Leather USN 1930's 37J1 Repro

[Skyhawk]

Hello all, I am now selling a reproduction leather 37J1 jacket on ebay. The pattern is based on historical photos of originals and surviving originals. The originals were made of Capeskin. Thin, strong, grainy goatskin from the Cape of Good Hope. Also refered to as "Glove leather" back in the 1930's. The hide on the reproduction is modern day "Capeskin" (Thin, strong, grainy, goatskin glove leather)

They are available in sizes 36-48 and custom tailoring is also available. Production time is about 10 days.

http://www.ebay.com/itm/301652559062?var=&ssPageName=STRK:MESELX:IT&_trksid=p3984.m1555.l2649

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The seal color is correct as seen in recent photos of an original in a protected area, under the pocket flap. It differs from the lighter almost Russet of the A-1s of the period, and modern A-1 reproductions.

The pocket flaps and placement are correct to the original, a detail that is wrong on other "High end" reproductions. Also the label is a much more accurate reproduction, having the correct spacing and font size changes not seen on other reproductions.

 

[bretron]

Attractive aviator and price! Would you mind disclosing who makes them and where?

 

[pawineguy]

Attractive aviator and price! Would you mind disclosing who makes them and where?

+1, looks nice and certainly a low price.

 

[handymike]

It looks to me that it doesn't have that front dip.
Can we see the back?
Could be nice.....

 

[Skyhawk]

Thank you all for the positive comments! I will have more photos posted soon to show the back and some more details. The knits are a poly blend, but I can get 100% wool knits if requested. They cost extra but they are premium quality.

 

[pawineguy]

Who else is making these in leather? I do see some of the cotton jackets and it looks like RM makes one in calf?

 

[Skyhawk]

Yes, The Real McCoy's makes one in Calf skin. The site I found had them listed at 1,750 GBP about US$2,600. The original would have been made from Goat skin. They used to make a Goat version but apparently are now using calf skin.

Their jacket I believe is modeled after the famous "Admiral's A-1". The pockets look the same in design and positioning, lower and with flat edged flaps . That is the only purported 37J1 I have seen that had the pockets like that. All the other photos I found of actual contracted 37J1s had the higher mid-jacket pockets with pointed or slightly scalloped flaps. The Admirals jacket had no label so we can't know for sure. Was it a modified contract 37J1, a private purchase jacket? There seems to have been a lot of private companies making similar jackets at the time.

I have added a jacket back photo to the original post. See the first post in the thread.

 

[bretron]

Still curious about the maker and country of origin

 

[Skyhawk]

Still curious about the maker and country of origin

These jackets are made in Heaven, can't you tell? I get the orders and they are passed along to my minions on cloud 9

Seriously though, my company name is Headwind Clothing Co.

If you need more info you can PM me.

Regards,
Jay

 

[strokes1251]

These jackets are made in Heaven, can't you tell? I get the orders and they are passed along to my minions on cloud 9.

Seriously though, my MFG is not someone you would recognize. They are not located in the USA, UK, or China. They are not a major player in the flight jacket industry.

If you need more info you can PM me.

Regards,
Jay

Are they made in Pakistan? So your a distributor for them?

 

[Skyhawk]

No not Pakistan. I design the jackets with my pattern maker and have control over the details and components used. I am not a distributor.

You can PM me for further info if you like.

 

[A-1]

Why not write it here. There are a lot of people who are interested, I guess.

 

[Skyhawk]

Why not write it here. There are a lot of people who are interested, I guess.

I don't disclose my vendors to the public. As is the practice of many companies. I don't think that is unreasonable. Would you ask Gary Eastman where he gets his knits, or who his label maker is? How about JC @ Goodwear? They may sell you the parts if requested, but would they tell you where to source them. I doubt it.

I have had to source the parts for these jackets from a lot of vendors in different regions. I am willing to disclose some info through PM if someone has the need to know.

I have had several of these jackets made up, and have had a chance to thoroughly Beta test them. I was extremely hard on them, driving long hours, playing sports, wearing backpacks, etc. They have held up great and have proved bulletproof so far.

 

[Enough]

Not to be hard or insensitive to your non-disclosure of your vendors. No one is asking for a vendor list, I am curious as to what country it is machined in. I feel that to disclose the country of where a garment is sewn together, (final machining) does not diminish your competitiveness or hard work in finding and establishing vendor connections. Actually it is the contrary, many on this forum will pass over this jacket not knowing where it was put together.

 

[pawineguy]

Not to be hard or insensitive to your non-disclosure of your vendors. No one is asking for a vendor list, I am curious as to what country it is machined in. I feel that to disclose the country of where a garment is sewn together, (final machining) does not diminish your competitiveness or hard work in finding and establishing vendor connections. Actually it is the contrary, many on this forum will pass over this jacket not knowing where it was put together.

This. Your jacket looks good and it's at a hot price, so we're assuming it's not being made in London or New York. You'll find everyone here very receptive if you are open about country of origin, don't denigrate competitors and don't take things too personally. We can be a tough crowd at times but most here own multiple high end jackets and that just comes with the territory. It looks like you're off to a good start, just keep a free flow of information.

 

[handymike]

Since you are the designer, we also might have some suggestions to improve the accuracy of the jacket too ;-)
We have a lot of experts around here. You may want to put up a post in Outerwear...but no sales pitches there, please.

 

[Skyhawk]

This. Your jacket looks good and it's at a hot price, so we're assuming it's not being made in London or New York. You'll find everyone here very receptive if you are open about country of origin, don't denigrate competitors and don't take things too personally. We can be a tough crowd at times but most here own multiple high end jackets and that just comes with the territory. It looks like you're off to a good start, just keep a free flow of information.

Thanks for the clarification. You make an excellent point. I have nothing to hide, I just put a lot of work into putting this jacket together. I had 5 or 6 revisions and adjustments just on the label alone.

I appreciate your interest in the jacket and now I think I understand why the questions are being asked. So I have no issues with posting
more info:

The jacket is being assembled in India.

The hide is chrome tanned goatskin. Not the cheap stuff with fake or normalized grain. Any questions are welcomed!

Regards,
Jay

 

[AdeeC]

Places like India and China have excellent machinists. This skill is almost extinct in the west.

 

[nick123]

SkyHawk, you look cool as heck in your fit pic.

 

[bretron]

Better to take the GW approach rather than the BK one

"Our jackets are made somewhere in the European area, by a half-Italian guy"