Was Roughwear The Original Manufacturer Of The Iconic Hercules Jacket?

[Brandrea33]

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Shoulder 19.5"
P2P 23"
Back 23.5"
Sleeves 24.5"

Great find.

 

[Canuck Panda]

Great find.

Thanks but this is not my jacket. All credit goes to truvintage 102 retail shop. This guy takes amazing photos of the vintage jackets:

40s HERCULES HORSE HIDE SPORTS JACKET. - 古着屋【True vintage】ヴィンテージ古着の通販ショップ

40sのHERCULES HORSE HIDE SPORTS JACKETです。

truevintage.jp

The 1941 Sears catalogue says length is 25.5", this vintage jacket is only 23.5" measured from the back neck down. So I think they measure things a bit differently then. I've gotta get myself one of these old Sears catalogue for the how to measure and order pages.

I kinda dig this version with the cleaner back panels, like Leathertog smashed together with a half belt, thought I post the photos. But all credit goes to that truvintage shop guy, he really takes much better photos than every other vintage shops I been through.

 

[handymike]

They used to measure from the top of the collar-fold, so figure 2inches shorter than advertised.

 

[tmitchell59]

Roughwear Clothing adjustable collar. here is a similar back they patented.

Corresponds with the 1941 Sears Catalog image posted above. The jacket shows up 42 catalog then ends

 

[RiteStuffBryan]

All this talk of Hercules jackets made me want to go semi-custom so I’m having BK make me one. I’ve had some tags made up for it:

 

[handymike]

Can't wait to see your jacket!

 

[Brandrea33]

Congratulations in advance @RiteStuffBryan

 

[sweetfights]

Thanks for that incredible slideshow Terry; the clearer shots of the patent tags in better condition also helped me find those patents by Rough Wear:

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https://patents.google.com/patent/US1993705A/en?oq=1,993,705
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The second seems to only be tangentially related to the Hercules design; overly cautious maybe? It looks like the cutaway back facing to the main zip but on the real models it’s not a built-in muffler like in the patent:

https://patents.google.com/patent/US2056788A/en?oq=US2056788
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So very cool.

 

[AHP91]

 

[handymike]

EEEEEK! What happened here?

 

[RiteStuffBryan]

Mismatched panels? Not the only one I’ve seen, albeit less extreme.

 

[handymike]

Notice the difference in the pocket angles between these last two jackets. Which way are you going on your Kelso?

 

[RiteStuffBryan]

Notice the difference in the pocket angles between these last two jackets. Which way are you going on your Kelso?

Good catch, I’ve asked for them to be more vertical as I’m thinking to make this a sort of 1938 model. I’ve also asked for rounded cuff adjusters, a ball and chain chest pocket zipper, rectangle side strap buckles, and a plaid lining:

 

[handymike]

BK supplied mine! But I went pointy.

 

[RiteStuffBryan]

That buckle is like the ones Hercules models had (according to the catalogs) from 35-38, so mine is like a ‘38-‘39 what if model lol

Here’s ‘35 and ‘39:

 

[handymike]

Ah, but more slanty pockets…
The beauty of these recreations is that we get to pick what we like best from the historical details.

 

[RiteStuffBryan]

Oh right the pockets; the 38-39 models had more vertical ones, maybe I’ll change to that!

 

[tmitchell59]

https://goo.gl/photos/HmKoynQS6pS5QL1bA

I believe this is the protype that BK did several years ago. I owned it for many years. It was as close to an original as you could make. Too small

There are many pics with my original. Forgot

 

[RiteStuffBryan]

Fantastic photos Terry, was that the Victory horsehide?

 

[jeo]

https://goo.gl/photos/HmKoynQS6pS5QL1bA

I believe this is the protype that BK did several years ago. I owned it for many years. It was as close to an original as you could make. Too small

There are many pics with my original. Forgot

The pocket size tag says “RW” which I can only assume is referencing Rough Wear.