What about Willis and Gieger?

[fedoralover]

Does anyone know about the quality of Willis and Gieger leather fight jackets or the rest of their products for that matter?

fedoralover

 

[MK]

I can't say anything regarding their flight jackets, but thier products were very high quality and still go for good money on E-bay. Tom Selleck is a big fan of their clothes. A guy who used to work for W&G said when the company was shutting down Tom would call everyday to see what he could get.

 

[Michaelson]

The quality of the W&G jackets are spotty at best. I was tilting the proverbial windmill with Lands End when W&G was purchased by their company. It was left up in the air as to what they would do with their line, and I got as far up as VP level with my fight before I was finally stonewalled. From stories I was told by insiders at W&G at the time, it was the jacket line that pretty much killed the company, as they were produced by an individual who promised them the moon, produced some 'killer' examples (which W&G accepted), then provided them with some REAL shoddy stock when the ink dried on the contract. They were spending so much time and money clearing up jacket returns, they finally tossed in the towel. It wasn't the ONLY thing that caused the downfall, but it was the final straw. Other than that item, all the rest of their stock was absolutely top drawer. More recently (within the past year and a half), another high roller attempted a complete buyout of the W&G name, and Lands End gave it serious thought, but at the very last instant pulled out of the deal, and the future of W&G was once again a completely mystery. LandsEnd occasionally offers the shirts under the W&G name, but the quality is so far removed from what they USED to produce, it's comical. If you can find W&G items on ebay in original condition, grab it. They'll do nothing but increase in value. Regards. Michaelson

 

[patterson]

I can corroborate Michelson's information, and can add a bit as it relates to flight jackets:

W&G has claimed to be an A2 supplier to the Army Air Corp, but they were not. I've not heard of a single W&G "A2" proving to be genuine. Most date from the early-mid '80's, and have an "oversized" cut.

On the W&G original items? I was able to pick-up several of their safari shirts on the Lands End overstock website a few years ago. These shirts really did come from a pattern that remained unchanged from the 1930's. If you can find these for under $100 in brand-new condition, they're worth it.

 

[Michaelson]

Their old catalogs are becoming collectors items as well....even the newer ones. My favorite one in my collection has a photo of Teddy Roosevelt on safari, sitting on several of his shipping cases, grinning at the camera (as he always did), holding his rifle. The ironic thing is, stamped in clear lettering on the box behind him reads 'Abercrombie and Fitch', which was Willis and Geiger's main competitor all those years. Regards. Michaelson

 

[SHARPETOYS]

If you can find these for under $100 in brand-new condition, they're worth it.



Do you order your normal size or go down one size?

 

[thor]

I own quite afew vintage items from Willis & Geiger (many bought on eBay). Quality is top notch. I own one of their russet goatskin A-2 jackets which dates from the 1980's. Their "bush poplin" cloth (used in their safari style clothing, bush jackets, etc.) is amazing! I have found their clothing to be slightly oversized, IMHO.

And while NOT a maker of original WWII A-2 jackets, they were awarded the first pre-war contract for U.S. Navy M-422 flight jackets.

 

[kowalski]

i have a2 jacket w&g, zipper scovill , I do not know what kind of skin type, it is lightweight but durable, the perfect jacket for spring and autumn

 

[HeyMoe]

I have heard a lot of good things about W&G - wish they were still around.

 

[kowalski]

from what I know came two batches of these jackets, the first was amazing, the second a little weaker in quality, i have this second, but still it is a great

 

[budrichard]

I recently purchased this cotton A2 off eBay. It is a Willis & Geiger late manufacture, made in China. I usually don't purchase items made in China but W&G had such a great reputation for quality and the price was right so I gave it a chance. The W&G items usually sell for more than I value them, so this is my first W&G. I would assume it is a Land's End product.
The jacket is just about Mint, marked a Large and fits me (46) perfectly.
The quality is just outstanding. The cloth, detailing, lining, underarm grommets and construction are very nice and its very comfortable to wear.-Dick

 

[Fifty150]

Does Sears still sell anything under this brand name anymore? I see now that Sears stores have Lands End sections.

 

[slundin]

W&G - from a reporter's perspective

I am a freelance writer who has covered the luxury good industry for 20 years. In 2000 I did an article for In Sync magazine on collecting leather jackets - in the course of the research I met with and reviewed W&G inventory with Burt Avedon - who was the former president of W&G, a naval aviator and veteran of three wars. He had a huge collection of A2s and G-1s. At that particular time the company had just been acquired by Land's End - and they were wrapping up production on everything. Avedon told me the line would probably die - and he was right. I wanted to acquire one of their horsehide A2's for myself - and he put me in touch with gentlemen who was making them for W&G. This fellow - don't remember his name - ran his business in Wisconsin - where the jackets were put together. The A2's at that time were modernized - and had a blousey fit. I wore it for a few years but wished I had purchased a smaller size - so I sold the A2 - which probably had some weird historical significance as being literally one of the last W&G products ever made. A couple of years ago I found a size smaller - also horsehide - probably produced in the 1980's - at a militaria show for $65. Perfect shape - also horsehide - so a W&G again sits in my closet next to about 30 other military and cycle jackets acquired over the course of writing about this stuff. The workmanship was the same for both garments. If I get time and there's any interest I'll scan that old article and make it available . A smattering of my other works can be found on the finelifemedia.com website - International Watch - and on my blog: www.stevelundin.com

 

[ButteMT61]

Interesting. Thanks for posting the story.

 

[budrichard]

I recently purchased this cotton A2 off eBay. It is a Willis & Geiger late manufacture, made in China. I usually don't purchase items made in China but W&G had such a great reputation for quality and the price was right so I gave it a chance. The W&G items usually sell for more than I value them, so this is my first W&G. I would assume it is a Land's End product.
The jacket is just about Mint, marked a Large and fits me (46) perfectly.
The quality is just outstanding. The cloth, detailing, lining, underarm grommets and construction are very nice and its very comfortable to wear.-Dick

I have been told via PM that the jacket is Ventile and retailed for $250.-Dick