeah, that one looks great), and a few other classic motorcycle jackets. I have tried them all, and amazingly enough, almost every single one fits perfectly. I do like the work quality too. The guy, Tony himself, was talking about having me as his shop's model We were talking about doing business together, when I settle down in Montreal, maybe I can do the distribution part. They have Horween, Italian and Japanese veg tanned leather, but these are expensive, due to import tariff. I chose the "normal" heavyweight steerhide (between 1.3 to 1.6 mm in thickness), which seems quite stiff and thick already. With that hide, my custom jacket is 3000RMB, with coton lining. With Horween, it would be over 5000RMB. The choices for lining are very limited, just cotton and wool (for now). You can also bring your own leather, if you want. I will post some pictures when I get the jacket.

There are a few other places for custom made leather jackets as well, and from the pictures, their leather and work quality seem to be fine too, but some of them do not let you visit their workshop, so I don't bother.

And if you want to buy foreign leather jackets in China, it's usually easier to go with a local distributor, or a "dai gou" (a sourcer). I bought two leather bags from the USA a few years ago, dealing with customs is not fun. You have to pay for the tariff anyway, the dai gou people are probably better at that too, so why the hassle? There is a distributor of Schott/Cockpit USA, called Eagle Wings, which has shops in Shanghai and Beijing. Their markup is not too bad, given the tariff, and you can try it on, their personnels are very friendly. I bought a Schott there.

I don't buy clothes without trying it on, so I have no first hand info on buying from Taobao. That's why I'm a bit wary when thinking of buying from Aero, without trying first.

Regarding Ray Kwoh / 玩累了的孩子 (A Tired Child) in Guangzhou, I have not bought any jacket from them, their jacket business is a recent endeavor. They started with leather wallets, bags and shoes. I bought a pair of loafers from them (the only pair of shoes that I bought without trying) for 750RMB, the leather and work quality (goodyear welt) are fine, but their shoes seem to be shorter than normal. My toes, which are a bit long, are squeezed, for the normal size that I wear. Then again, I should stick to my habit of not buying without trying it on, unless it's on measure and bespoke.

There a lot of bespoke shoes makers in Shanghai, the best is probably JP. I got a pair of oxfords (french calf leather, goodyear welt) from them, really really nice, quality is first class, much better than the Allen Edmonds I bought in Montreal (I'm serious). JP has two shops in Shanghai, you go there, have your feet measured, you try on the sample shoes, they make any adjustment necessary so that the shoes will mold to your feet. Personnels are friendly and knowledgeable. But you pay for the price. Mine costs 4200RMB. If you choose Spanish leather or suede, it's less expensive. They make mostly dress shoes, loafers, and chelsea boots. They also make women shoes. My wife has a friend who also makes high-end women high heels, but the price is also in the 3000-4000RMB range.

So yes, there are first-class quality stuffs here, if you are willing to pay for it. If you are trying to get away with fast-fashion price, you get fast-fashion stuff.

There are more and more small shops which go for quality, but they are not well known yet. Their price is not cheap though.

 

[TheJuniper]

Ok, I'm going to chip in a bit on this thread. I'm a Canadian living in Shanghai for the last 15 years, and will move back to Montreal next month.

Regarding the fabric markets, there are a few in Shanghai, with a high concentration of tailors, you can custom make almost any clothes you want. You can even bring in your own design drawing. There are also other tailors scattered around the city.

As for quality of the work, it really depends. I had a few of my blazers and a few pairs of dress pants made. I usually look at the fabrics they have, and the work quality of their samples. After I make the decision, I don't try to low ball the price by bargaining hard, I just ask to have one made first, and I emphasize on the quality. If I'm not satisfied, this will be the first and last one. I had my blazer made for 700RMB/each, and a pair of dress pants for 250RMB. These are prices from 2 years ago. I still have the other 2 blazers and pants from 10 years ago. So quality is not bad. I do a bit of exercises, so normal off-the-rack blazers tend to be too large at the hip, and trousers tend to be to tight for my thigh (due to squatting). Tailoring is really a competitive market, they don't make a lot of money to begin with, so if you try to squeeze on the price, you are going to get products with corners cut.

