I hate that I like this and have to concede to its truth. Perhaps if I get a phone that only dials my wife and 911 I can stick to it. 90% of my bad ideas are hatched on this alleged "smart" phone.
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Limited Edition Himel Bros avail. at Orvis?
- Thread starter Boyo
- Start date
I'm glad my problem is with vintage shoes since they are less expensive than jackets and actually benefit from rotation. It's a win-win situation 
I'm actually thinking about selling everything but my last Aero half belt and my vintage jacket (I would sell an Aero A1 and an Eastman A2) just so I can buy more shoes lol
I'm actually thinking about selling everything but my last Aero half belt and my vintage jacket (I would sell an Aero A1 and an Eastman A2) just so I can buy more shoes lol
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Ton, I don't even have a smart phone and look at me. . .
This addiction sucks.
This addiction sucks.
OceanBreeze
One of the Regulars
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I'm glad my problem is with vintage shoes since they are less expensive than jackets and actually benefit from rotation. It's a win-win situation
I'm actually thinking about selling everything but my last Aero half belt and my vintage jacket (I would sell an Aero A1 and an Eastman A2) just so I can buy more shoes lol
If you get 365 pairs you can wear each one day per year!
SJC
Suspended
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- Pennsylvania
That is the Himel Northlander, one of his newer styles:
There are more photos on the Himel Bros Facebook page.
SJC
Suspended
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- Pennsylvania
That is a BEAUTIFUL leather jacket!
Yes, 75 of this jacket are a lot of them. It isn't that limited edition and to be honest Himel's signature doesn't actually add any value to them unless he's the one making them. It's like signing the work of somebody else. Why would be that valuable? It is more valuable to me have a jacket made by John Chapman entirely that has his signtature written all over it and it's almost like a bespoke experience than having Himel's signature on a jacket that one of his machinists produced in a jacket that is not made to your measurements. EDIT to clarify: That is in fact if he's not the one doing the jackets and as far as I know he doesn't do all the jackets himself so these ones would be an exception.
By the way, is there any information on the people behind the jackets from Himel like we have from Aero Leathers? Because I haven't found anything about it or I haven't looked good enough. I'm refering to the more personal experience of knowing who made your jacket, and being a small company and charging those prices I think I would like to know who made my jacket.
I started to look at HB from another perspective the moment he started bashing other brands to promote his jackets without even having in mind the different type of leathers or for example the double leather cuff versus leather plus canvas. If he thinks that the only reason why his jackets are more expensive is the stitch count then he's not saying much of his brand :/
At least that's my opinion on the matter.
I rarely write on the lounge. You guys should be aware I occasionally swing by to see what people are saying. Oddly this thread is a bit troll like, and I don't like replying to troll comments but I'm quite sensitive on the matter. First off, regarding the ig post. A customer sent me a jacket to make him a jacket from. This is a reliable way to get an exact fit remotely. I prefer it to measurements for a lot of reasons but the number one reason is that you cant screw it up, whereas measurements can be taken incorrectly, confused etc...plus you can see the fit on the customer from a picture in the jacket and adjust accordingly. Its not a disservice but a way to get the fit just right as some people have different shoulder slopes, and other oddities and you can adjust for them more accurately from a well fitting jacket and a photograph. Now regarding "slagging" other jackets...oh I suppose I could do that, but the only point was to show the differences in stitching and buttonholes from an anonymous jacket, and there was no intention to include any brand and none was mentioned. When I posted the picture the tiniest corner of said brand was in the image which I didn't notice on my phone. The owner of said brand called me and I agreed to re-edit the picture so that the tiniest corner of the label was not there. He agreed that our jackets are at different price points and thusly we use different techniques which was the point of the post. That point is that me and my team {yes I have a team of 2 people} use old school techniques that are very time consuming and while the result is a cleaner finish it costs more in labour and time. That is why there is a different price point to my jackets. And as a final point, yes I work on my jackets, I do the finishing work at this point. Oh I also, design, make and tweak patterns, help cut, skive, go to trade shows answer around 50 emails a day, blog, travel, have meetings with other brands, manage banking and accounting, book keeping, answer phone calls and sometimes I get to sleep. Also I own several thousand vintage jackets and thousands of other vintage pieces because I started as a vintage dealer and blogger. I know a lot of shit about vintage leather jackets. About 3/4 of my jackets are original designs that I came up with to try and define really cool styles that could have happened but never did and about 1/4 of them are tweaked replicas of rare or iconic designs that I loved, or thought I could improve or came from Canada. Rather then saying shitty things about what I do ...which really is my passion and a labour of intense love, that comes with a great personal cost to me, you are welcome at anytime to actually email or ask me about it. I am trying to make the best damn original designs using the best damn techniques and teach these skills to other people. Yes, I think for the most part my jackets are better then most, I certainly could explain why if asked. Also, yes I make about 400 -500 a year, up from 270 last year, and its a strain. We are trying to keep up with orders which is very very hard because I can't find any skilled help to add to the team. Also Chapman is a genius, and he works by himself ...and in my opinion he is the best, better then me...but if I want to grow a real business model I can't do it on my own. Feel free to ask, and please know I have an intimate understanding of jacket making and business models, there are all sorts of markets and levels of jackets out there 30 dollars, 300 hundred and 30 000 dollars, technique and value are real things I am striving to bring the highest value I can at a sustainable price for my business. The end..please resume saying mean spirited things.
