Real McCoy's are closing down..?

[John Lever]

Just heard over on VLJ that the world's premier maker of sheepskin repros is closing down. Very sad.
Just heard evidence to the contrary fingers crossed..

 

[Big J]

Wow!
Is this NZ or Japan? Or both?

 

[tmitchell59]

any reasons stated?

 

[Otter]

Sad day if it is correct, I always hoped to afford one of their sheepskins.

 

[Superfluous]

According to VLJ, this is RMNZ only -- not Real McCoy of Japan.

 

[John Lever]

Wow!
Is this NZ or Japan? Or both?

NZ, the one with almost sane prices.

 

[John Lever]

any reasons stated?

Currency exchange issues, shipping and material costs.

 

[Sloan1874]

That's not good. It just means prices will be pushed higher elsewhere.

 

[bentusian]

There has been a hearsay for quite some time that The Few(=RMNZ) is moving their factory out of NZ.
I am not sure yet where they are moving to.

 

[Peacoat]

This isn't good.

 

[havocpaul]

Sad news if true. They made some of the nicest sheepskin jackets and contracts that other repro makers didn't do, their hides were superb. Over the years I have owned their B-3 and M-445 which I bought second-hand and they were great jackets. With RMJ and The Few prices beyond reason and ELC seemingly concentrating on their motorcycle range and broken hides, (that's why we search for the early RAF jackets and Merino fleece B-3's!), and they shelved the previously announced USN sheepskin jacket it seems too, ..hopefully Aero can provide good alternatives to the RM range in the future. Perhaps they will continue in some form but if they are 'bought up' by a Japanese company the prices will surely rise.

 

[Justhandguns]

Sad news if true. They made some of the nicest sheepskin jackets and contracts that other repro makers didn't do, their hides were superb. Over the years I have owned their B-3 and M-445 which I bought second-hand and they were great jackets. With RMJ and The Few prices beyond reason and ELC seemingly concentrating on their motorcycle range and broken hides, (that's why we search for the early RAF jackets and Merino fleece B-3's!), and they shelved the previously announced USN sheepskin jacket it seems too, ..hopefully Aero can provide good alternatives to the RM range in the future. Perhaps they will continue in some form but if they are 'bought up' by a Japanese company the prices will surely rise.

I thought they are originally Japanese to begin with? The owner's name is 石塚政秀 Masahide ISHIZUKA. He was part of the original (old) Real McCoy's company.

 

[havocpaul]

Maybe but it was always thought of as a New Zealand company to many collectors and whatever the link, certainly the price differences between their jackets and RMJ were large.

 

[bentusian]

Maybe but it was always thought of as a New Zealand company to many collectors and whatever the link, certainly the price differences between their jackets and RMJ were large.

As far as I know old RMJP was split into RMNZ/The Few and Toy's McCoy, so it's always been a Japanese company based on the factory the old RMJP used.
Unlike RMNZ, The Few always kept up with the price range of other high-end Japanese brands like (the new) RMJP.
So when I asked RMNZ/The FEW about the price difference between RMNZ and The Few, they said it's mainly due to the difference of leather they use for each brand's products.

 

[John Lever]

Real McCoy's can only sell into Japan under the Few label for copyright reasons. I understand that the NZ $ is very strong against against the Yen,this has made them less competitive.

 

[nick123]

They always seemed kind of silent and distant on the boards here, but it looked like they made a helluva jacket. Too bad. Hopefully the employees are in a good spot and can move on with their lives.

 

[HPA Rep]

<snip>

With RMJ and The Few prices beyond reason and ELC seemingly concentrating on their motorcycle range and broken hides, (that's why we search for the early RAF jackets and Merino fleece B-3's!), and they shelved the previously announced USN sheepskin jacket it seems too,

<snip>

HP, I apologize if this is going a bit off topic, but you mentioned these two matters and I'd like to reply and expand on them:

If I've read your words correctly, you seem to be suggesting or stating that the Eastman broken-grain sheepskin is disliked. While these vary from batch to batch, it's the most authentic sheepskin Eastman has offered (check out the Perry Mixed-Batch B-3 thread here) when compared to top-condition vintage jackets. If you are suggesting/stating what I have perceived, could you please kindly expand as to why you (and others) don't care for it?

Regarding the Monarch USN M-444 by Eastman, Gary is very clear that this is going to get made, it's just a matter of priorities and only having so many hours in a day. I'm fairly sure that this hasn't played out as Gary had planned and hoped; he's not the type to make an announcement as he did and then do nothing some two years later. I'm aware of other jackets he has panned which I'm not at liberty to discuss, but when they happen is probably going to be as much of a surprise to Gary as to us.

 

[John Lever]

We older buyers ( the ones with the money )just don't like it sorry. Unfortunately there is no choice but Broken Grain so I don't buy them any more, only older jackets. I asked Gary last week if he would do a retro range but he said no.

 

[HPA Rep]

We older buyers just don't like it sorry.

It's nothing to apologize for, John, I'm just trying to understand what about you don't like.

 

[John Lever]

Well I know Gary has invested time and money in finding a tannery to create this type of leather and they do look good generally. I did buy a couple of house B3 's and Anj4's, a RW B3 and B6,a Perry B3 and an Irvin. So I know them well and they cost me quite a sum so it was a wrench to sell them at a loss but they are just uncomfortable to wear and the leather folds more like a carpet than nappa. The fleece also tends to be very dead looking as it has little lustre.The B'3 I have had have all suffered from a thick stiff cuff seam that digs into the wrists because of the very stiff leather. I have not had this issue with the old jackets that are much more comfortable to wear and with some wear look better to me than the modern jackets.
So those are my reasons and sadly Eastman is no longer able to supply the type of jackets I like. Stuart Clurman at Lost Worlds has bent to customer pressure so no longer sells the very stiff sheepskins he used to. Aero have some beautiful skins now also.
I still think Eastman is a top company but just wish we had some more choice !