Regarding leather jackets, I have not bought any off-the-rack. But if you want to buy leather jacket not too expensive, you can go to Haining, in Zhejiang province, 4-hour drive from Shanghai. There are huge malls with everything leather. You can have "leather" jackets from 300RMB all the way to 8000RMB (or more).

Now, as for Tony Leather, it's a very small workshop, and can only take on small orders. I have visited them, and have ordered a custom jacket, it's a modified version of brakeman coat. It's the busy time of the year now, I have not received mine yet. They can make different styles, such as the Highwayman, Half belt, cafe racer, Tenjin js01, brakeman coat, leather peacoat (yeah, that one looks great), and a few other classic motorcycle jackets. I have tried them all, and amazingly enough, almost every single one fits perfectly. I do like the work quality too. The guy, Tony himself, was talking about having me as his shop's model We were talking about doing business together, when I settle down in Montreal, maybe I can do the distribution part. They have Horween, Italian and Japanese veg tanned leather, but these are expensive, due to import tariff. I chose the "normal" heavyweight steerhide (between 1.3 to 1.6 mm in thickness), which seems quite stiff and thick already. With that hide, my custom jacket is 3000RMB, with coton lining. With Horween, it would be over 5000RMB. The choices for lining are very limited, just cotton and wool (for now). You can also bring your own leather, if you want. I will post some pictures when I get the jacket.

There are a few other places for custom made leather jackets as well, and from the pictures, their leather and work quality seem to be fine too, but some of them do not let you visit their workshop, so I don't bother.

And if you want to buy foreign leather jackets in China, it's usually easier to go with a local distributor, or a "dai gou" (a sourcer). I bought two leather bags from the USA a few years ago, dealing with customs is not fun. You have to pay for the tariff anyway, the dai gou people are probably better at that too, so why the hassle? There is a distributor of Schott/Cockpit USA, called Eagle Wings, which has shops in Shanghai and Beijing. Their markup is not too bad, given the tariff, and you can try it on, their personnels are very friendly. I bought a Schott there.

I don't buy clothes without trying it on, so I have no first hand info on buying from Taobao. That's why I'm a bit wary when thinking of buying from Aero, without trying first.

Regarding Ray Kwoh / 玩累了的孩子 (A Tired Child) in Guangzhou, I have not bought any jacket from them, their jacket business is a recent endeavor. They started with leather wallets, bags and shoes. I bought a pair of loafers from them (the only pair of shoes that I bought without trying) for 750RMB, the leather and work quality (goodyear welt) are fine, but their shoes seem to be shorter than normal. My toes, which are a bit long, are squeezed, for the normal size that I wear. Then again, I should stick to my habit of not buying without trying it on, unless it's on measure and bespoke.

There a lot of bespoke shoes makers in Shanghai, the best is probably JP. I got a pair of oxfords (french calf leather, goodyear welt) from them, really really nice, quality is first class, much better than the Allen Edmonds I bought in Montreal (I'm serious). JP has two shops in Shanghai, you go there, have your feet measured, you try on the sample shoes, they make any adjustment necessary so that the shoes will mold to your feet. Personnels are friendly and knowledgeable. But you pay for the price. Mine costs 4200RMB. If you choose Spanish leather or suede, it's less expensive. They make mostly dress shoes, loafers, and chelsea boots. They also make women shoes. My wife has a friend who also makes high-end women high heels, but the price is also in the 3000-4000RMB range.

So yes, there are first-class quality stuffs here, if you are willing to pay for it. If you are trying to get away with fast-fashion price, you get fast-fashion stuff.

There are more and more small shops which go for quality, but they are not well known yet. Their price is not cheap though.

Great to hear from a veteran on this thread . Looking forward to seeing/hearing about your Tony Leather jacket. I agree that imports are a hassle in China, but sometimes, it's just worth the wait and headache to get them!

How many fittings did you need for JP? And what was their turn around time?

 

[mtrlr]

How many fittings did you need for JP? And what was their turn around time?

Mine was not too bad, it was done in one session, I have flat feet, and the left and right one are a bit different. So they did some modification to accommodate that. They will do adjustment until you feel comfortable in your shoes.

Turn around time is about 6 to 8 weeks.