one note, May my main sewer is 58 years old, both she, Robert and I suffer from carpal tunnel, arthritis and other ailments from working with leather, it is stiff and requires a lot of pulling. She has been working with leather for 40 years and the wool gloves keep her joints warm and free from inflammation. Our factory ....is in the two spots a 900 sq foot studio and the basement of a house, not really a factory at all. When you are making 75 pieces of the same style of jacket, you sew all the pockets at once, to try and save time through a repetitive process. Each part is sewn with care, and final assembly is one jacket at a time like pre 1940s bench made jackets. We are a tiny tiny jacket maker, iconic brands like Schott buco or Brimaco were making up to 3000 jackets a week with the production process.
I do remember that there was the Aero label on the original pictures. That's why I thought it wasn't in good taste to do that kind of comparison. You can see in many ads that some brands compare to other ones saying their better strenghts but no other brand is mentioned(At least here in Spain) so that's why I believed that wasn't a a good way to promote over the others and I expressed so, at the time I didn't think it was worth a whole thread but in this occassion I thought I would let that know to others. Having said that and I certainly am responsible for starting a bit of the mess that happened here it seems I was missinformed about how the process goes on the factory and I partly blame it on hearing you in a Podcast where I remember you talked about how you moved more into managing the brand instead of doing yourself all the handwork, I probably misunderstood that as you not doing any work on them apart from doing the creative part from that point, my sincere apologies on that part.
I don't think anyone is doubting your knowledge here in this thread, I wouldn't dare to do it. We all wish we could have access to all that.
This is why we invented the paragraph, man. I can hardy read the above.
Last edited:
Perhaps he spends too much time making leather jackets when he should instead be formulating withering forum posts?
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I must say that I can't quite understand the somewhat extreme criticism of Himel's photos and comparisons in this thread. IMO the differences shown were informative with tactics not even near as bold and boastful as BK's. Himels stitching does appear much neater (nicer) than many of the other premium makers. It is very apparent. Meaning a lot to some and possibly not so much to others.
Some like me find a great hide, style, pattern, fit and mostly 'straight' stitch at a lower price more reasonable. However, one can't deny that the ultimate probably would/should include this fancier stitching and finer details, but of course, you will pay more for that.
I also hope that my paragraphs, spelling, and thoughts are decent enough to be mostly decipherable. Come on fellers....
HD
Some like me find a great hide, style, pattern, fit and mostly 'straight' stitch at a lower price more reasonable. However, one can't deny that the ultimate probably would/should include this fancier stitching and finer details, but of course, you will pay more for that.
I also hope that my paragraphs, spelling, and thoughts are decent enough to be mostly decipherable. Come on fellers....
HD
I listened to the same interview and was impressed (not that my being impressed is what matters, but I just wanted to state that) by Himel's knowledge. And, clearly, his designs are fantastic. No one is bashing or embarrassing him, from my vantage point, and this thread is incredibly far from trolling. I also think it's great that he has an opportunity to voice his defense here. It makes this space a productive one.
My memory was the same as yours, that an Aero tag was clearly visible in one of the photos, and that didn't sit right with me, either. When I tried to find it yesterday, I noticed it was removed from the feed. Which is fine; I didn't want to call him out for that here. Anyway, I just wanted to say that I sympathized with your thoughts on the matter, and because of that sympathy, I shared my own, including a narrative to demonstrate why I think smaller brands sometimes have a hard time crafting their representations on social media and via other external communications. I apologize to all for any contribution I made to derailing the thread. I haven't reviewed or otherwise posted about my Kensington, which is an incredibly lovely jacket all told, because I was of two minds regarding the experience of procuring it, and I couldn't decide how fair it would be to include the more negative perspective in my review, especially as it makes little difference in the final product. Regardless, I'm sincerely sorry if I helped push the thread towards a kind of negativity. I felt willyto was merely articulating an honest reaction to a public demonstration, and I identified with that articulation.
As a recovering English professor, this caused me to snort coffee in my office.
Thank you Mr Himel. We all admire the design and quality of your jackets and also the hard physical work to produce them in the old ways.
