I saw a pic on this site of a Vanson label where it said, "made in El Salvador." Can one generally assume the absence of said tag denotes a U.S. product or what?
I saw a pic on this site of a Vanson label where it said, "made in El Salvador." Can one generally assume the absence of said tag denotes a U.S. product or what?
Dunno..
My slightly older Vanson Enfield says Boston Mass 'made in USA' on black and gold Vanson tag with American Flag...
HD
So does that mean if it has that label, it's made in the U.S.?? I bought a Vanson Teton in January 2010. Would that being made in the U.S. sound right? I thought I saw a pic on this site of a Vanson that had the label you describe and also a tag that said El Salvador (although I couldn't swear that in that picture the label said Boston or had the flag).
I just got a PLU 3 Vanson Comet from Insurrection Vintage...tag does NOT say "Made in USA"...which the labels shown with the jacket on their website do say ... called Vanson and the fellow who answered said if it doesn't say where made it is made in USA / BUT ...called again and got Kim...wife of / owner who looked up the serial # and called me back..it was made in El Salvador...so I would say if label does not actually say "Made in USA" its made in El Salvador...but find the serial # and check with the factory ...
Last edited by pjstrass; 01-05-2012 at 02:54 AM.
Any Vanson jacket made in the USA will boldly proclaim that fact. Any jacket made elsewhere will, by law, have a tag somewhere with the country of origin. Vanson appears to have tried to mislead customers several times as to whether the foreign-made garments they sell were produced in the US. Look at their website carefully.
They do claim that one can order an American-made jacket, but I know of no one who has actually gotten one that was not old stock. This doesn't mean they don't make anything stateside, I just know of no one who, after being told that they would receive a newly-made US-made jacket, ever got one. Several people claimed they did get a lot of excuses, though.
All this being said, my Vanson CHP, purchased through Insurrection and produced in El Salvador, is a heavy, well-made jacket produced from good leather. I am happy with it and it absolutely beats the hell out of anything vended by most of the US "leather jacket" companies I've dealt with.
And hopefully I have in some small way helped some El Salvadoran workers to earn a living. They are people who need jobs, just like anyone else.
Vanson aren't the only ones hiding the origins of it's jackets with small/hidden/misleading labels. That to me is way more shameful than making jackets overseas. If you must for business reasons do it - but don't hide it. Companies like to proclaim "We're American" to get sales but many beyond the ownership/management are not. And I'd rather deal with an honest company that makes things overseas than one pretending to be "American" Just my 2¢.
Originally Posted by ButteMT61
My thoughts exactly. Well said!!
I just bought a Vanson Model B from Insurrection for a friend of mine in Japan. It was tagged "Made in El Salvador," right behind the size 36 tag. Although the jacket was made in El Salvador, the stitch work was perfect, the cowhide was incredible (very thick with a lot of character), and it was as nice as the very best made in USA Vanson jackets that I've seen in person.
Thanks for the info. I just wanted to know and didn't mean to come off as nativist. The one thing I do like about "U.S. Made" is that it it reminds me of the best of the old days.
Don't think it came off that way. There was a time when it really made a big difference to have jackets made here. Seems the lines have blurred with quality in some places and foreign-made jackets are a good alternative in some cases. OTOH, companies that make it seem as if you're getting a US-made jacket and that bothers me. I won't lie, I'd rather have products made here - especially given the sad state of our economy. Just not always "better" like the good ol' days...
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