 

[Blackadder]

I bought a pair of monkey boots from 玩累了的孩子 (A Tired Child). They were made of split composite leather (only a thin layer of leather glued on top of man made fabric). I read on some forum that someone took his boots apart and found that the Goodyear welt was not real. I haven't taken mine apart. I own a couple of pairs of real deadstock PLA boots and those were much better made. You can still find those old deadstock PLA boots on taobao.

 

[mtrlr]

I wouldn't buy a second pair from them either, although the quality of my first pair is fine, sizing is off a bit much.

 

[Bigbenbs]

I'm going to China in April for work and am thinking about getting something made with Tony. Anyone have any concrete suggestions about how to proceed? What I'd like to do is to go to the shop and try things on so that we can get the measurements right on relation to the specific cut, also to feel and see the different leather options. But then would the cost of shipping the jacket to europe or us bump up the price so much that it was no longer worth it?

 

[TheJuniper]

I'm going to China in April for work and am thinking about getting something made with Tony. Anyone have any concrete suggestions about how to proceed? What I'd like to do is to go to the shop and try things on so that we can get the measurements right on relation to the specific cut, also to feel and see the different leather options. But then would the cost of shipping the jacket to europe or us bump up the price so much that it was no longer worth it?

You could shoot Tony an email directly, they speak English: zb_24@126.com

You could also install Taobao on your phone, go to the Tony Leather store page, and message the shop directly:



I'd just talk to Tony about the fitting/selection process and shipping.

Coincidentally, I need to send a Simmons Bilt jacket back to the UK for alterations, and I just got a shipping quote for it. Gonna cost me about 50 GBP to ship there via EMS, and 50
GBP to ship back. DHL/FedEx is gonna be quite a bit more expensive.

 

[zebedee]

My experience in 17 or so years of living in Asia (more soon) is that quality varies wildly until you've built up trust with a few tailors. The best method is to get a sample made at whatever they quote you at maybe -20% through bargaining. Try and do this in front of a crowd of locals and then go up 5% while looking at a pre-made sample (which will give the tailor a big increase on the old 'face scale' in front of the locals). If the sample is good when you pick it up, make it glaringly obvious that you are happy (if you aren't, just don't buy again, but don't bother getting annoyed: their lives are harder than yours and they've definitely heard worse). When you get used to researching in this way, you get good quality which lasts. I have tailor-made shirts which have lasted five years without looking at all shabby, overcoats that are closer to seven which are still smart and so on. I wouldn't have anything made in leather unless I was absolutely certain (Tony sounds solid) as even leather tailors are going to presume you're buying for fashion (local consumers would). If I was going to buy leather, I'd hit up HK or Itaewon in Seoul. Japan is probably very different, but I have not been back for a looooong time.

 

[Ralph Chen]

wow..what a coincidence..ordering from tony’s shop(武裝戰線）did pass throug my mind when i saw this pic from langlitz cuz there is no way i am paying 2500 for a padded suede leather jacket. but never got a chance to visit china and i was afraid of the same thing (liked messing up with my size and style) .

thanks for the write..and keep us posted if u have any more update.

 

[Bigbenbs]

I just sent him an email. I'll post responses so people can see how it goes.

 

[dakmary]

Reviving this old thread..

I'm in Beijing right now for few more days then to Shanghaifor another 4 days. Where can I find good quality leather Jacket in Beijing or Shanghai? Whether it's a US, Japanese or High quality Chinese brands?

 

[DamonCyclee]

Reviving this old thread..

I'm in Beijing right now for few more days then to Shanghaifor another 4 days. Where can I find good quality leather Jacket in Beijing or Shanghai? Whether it's a US, Japanese or High quality Chinese brands?

Probably cheaper to buy Japanese jackets in China, similar MSRP pricing as if you were in japan.

I would search them up on taobao, most of them have online stores there, then baidu the location see if it's easy commute. From top of my head, double indigo, super xy , root shop etc etc

 

[dakmary]

Probably cheaper to buy Japanese jackets in China, similar MSRP pricing as if you were in japan.

I would search them up on taobao, most of them have online stores there, then baidu the location see if it's easy commute. From top of my head, double indigo, super xy , root shop etc etc

Thanks. Are these in Beijing or Shanghai?