Each jacket has its price point and what's important is that value is true to the price.
Each jacket has its price point and what's important is that value is true to the price.
Edward
Bartender
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- London, UK
Looks like a very nice jacket indeed. As a rule, I'vealways preferred my leather jackets to be either short (waist length) or more of a trench/overcoat style, but recently I'm also coming to increasingly appreciate these sort of in-betweeny length ones. The pocket designs on this are nice, too. I suspect beyond the reach of what I'm personally willing to pay for a jacket (as much to do with the appalling weakness of the pound againt the dollar in recent months as anything else - oh, for the glory days of 2008 and USD2.2 to the pound!).
Absolutely. We're lucky to live in an era where there are so many different options for hhigh-end leathers - Himel, Goodwear, Aero, Johnson, the Japanese makers.... even great stuff available from lots of oter, high-volume makers like Schott. Something for everyone. After a certain point, it's all horses for courses. As much as anything, I find the differences between makers to be a matter of taste and aesthetics - what details are and aren't worth paying for will vaqry from person to person - in much the same way, I guess, as different hides (some will pay more for Vicenza, or Horween FQHH, others are happy with a 'cheaper' steer). It's like comparing guitars - Gibson's woods and finishes, their set-necks, undeniably beautiful, undeniably more labour intensive than the bolt-together Fender approach, but some of us will always just prefer a Fender. C'est la vie...
I see it's already been clarified as steer. Logical choice, imo - I suspect the average Orvis customer appreciates quality leather, but is probably less hung up on the myriad, even mystical, properties of specific animal hides as we might be in these parts.
I think this is pretty common for any niche product. I've long seen it with guitars, for example - whereas the big, well-known names sell fairly well, a custom instrument built by a small-scale luthier will often struggle to receive the same proportion of its original sale price simply because the name isn't so widely known.Wel ive in the era of the Brand... That and the more specialised you go in any given field, the higher the price, the more people are, I suspect, likely to want to buy new, which can also hit resale value. In a world where a big part of the buzz for many people is speccing out a jacket, picking all the finnicky details, visiting the factory if they can, the anticipation of the wait.... You can't buy that second hand.
It's always nice to have cheap tastes. I'm sort of midling when it comes to leathers, price-wise, but with guitars... oh, my. Compared to when even I started playing in the early 90s, a perfectly giggable guitar is now so cheap that I barely even look beyond Squier or equivalent on my dream list now....
Hey, there are worse things. I mean, you could spend the same money on booze or cigarettes, with nothing to show for it, or collecting beermats or some other geegaws that have no real purpose.... At least jackets you can take out and wear (that's always been my sticking point: if I wouldn't wear it regularly, I won't keep it).
I suspect folks are just a bit touchy after poor behaviour by other people on the past, and are perceiving the dangers of 'what if', rather than what has been done, if that makes sense. Given the outlay involved, it's great when individual makers point out what sets them apart from the others, as long as they keep it positive and don't name names. World of difference between "My jackets are great because" and "Everyone else's jackets suck, and you're a moron if you buy one from them". Of course, it's a fairly self-selecting market that way.... brands which do the latter don't seem to attract long-lasting popularity in these parts.
Yip, once you get into the premium stuff, it really is these details that make the difference from one lable to the next, and all a matter of individual choice as to what makes the differnece and/or what matters. We should all count ourselves lucky to have these options, imo.
Absolutely. We're lucky to live in an era where there are so many different options for hhigh-end leathers - Himel, Goodwear, Aero, Johnson, the Japanese makers.... even great stuff available from lots of oter, high-volume makers like Schott. Something for everyone. After a certain point, it's all horses for courses. As much as anything, I find the differences between makers to be a matter of taste and aesthetics - what details are and aren't worth paying for will vaqry from person to person - in much the same way, I guess, as different hides (some will pay more for Vicenza, or Horween FQHH, others are happy with a 'cheaper' steer). It's like comparing guitars - Gibson's woods and finishes, their set-necks, undeniably beautiful, undeniably more labour intensive than the bolt-together Fender approach, but some of us will always just prefer a Fender. C'est la vie...
I see it's already been clarified as steer. Logical choice, imo - I suspect the average Orvis customer appreciates quality leather, but is probably less hung up on the myriad, even mystical, properties of specific animal hides as we might be in these parts.
I think this is pretty common for any niche product. I've long seen it with guitars, for example - whereas the big, well-known names sell fairly well, a custom instrument built by a small-scale luthier will often struggle to receive the same proportion of its original sale price simply because the name isn't so widely known.Wel ive in the era of the Brand... That and the more specialised you go in any given field, the higher the price, the more people are, I suspect, likely to want to buy new, which can also hit resale value. In a world where a big part of the buzz for many people is speccing out a jacket, picking all the finnicky details, visiting the factory if they can, the anticipation of the wait.... You can't buy that second hand.
