Where does Fortela rank as a brand compared to the Japanese giants?

[Sirkrimzon]

I know we all like our real McCoys, At Last Co, Freewheelers etc. But did we ever look to what the Italians are doing? Alessandro is one of the most prolific vintage collectors in the world probably surpassing Nigel Cabourn’s in my opinion, and his brand Fortela makes some incredibly beautiful vintage Americana inspired clothing. Yes it’s not a one-to-one reproduction because he puts his own twist into it (look at his chambray shirts for example, the pockets are much thinner than an actual vintage military shirt), but I think he’s doing some amazing stuff and he is truly passionate about clothing and vintage clothing in particular. I think his prices are quite high, but what do you guys think about his clothing?

I find this quote of his pretty inspiring, and it is what prompted me to make this post: “ my dream is that 50 years from now, when someone’s out hunting for vintage, they’ll come across a Fortela piece and say, “Wow.” This makes me feel as if he really gives a damn about the quality of his garments if he expects them to last 50 years, or this is just great marketing, but I think it’s more of the former than the latter. Curious to hear everyone’s thoughts.

 

[jchance]

They say a picture is worth a thousand words. I say let these pictures speak for themselves. It’s made in Italy and the leather looks pretty thin in my opinion. It was supposed to copy the original Real McCoy’s from 1950s. Supposedly Fortela originated from the Italian words for “strong fabric” but there appears nothing strong about this fabric, besides from the fact that it’s leather.

Fortela is sold at Beams in Japan. Beams is just a mid-tier department store. At that Fortela $2.5k price tag though, I’d just stick to the made-in-Japan Real Mccoy’s reproduction, which is well-known for their quality.

For me personally, I’m not a fan of Fortela’s orange rectangular logo with the loose hanging thread. It looks like the three hanging selvedge lines commonly found in denim shirts. Both look unfinished and tacky.

Chiodo Leather Biker Jacket

The biker jacket is a timeless icon. Crafted in Italy by Fortela , this leather jacket exudes quality and style. Inspired by the '50s, its supple leather, asymmetrical zip, and gold-tone hardware create a bold statement. With a comfortable regular fit and flannel lining, it's a testament to...

www.fortela.it

 

[TartuWolf]

Looks extremely meh for the price in my opinion, don't really care what marketing blurb they try to spew at their clientele. With very very few exceptions the fact that you are making EVERYTHING, including shorts and socks almost guarantees that your leather jackets will be ****e.
I'm assuming that we are talking about this brand:

Fortela: Iconic vintage-style clothing and accessories

Discover Fortela’s men’s and women’s collections. The height of Italian tailoring and design for unmistakable style.

www.fortela.it

 

[BaslerChrysler]

I have a sport blazer from Fortela. A very nice piece, quality is indeed very high. Maybe that’s about specializations in different clothing types: leather jackets might be thin but blazers are very good in terms of quality.

 

[jchance]

I have a sport blazer from Fortela. A very nice piece, quality is indeed very high. Maybe that’s about specializations in different clothing types: leather jackets might be thin but blazers are very good in terms of quality.

Italians are known for their tailoring clothes, such as suits, blazers, and even shirts. I wouldn’t be surprised when the quality of a sport blazer stays competitive with other Italian OTR brands.

They are, however, not known for their leather-jacket game. I’d venture to guess that there is no way they’d measure up to the Japanese craftsmanship or the American vintage scene.

 

[Tom71]

I Like their stuff, but it always comes with a nod to luxury fashion instead of rugged workwear.
For example, their western shirt looks the bomb, but it’s extremely soft and not sturdy. Their sweatshirts are among the best fitting I know, but the cut is so slim that it doesn’t work as sportswear at all.

AFAIK, they don’t do the clothes in-house but rather work with various undisclosed makers, so it’s extremely hard to guess in advance how a certain piece of kit will come out.

I wouldn’t take a swing at their leathers for the simple reason that Alessandro himself is spotted more often with originals (among others Himel) than with his won stuff.

