Johnson Leathers, Thanks Alan!

I needed to run into "The City" (as San Francisco used to call itself) a few weeks ago and thought I'd head over to the corner of Polk and Jackson and see if Alan could make me up a jacket. Here's what he came up with:

https://www.instagram.com/p/BhsBQHKHjq9/?taken-by=johnsonleathersf

I'll take a few photos of the inside tomorrow in the daylight.

Overall, I think it's pretty darn nice.

Yes, it is a very nice jacket, and as you know, JL will do an excellent job with the build. I spent almost an hour on the phone with Alan yesterday, and it was a real pleasure talking with him again. He is so knowledgeable about so many subjects, and he loosely follows the conversations here on the Lounge.

However, there is this one problem with SF being "The City." There is only one "The City," and it isn't on the left coast. I think all you guys who grew up in NYC will agree, and I know Alan will agree as he grew up in the Bronx.

And yes, please, let us see more photos.

Looks great, please post more pictures!

Also, Johnson Leather has Instagram? That's interesting news!

Nice! I must get myself up to The Place Formerly Known as The City. About how long does JL take to customize and build a jacket for a client?


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Without a doubt this is a great tailor great professional a pity that does not work in Europe Which is a shame couse taxes and duties kills
Although I did not order anything from him but.. but I mentioned a couple of e-mails and guys this is absolutely great he answered every question fit leather help choosing jacket that fit me hands down.I probably lived in US I ordered something I'd surely

Guys I know that does not apply to this topic but can you tell me the quality of this leather
This https://www.oaleathersupply.com/products/horween-leather-hazel-rust-light-4-5oz
Horween Hazer Rust from Oa supply leather
Here is the thing my local tailor who sews jackets for almost 30 years said that he will need 36 Sq ft leather to make a jacket and ordered that the skin 2 full hides
Ian form Oa said that will be great but anyone fedoras you could have a look?
What do you think guys?

I don't know how much experience you have had with leather jackets, but a 4 to 5 oz. leather is a very heavy and unwieldy hide. If you ride a motorcycle and want a jacket with more protection than the standard 3.5 oz. (1.4 mm) *, then a jacket of 4 oz. leather would be doable. But it would be a dedicated riding jacket and would be no fun for casual street wear. There is nothing casual about a jacket made of 4 oz. hide. If you want a casual wear jacket, do yourself a favor and go with a 3 oz. FQHH. You want to enjoy wearing the jacket, not have it become a chore. Just my opinion.

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*Johnson Leathers makes motorcycle jackets for about 40 police departments in the San Fransisco area. They have found the "sweet spot" for motorcycle jackets is 3.5 oz. This is what all of those departments use and have found it gives good protection in the event of an involuntary dismount, and is still comfortable to wear. Anything heavier puts the jacket in charge of the officer instead of the officer being in charge of the jacket. Or as Alan is fond of saying, the jacket is wearing the person instead of the person wearing the jacket.

Peacoat said:

I don't know how much experience you have had with leather jackets, but a 4 to 5 oz. leather is a very heavy and unwieldy hide. If you ride a motorcycle and want a jacket with more protection than the standard 3.5 oz. (1.4 mm) *, then a jacket of 4 oz. leather would be doable. But it would be a dedicated riding jacket and would be no fun for casual street wear. There is nothing casual about a jacket made of 4 oz. hide. If you want a casual wear jacket, do yourself a favor and go with a 3 oz. FQHH. You want to enjoy wearing the jacket, not have it become a chore. Just my opinion.

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*Johnson Leathers makes motorcycle jackets for about 40 police departments in the San Fransisco area. They have found the "sweet spot" for motorcycle jackets is 3.5 oz. This is what all of those departments use and have found it gives good protection in the event of an involuntary dismount, and is still comfortable to wear. Anything heavier puts the jacket in charge of the officer instead of the officer being in charge of the jacket. Or as Alan is fond of saying, the jacket is wearing the person instead of the person wearing the jacket.

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Thank you Peacoat for opinion I will see how good thoughts if someone could show jacket that is thick enough
You think Peacoat that this jacket would be too heavy and stiff to wear casually?
I understand that the leather is soft and mold to my body over time?
It will be made by a local tailor we see how it goes

My 4 oz. jackets (one may be a little heavier) are too much for me to wear casually. Alan at Johnson Leather says when someone wants a 4 oz. or heavier jacket, and they have little to no experience with leather jackets, he usually tries to talk them out of it. For me it's not the weight of the jacket but it is the unyielding nature of the beast. Yes, they will break in and soften over time, a lot of time (as in several years), but it will still be a thick hide that you have to deal with. For motorcycle wear Alan recommends a 3.5 oz. leather and for casual wear, he recommends a 3 oz. leather.