It's always nice to have cheap tastes.
I'm sort of midling when it comes to leathers, price-wise, but with guitars... oh, my. Compared to when even I started playing in the early 90s, a perfectly giggable guitar is now so cheap that I barely even look beyond Squier or equivalent on my dream list now.... Hey, there are worse things. I mean, you could spend the same money on booze or cigarettes, with nothing to show for it, or collecting beermats or some other geegaws that have no real purpose.... At least jackets you can take out and wear (that's always been my sticking point: if I wouldn't wear it regularly, I won't keep it).
I suspect folks are just a bit touchy after poor behaviour by other people on the past, and are perceiving the dangers of 'what if', rather than what has been done, if that makes sense. Given the outlay involved, it's great when individual makers point out what sets them apart from the others, as long as they keep it positive and don't name names. World of difference between "My jackets are great because" and "Everyone else's jackets suck, and you're a moron if you buy one from them". Of course, it's a fairly self-selecting market that way.... brands which do the latter don't seem to attract long-lasting popularity in these parts.
Yip, once you get into the premium stuff, it really is these details that make the difference from one lable to the next, and all a matter of individual choice as to what makes the differnece and/or what matters. We should all count ourselves lucky to have these options, imo.
I took your post as an honest review of your experience and nothing more or less than that. That's a very valuable feature of this space and I didn't feel your tone was overly negative at all. It seemed quite matter o' fact to me. I also agree that anything said here was a far cry form troll behavior. Should be of no surprise that when Aero is directly compared to another makers product they have a fair number of supporters speaking up on their behalf, especially here.
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I didn't take tblay's post to be troll-like either. However. I also didn't consider Himel's photos to be 'intentionally' belittling another jacket maker's product either, especially when you read his statement accompanying the photos.
I think the strong wording in DH's response comes from a certain passion that any maker has especially when they consider their product perhaps a step above some others in some certain ways. Dave admitted that the partial company label photo bomb was corrected in order not to give the wrong impression.
Any problems with service, emails, etc. are certainly up for discussion here concerning any company IMO.
HD
I think the strong wording in DH's response comes from a certain passion that any maker has especially when they consider their product perhaps a step above some others in some certain ways. Dave admitted that the partial company label photo bomb was corrected in order not to give the wrong impression.
Any problems with service, emails, etc. are certainly up for discussion here concerning any company IMO.
HD
Superfluous
My Mail is Forwarded Here
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I must say that I can't quite understand the somewhat extreme criticism of Himel's photos and comparisons in this thread. IMO the differences shown were informative with tactics not even near as bold and boastful as BK's. Himels stitching does appear much neater (nicer) than many of the other premium makers. It is very apparent. Meaning a lot to some and possibly not so much to others. Some like me find a great hide, style, pattern, fit and mostly 'straight' stitch at a lower price more reasonable. However, one can't deny that the ultimate probably would/should include this fancier stitching and finer details, but of course, you will pay more for that.
I also hope that my paragraphs, spelling, and thoughts are decent enough to be mostly decipherable. Come on fellers....
HD
Amen!
Absolutely. We're lucky to live in an era where there are so many different options for hhigh-end leathers - Himel, Goodwear, Aero, Johnson, the Japanese makers.... even great stuff available from lots of oter, high-volume makers like Schott. Something for everyone. After a certain point, it's all horses for courses. As much as anything, I find the differences between makers to be a matter of taste and aesthetics - what details are and aren't worth paying for will vaqry from person to person - in much the same way, I guess, as different hides (some will pay more for Vicenza, or Horween FQHH, others are happy with a 'cheaper' steer). It's like comparing guitars - Gibson's woods and finishes, their set-necks, undeniably beautiful, undeniably more labour intensive than the bolt-together Fender approach, but some of us will always just prefer a Fender. C'est la vie...
* * * * *
I suspect folks are just a bit touchy after poor behaviour by other people on the past, and are perceiving the dangers of 'what if', rather than what has been done, if that makes sense. Given the outlay involved, it's great when individual makers point out what sets them apart from the others, as long as they keep it positive and don't name names. World of difference between "My jackets are great because" and "Everyone else's jackets suck, and you're a moron if you buy one from them". Of course, it's a fairly self-selecting market that way.... brands which do the latter don't seem to attract long-lasting popularity in these parts.
* * * * *
Yip, once you get into the premium stuff, it really is these details that make the difference from one lable to the next, and all a matter of individual choice as to what makes the differnece and/or what matters. We should all count ourselves lucky to have these options, imo.
Amen!
Amen!
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