Vegecow Lewis Leathers quality

[Pandemic]

 

[Canuck Panda]

I bet you those four are their top selling colors in Japan...

 

[Pandemic]

I’ve seen pics of the brown horses, not sure I’ve seen many pics of brown sheep.

 

[Canuck Panda]

Mr Proper has one coming I believe, in brown sheep. I am waiting to see it too.
I have the (chrome tan) brown horse. It's thicker leather but heavily painted and looks more functional than premium.

 

[Salmosalar]

I have a Super Phantom and a Western in the green sheep - really fantastic leather - I am tempted by one in blue or black, probably a Super Monza - but would also really

like to see how Mr Proper's brown number turns out….don't see many brown LL in the wild but I suspect the sheep in those colours would develop a beautiful depth of colour over time. My green ones are attached fyi

 

[Salmosalar]

LL also have a new line in VegeHorse….see examples in various colours - dyed through, so not teacore like the VegeCow - same upcharge….

 

[red devil]

LL also have a new line in VegeHorse….see examples in various colours - dyed through, so not teacore like the VegeCow - same upcharge…. View attachment 399530 View attachment 399531 View attachment 399532 View attachment 399533 View attachment 399534 View attachment 399535 View attachment 399536 View attachment 399537

I am long overdue a visit to their shop! Anybody within reach wants to meet there some time this month?

Edit: @Salmosalar , I think a blue Super Monza would look very good!

 

[MrProper]

like to see how Mr Proper's brown number turns out….

I hope it will be here soon. According to LL, it is in production right now.

 

[Aloysius]

LL also have a new line in VegeHorse….see examples in various colours - dyed through, so not teacore like the VegeCow - same upcharge…. View attachment 399530 View attachment 399531 View attachment 399532 View attachment 399533 View attachment 399534 View attachment 399535 View attachment 399536 View attachment 399537

I love how it looks, I especially love that it’s not brown core, but the fact that it’s veg tanned makes me concerned about lack of weather resistance.

 

[Canuck Panda]

No offence guys, but the veg tan horse just looks like aged CXL. So the extra cost is really for the aging process. Which is free if I just wore it myself, over time. But then again Lewis have it in green. This is gonna be a tough one for me.

 

[Edward]

No offence guys, but the veg tan horse just looks like aged CXL. So the extra cost is really for the aging process. Which is free if I just wore it myself, over time. But then again Lewis have it in green. This is gonna be a tough one for me.

As ever, once you get to this level I hold to the view there is no better in leather, only difference and personal preference. In terms of comparing this to CXL, I would expect them to be somewhat different in practice given CXL is chrome-tanned as I understand it, so will respond differently to rain and such.... I'm not sure I could justify the extra for the veg-tan in a Lewis, but then it's not a look that I associate with them. I have handled a lot of vintage Lewises from their 60s heyday back some years ago, and I don't honestly recall ever handling one that aged in the 'teacore' way a lot of these premium hides are now designed to give. Which is not to in any way say those who want it are wrong or that Lewis is wrong to respond to that market, just that I personally prefer the more traditional Lewis look from back when that tends to 'stay black'. Not that I'd complain about preferring the 'standard' option, it does tend to save some cash.

 

[Marc mndt]

I have handled a lot of vintage Lewises from their 60s heyday back some years ago, and I don't honestly recall ever handling one that aged in the 'teacore' way a lot of these premium hides are now designed to give.

I've handled one from late 70s (not 60s)

 

[Edward]

I've handled one from late 70s (not 60s)

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Photos not showing up for me, but interesting to hear about! Which model was it?

 

[Marc mndt]

Photos not showing up for me, but interesting to hear about! Which model was it?

Racing jacket No. 442

 

[Salmosalar]

As ever, once you get to this level I hold to the view there is no better in leather, only difference and personal preference. In terms of comparing this to CXL, I would expect them to be somewhat different in practice given CXL is chrome-tanned as I understand it, so will respond differently to rain and such.... I'm not sure I could justify the extra for the veg-tan in a Lewis, but then it's not a look that I associate with them. I have handled a lot of vintage Lewises from their 60s heyday back some years ago, and I don't honestly recall ever handling one that aged in the 'teacore' way a lot of these premium hides are now designed to give. Which is not to in any way say those who want it are wrong or that Lewis is wrong to respond to that market, just that I personally prefer the more traditional Lewis look from back when that tends to 'stay black'. Not that I'd complain about preferring the 'standard' option, it does tend to save some cash.

The vegehorse is v different from CXL - it is much lighter weight compared against what Aero et al offer - it is more like the typical lighter weight of other LL jackets. It feels v tough though, and is not a flimsy leather - it is noticeably stiffer than their vegecow….it would need some level of breaking in - I like the colour range (esp the burgundy) and it makes an interesting alternative to their other coloured jackets in standard HH (which I also like), but I feel the upcharge is better spent on the vegecow on balance, which is a really lovely hide. Better than shinki or badalassi in my view….but its just horses for courses at this level really (pun intended!)

 

[Canuck Panda]

@Salmosalar So you have felt this new Lewis veg horse right? And it's better than Shinki/Badalassi but you would still rank the Lewis veg cow higher than the new veg horse right? Sorry I didn't quite understood the last sentence which could be read a few ways to me.