 

[Aloysius]

Your original framing about "Japanese giants" had me sympathetic towards this brand because that framing is wrong. Japan has both good and bad makers and the ones we talk about here are a fraction of their market.

But seeing their leather jackets, they look horribly proportioned. This doesn't mean that their other stuff couldn't be good; might simply be that their partner for those makes such jackets.

 

[Zoro]

I’m not a fan of Fortela’s orange rectangular logo with the loose hanging thread

One of the ugliest logos I've come across in my life. I guess they had to choose between that or actual human feces.

 

[Sirkrimzon]

They say a picture is worth a thousand words. I say let these pictures speak for themselves. It’s made in Italy and the leather looks pretty thin in my opinion. It was supposed to copy the original Real McCoy’s from 1950s. Supposedly Fortela originated from the Italian words for “strong fabric” but there appears nothing strong about this fabric, besides from the fact that it’s leather.

Fortela is sold at Beams in Japan. Beams is just a mid-tier department store. At that Fortela $2.5k price tag though, I’d just stick to the made-in-Japan Real Mccoy’s reproduction, which is well-known for their quality.

For me personally, I’m not a fan of Fortela’s orange rectangular logo with the loose hanging thread. It looks like the three hanging selvedge lines commonly found in denim shirts. Both look unfinished and tacky.

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http://[URL][URL]https://www.fortela.it/en-us/products/chiodo-lehao-brw

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I can understand your dislike of the orange thread. The leather thinness is a concern, but admittedly the Italians probably have less need for a heavier horse hide jacket. For them, a thinner, lightweight leather, like this might make more sense.

 

[Sirkrimzon]

One of the ugliest logos I've come across in my life. I guess they had to choose between that or actual human feces.

This is a bit dramatic.

 

[MrProper]

They say a picture is worth a thousand words. I say let these pictures speak for themselves. It’s made in Italy and the leather looks pretty thin in my opinion. It was supposed to copy the original Real McCoy’s from 1950s. Supposedly Fortela originated from the Italian words for “strong fabric” but there appears nothing strong about this fabric, besides from the fact that it’s leather.

Fortela is sold at Beams in Japan. Beams is just a mid-tier department store. At that Fortela $2.5k price tag though, I’d just stick to the made-in-Japan Real Mccoy’s reproduction, which is well-known for their quality.

For me personally, I’m not a fan of Fortela’s orange rectangular logo with the loose hanging thread. It looks like the three hanging selvedge lines commonly found in denim shirts. Both look unfinished and tacky.

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http://[URL]https://www.fortela.it/en-us/products/chiodo-lehao-brw

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Funny. I would have thought the threads were a lack of quality control and cut them right off. LOL
At least the product images don't convince me. Not even if the price was only a third.

 

[jchance]

Funny. I would have thought the threads were a lack of quality control and cut them right off. LOL
At least the product images don't convince me. Not even if the price was only a third.

I don’t think I’d even try it at 80% off the retail price ($500), maybe at 90% off ($250). The Fortela product images don’t look better than Fivestar product images, and that’s as basic as it gets around here.

 

[Egalter]

Somehow I really wanted to like Fortela, because Alessandro Squarzi knows a lot about heritage clothing being himself a renowned, respected collector in his own right.
But I share the same doubts @Tom71 has expressed. Jackets, shirts and jeans are clearly more luxury than workwear or heritage oriented.
Moreover I dislike their marketing choices, prone to self-indulgent prada-ish self-celebration.
I might be wrong though.

 

[TartuWolf]

Somehow I really wanted to like Fortela, because Alessandro Squarzi knows a lot about heritage clothing being he himself a renowned, respected collector in his own right.
But I share the same doubts @Tom71 has expressed. Jackets, shirts and jeans are clearly more luxury than workwear or heritage oriented.
Moreover I dislike their marketing choices, prone to self-indulgent prada-ish self-celebration.
I might be wrong though.

You're exactly right, Fortela definitely belongs in the "to-avoid" list in my opinion.

 

[Egalter]

@TartuWolf
Fortela doesn’t seem to belong here, definitely.