And also know that a 3 oz. hide will give the same protection from the elements—wind and rain—as a 5 oz. hide. The warmth from a leather jacket comes from the lining and not the shell. Although a 5 oz. hide may keep you warmer because you have to work much harder to wear it!

I have read comments from some members here who bought Lost Worlds 4 oz. plus leather, and gave up on them after several years of fighting them. But there are some who seem to like them. Everyone is different. I am drawing on my experience with 15 leather jackets of different weights ranging from 3 oz. to 4 oz. plus over the years. Your experience may differ. Good luck with whatever you decide to do, and keep us updated on your progress.

what I like from thick hide is the contrasting feeling of parts that are soft on articulation points and parts that still feel like cardboard, if the jacket is fitted right, it feels like a personal carapace.

Here are some photos of the inside. What I desired in a jacket were three things: A light wool liner for three-season wear in this local climate, which is usually described as "cool Mediterranean", usable pockets, and a clean look.

itsallgood said:

Here are some photos of the inside. What I desired in a jacket were three things: A light wool liner for three-season wear in this local climate, which is usually described as "cool Mediterranean", usable pockets, and a clean look.

View attachment 115666 View attachment 115667 View attachment 115668 View attachment 115669

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GOOD GOD MAN!!! That is some TASTY hide. Beautiful!!!!!

That's the way to do inside pockets!

Nice, very nice.

So, I'm clearly in the break-in phase with this jacket, which has been getting a lot of wear. Although, it looks a little eerie when it stands up by itself.

I had an interesting experience today. My car sat in the direct sun for half the day before I got into it to take a short drive across town. As the outside air here has been cold, the built up heat in the car felt good, and I left the windows closed and ventilation system off as I drove. It was a real surprise, after about ten minutes driving in that heated up car, when I felt the entire jacket just simultaneously, everywhere, relax. There's no other way to describe it, the jacket just relaxed around me. I have a handful of other leather jackets, but none of them act this way. Is this the nature of the HH CXL? Did I mention I'm really liking it?

yes, this is common. As the waxes in the leather warm up, the jacket becomes softer. If you wear it in the cold, however you may find it stiffen.

As you wear the jacket more it will become less obvious either way.
If you want to speed things up, roll the jacket in a ball and punch it for 15 minutes, this should get rid of some stiffness.
Spray the jacket all over (outside only) with a spray bottle filled with water before putting it on, and let it dry before you take it off.
Do that everyday for two weeks and you will have a broken in jacket.

Is that just regular Horween CXL, like Aero uses? Something looks different. Could just be the lighting I suppose?

itsallgood said:

Here are some photos of the inside. What I desired in a jacket were three things: A light wool liner for three-season wear in this local climate, which is usually described as "cool Mediterranean", usable pockets, and a clean look.

View attachment 115668

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How do you like the lining? I am getting the same exact lining on my custom jacket that is gonna be modelled on the Aero Sheene.

Great jacket BTW..

Thanks... I like the lining and I’m glad I got it. Based on its color and pattern, I think it complements the jacket’s brown color, as well as my skin tone. So, the liner works for me, it’s aesthetically pleasing to my eye and the material feels good on the skin. It’s not warm or itchy the way you’d expect a grandmother’s wool sweater to be. I would leave room to layer under your jacket, so it can get all-season wear.

From reading here on this forum, and my own experience with other leather jackets/liners, I concluded that I wanted a light wool liner on this CXL HH jacket. But I don’t know anything about wool. So, after discussing the type of jacket that I was looking for and selecting the leather, I asked Alan to suggest something with some kind of Tartan pattern. He walked me over to a shelf and pulled out a bolt, and I said, “Okay”.

I’m glad I simply went with what he suggested, otherwise I would have driven myself crazy. I’m at work and a little bored so I did some reading about wool. There’s more to learn about wool than there is about leather jackets. England had a textile industry well before America was even a colony. Today, according to the International Wool Textile Organization (IWTO), world trade of finished wool products is about 200,000 metric tonnes in clothing (and nearly the same in floor coverings and blankets.) Major exporting countries are Australia, South Africa, Argentina, New Zealand and Uruguay. Major wool consuming countries are China, Euro zone, United States, Japan and United Kingdom. Marketing claims and counterclaims of what’s best are everywhere. I cannot say whether this liner is Merino, Shetland, Churro, Loden, Melton (all sheep), or (and not officially wool apparently), Cashmere or Mohair (both goat), Alpaca (alpaca), Camel hair (camel), Qivuit (musk ox), or Angora (rabbit). Variables in animal source range from geography to genetics and wool is characterized by microns. According to the IWTO, Superfine Merino wool prices (16.5 micron) have spiked, while New Zealand Broad Wool and Cashmere prices are under pressure. If I had gone over to Britex Fabrics on Post and Kearny streets in SF (four floors of nothing but fabric and buttons), I’m not sure I would have done much better.