Are you suggesting this jacket is my size!?
Care to guess what Langlitz, Aero's and Wesco's mark up are in Japan?
www.highsnobiety.com
www.theshoemart.com
I purchased this jacket more than a year ago, the seller agreed to accept a return due fit, and I did return the jacket it was too small. The hide was thin compared to other Taubers straight zip police/motorcycle jackets I 've had
Thank you for your detailed response. One statement you made that I find interesting is that the Japanese place higher value on overseas goods. It strikes me as a bit odd considering how well the Japanese have produced so many different quality products over the years.Care to guess what Langlitz, Aero's and Wesco's mark up are in Japan?
Columbia – Langlitz Leathers Japan
langlitzjapan.com
If we are talking about the high end reproduction market then-
Firstly the Japanese usually place higher value on overseas goods. When RM started their A-2 and other military leather jacket repros in the 90s, they were made in New Zealand and not Japan.
Secondly, if you take the trade barrier such as duty and tax out of the equation, you will see that American and European high end repros are not cheaper than Japanese one. A BK N-1 jacket costs GBP470 incl local VAT. A RM N-1 costs GBP477 incl local VAT in Japan. A Dehen N-1 costs GBP980. A made in USA Cockpit N-1 costs GBP326 only because it has synthetic lining in stead of wool or Alpaca.
I am sure anyone can make high end reproduction but the market is small so big companies have little interest. Take Red Wing for instance, most heritage models are only available in Japan because RW Japan order them. RW makes more money selling modern work shoes and that is their market focus. And they were the smart one because Chippewa's heritage line tanked and they had to discontinue the whole line. Incidentally, there was a fellow FL member calling for people to write to Chippewa to plead to them to not discontinue their heritage line.
New Balance repro 1300 not the regular 1300 made in USA is called 1300JP also because the Japanese was the first to order them. They have reached the 3rd edition and it is called 1300JP3.
Same goes for Levi's. Levi's only started LVC after seeing the success of the Japanese Big E collection. Despite the fact that Levi's took back control of the LVC from the Japanese, they are only allocating very little resources to it. Levi's have been trying to save costs by moving LVC production to Turkey but that failed. Sale of Turkey made LVC jeans are bad. Now that Cone Mills have closed their last factory in the US, they switched to using Japanese denim cloth, so they might as well make the LVC jeans in Japan too. Lee and Wrangler repros model are made by Edwin under licence because Lee and Wrangler could not care less about the repro market.Here's How Japan Became Obsessed With the Ultra-Rare New Balance 1300
New Balance is a fascinating case study in Japan’s appreciation for American culture. The New Balance 1300JP epitomizes the phenomenon.
Yes it is all about Japanese for the repro market. It is the Japanese obsession that creates enough market demand for manufacturers to enter. And if the original company refuses to remake the originals, oh well the Japanese will go to great length to make their own.