I made the CXL snarky comment as a joke to release my frustration at how expensive some things get. I like Lewis, got two of the same jacket in different hides. And I didn't think they compete directly with repro brands like Aero. So I get what @Edward said about Lewis teacore. I didn't expect to see teacore from Lewis. And I am strictly talking about fast fading teacore vs all old jackets becomes teacore. But then again I didn't expect Aero to offer Badalassi either. So in many ways they are crossing over to each other's territory in terms of the looks of the leather. Anything oily with natural grains kinda competes with one another, Badalassi vs French Sheep. And anything teacore / fast fade / overdye kinda compete with one another, Veg horse vs CXL. Thickness can vary so can temper, I am strictly talking looks here.

If the new Lewis veg horse is indeed stiff then I would guess its from one of the defunct Clayton tanneries. I just can't see UK makers importing EU produced materials given the higher taxes, so Italian Comipel and Victoria (Vicenza) are ruled out. This is just my theory. And if it's true I would give it a try and complain about the high prices, and most likely in green. Clayton made some very different horsehide than others when they were still around. Still I would expect the veg horsehide to be priced less than the veg cowhide. Raw material wise the horse skins cost less than the cow skins. They are usually thrown away and only use the Shells. Very wasteful but also becomes a beacon of hope for garment makers. They can get quality hides for less now and not compete with shoe / bag makers for the more expensive cowhide. It'd be nice if some of that savings are passed to the final customer. Just saying.

 

[Salmosalar]

@Salmosalar So you have felt this new Lewis veg horse right? And it's better than Shinki/Badalassi but you would still rank the Lewis veg cow higher than the new veg horse right? Sorry I didn't quite understood the last sentence which could be read a few ways to me.

I made the CXL snarky comment as a joke to release my frustration at how expensive some things get. I like Lewis, got two of the same jacket in different hides. And I didn't think they compete directly with repro brands like Aero. So I get what @Edward said about Lewis teacore. I didn't expect to see teacore from Lewis. And I am strictly talking about fast fading teacore vs all old jackets becomes teacore. But then again I didn't expect Aero to offer Badalassi either. So in many ways they are crossing over to each other's territory in terms of the looks of the leather. Anything oily with natural grains kinda competes with one another, Badalassi vs French Sheep. And anything teacore / fast fade / overdye kinda compete with one another, Veg horse vs CXL. Thickness can vary so can temper, I am strictly talking looks here.

If the new Lewis veg horse is indeed stiff then I would guess its from one of the defunct Clayton tanneries. I just can't see UK makers importing EU produced materials given the higher taxes, so Italian Comipel and Victoria (Vicenza) are ruled out. This is just my theory. And if it's true I would give it a try and complain about the high prices, and most likely in green. Clayton made some very different horsehide than others when they were still around. Still I would expect the veg horsehide to be priced less than the veg cowhide. Raw material wise the horse skins cost less than the cow skins. They are usually thrown away and only use the Shells. Very wasteful but also becomes a beacon of hope for garment makers. They can get quality hides for less now and not compete with shoe / bag makers for the more expensive cowhide. It'd be nice if some of that savings are passed to the final customer. Just saying.

I would say the vegCOW is better than shinki or badalassi imo - it does not seem to be an extreme fast fade teacore - my jacket is still pretty much black a year in with a decent amount of wear. It is markedly softer than their new vegHH - but not as soft as the sheep (which is the best value they offer in my view). The vegHH felt completely different - I think it might be from a French tannary but don't quote me on that! I like how the vegHH looks but it felt a bit stiff to me, so decided to hold fire till I have seen an aged version in the wild - I went for green sheep instead for my last order but am tempted by the new stuff in burgundy, but would want to see a roadtested jacket before splurging. The vegcow is a safe bet and well worth the upcharge in my view - I would buy it again for sure, but I have plenty of black jackets already. It is v supple out of the box and feels like a real premium hide - and seems more robust than the sheep. Hope that helps….my feeling at presnt is the vegHH might be fantastic but it is still an unknown quantity and felt a bit stiff in the shop for my tastes these days……worth keeping an eye on it though…

 

[red devil]

I would say the vegCOW is better than shinki or badalassi imo - it does not seem to be an extreme fast fade teacore - my jacket is still pretty much black a year in with a decent amount of wear. It is markedly softer than their new vegHH - but not as soft as the sheep (which is the best value they offer in my view). The vegHH felt completely different - I think it might be from a French tannary but don't quote me on that! I like how the vegHH looks but it felt a bit stiff to me, so decided to hold fire till I have seen an aged version in the wild - I went for green sheep instead for my last order but am tempted by the new stuff in burgundy, but would want to see a roadtested jacket before splurging. The vegcow is a safe bet and well worth the upcharge in my view - I would buy it again for sure, but I have plenty of black jackets already. It is v supple out of the box and feels like a real premium hide - and seems more robust than the sheep. Hope that helps….my feeling at presnt is the vegHH might be fantastic but it is still an unknown quantity and felt a bit stiff in the shop for my tastes these days……worth keeping an eye on it though…

I still remember that first jacket in veg-cow at the shop. Really nice hide, this is what I had in mind to use. But then decided to wait to see what the HH looks like. Going to try going to the shop next week to check it out.

Glad to hear that it is not a fast fade leather!

 

[MrProper]

Veg tanned dark brown sheep.

 

[Pandemic]

Veg tanned dark brown sheep.
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Nailed it!