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The Legendary DURABLE (Wild One) Jacket

jeo

Call Me a Cab
Messages
2,384
Location
Philadelphia
Don’t believe these two have been shown yet

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ABCD

I'll Lock Up
Messages
7,710
I was able to get some more info from the ad in the 1952 Apparel Arts magazine.

Described is a motorcycle jacket style #5131D (detachable mouton collar) #5131 (plain leather collar) of finest quality horsehide leather.

Sizes 36 to 46
Black only
Star on epaulettes
Zippered sleeves
Amazing automatic lock zipper
Swing-action back
Adjustable belt

"Just one satisfying look at a Durable garment will tell you why Durable is preferred in stores all over America"

"Just one satisfying look at a Durable garment will tell you why Durable is the first choice of value- minded men of all ages"


Durable Sportswear Co
Factory and main office 47 Broadway, Lynbrook N.Y.

Durable Sportswear Co is listed in the 1953 index of trademarks.

@Gamma68 called it 6 years ago.

https://www.thefedoralounge.com/threads/durable-horsehide-cafe-racer-c-1954.97375/post-2547944

So the were definitely two Durable companies, one in Canada and one in the US.

Two Long Island manufacturers of men's leather jackets were fined $5,000 each yesterday by Judge Leo F. Rayfiel in Brooklyn Federal Court for cheating the Federal Government out of $57,143 in corporate taxes for 1945. They were also placed on probation for one year. The defendants, who pleaded guilty on March 10, were Samuel Evans, 64 Years old, of 241 Bixby Heath, Lynbrook. L. I., president of the Durable Sports Wear Co., Inc., of 47 Broadway, Lynbrook, and Charles Bernstein, 57, of 185 Park Boulevard, Malverne, L. I., secretary-treasurer of the concern.

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jeo

Call Me a Cab
Messages
2,384
Location
Philadelphia
I was able to get some more info from the ad in the 1952 Apparel Arts magazine.

Described is a motorcycle jacket style #5131D (detachable mouton collar) #5131 (plain leather collar) of finest quality horsehide leather.

Sizes 36 to 46
Black only
Star on epaulettes
Zippered sleeves
Amazing automatic lock zipper
Swing-action back
Adjustable belt
Sold in stores all over America

Durable Sportswear Co
Factory and main office 47 Broadway, Lynbrook N.Y.

Durable Sportswear Co is listed in the 1953 index of trademarks.

@Gamma68 called it 6 years ago.


So the were definitely two Durable companies, one in Canada and one in the US.

View attachment 742814 View attachment 742812 View attachment 742813

Spectacular Marc!

This is the next best thing to seeing that ad. Now we know exactly what it says.

To me that settles it. Durable was an American company and not Canadian. It was never really a question for me.
 

Aloysius

I'll Lock Up
Messages
4,671
I was able to get some more info from the ad in the 1952 Apparel Arts magazine.

Described is a motorcycle jacket style #5131D (detachable mouton collar) #5131 (plain leather collar) of finest quality horsehide leather.

Sizes 36 to 46
Black only
Star on epaulettes
Zippered sleeves
Amazing automatic lock zipper
Swing-action back
Adjustable belt
Sold in stores all over America

Durable Sportswear Co
Factory and main office 47 Broadway, Lynbrook N.Y.

Durable Sportswear Co is listed in the 1953 index of trademarks.

@Gamma68 called it 6 years ago.

[/URL]

So the were definitely two Durable companies, one in Canada and one in the US.

View attachment 742814 View attachment 742812 View attachment 742813

Lovely research.

The funny thing is back in 2007, TFL, Style Forum, and Ask Andy were all about Apparel Arts. I expect if the Durable topic had come up then, there probably would have been a user who'd just seen the ad in one of this issues!
 

jchance

Call Me a Cab
Messages
2,203
Location
LA
Apparently they did, see trade mark register in the post above :)

So there were two companies. That settled the issue of whether Durable USA leather jackets were made in USA or Canada: The former. Congrats. The unsettled issue is still whether the Durable USA and Durable Canada are distinct, separate, unrelated companies or related (including but not limited to franchisee-franchisor relationship, or parent-subsidiary relationship). Related, subsidiary Durable USA could have filed trademark on its parent company Durable Canada’s behalf in the US to appeal to US legal protections against other companies.

Terry made the argument that Durable leather jackets were made in Canada. I made the argument that Durable USA and Durable Canada could either be the same company or related to one another, not distinct, separate, unrelated companies. My argument from the beginning of today still stands and applies to this scenario.
 
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Biff42

One Too Many
Messages
1,051
Lovely research.

The funny thing is back in 2007, TFL, Style Forum, and Ask Andy were all about Apparel Arts. I expect if the Durable topic had come up then, there probably would have been a user who'd just seen the ad in one of this issues!
I'd never heard of it, and then I saw archived copies of that publication today, and it was beautiful. I mean, the cover photography looked way ahead of its time.

https://www.paulrand.design/work/Apparel-Arts.html
 

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