Hein Gericke crosszip - unknown vintage

As you might have seen me muttering in the Incoming Jackets thread, I picked up this knackered old crosszip a week ago. I endlessly cry about how I don't wear leather jackets really, but as you can see I can't seem to stop buying them nonetheless.

This is unlabelled apart from the size tag that says it's a Euro 50, or 40" chest. The crassly branded zipper pull reveals it's Hein Gericke though.

Seller's photos didn't give away much, but were enough to show some interesting details: removable belt and side lacing for fit, together with full length shoulder gussets feeding into the lacing area. Usual Perfecto-esque crosszip styling cues apply though: coin pocket, epaulettes, etc

I haven't got fit photos yet, as I'm home alone today and I wanted to show you some pictures that really highlighted the astonishing grain of the (presumably cow?) hide. In person it looks incredible, and hopefully some of that incredibility will come through in these wretched phonecam photos. Thanks to Manuel my mannequin, obv.

In actual daylight there are brown undertones coming through in high traffic areas, and it appears as though the cow itself had led a hard life before the hide found its way into this jacket. You only need to see the back panel scarring to think the poor thing had probably been through the wars.

I have some plans for the jacket (unless I throw my hands in the air and bung it immediately back on eBay - I wouldn't put it past me), which involve:

- replacing the lace cords. These have suffered from being knotted for seemingly ever into place bringing the lace panels too close together, leaving the laces unforgiving and inflexible

- removing the belt loops. I won't wear the jacket with the belt, and the loops have been stretched and distorted over time from the weight of the belt hanging loose, so that now with the belt removed, the loops hang horribly below the waistband of the jacket itself.

- repair to a cuff zipper, which is either impossibly stuck or looks to have been glued together.

And then once all that's done, then it'll be the usual: cold wash in the washing machine, hang outside until merely damp, wear until dry. Recondition with Renapur. Yadda yadda yadda.

Pics:

Argh! Awful time sorting the photos out, and they still look rubbish! I need a proper camera.

I like that one! Doesn't have all the usual Euro flair most HG's do. Very cool, simple cross zip!

Yup, very simple for the the HG stuff you see going round.
But most of what you see are "hurricane" jackets.

Very cool! HG's usually going crazy with the design as others have noted, but this turned out great. Reminds me of Bates, style-wise. Leather also looks fantastic. HG is weird that way, they'd often use okay to mediocre hide and then suddenly do something in the best kind of leather you can imagine. But overall, they're (were?) a very capable maker.

Monitor said:

Very cool! HG's usually going crazy with the design as others have noted, but this turned out great. Reminds me of Bates, style-wise. Leather also looks fantastic. HG is weird that way, they'd often use okay to mediocre hide and then suddenly do something in the best kind of leather you can imagine. But overall, they're (were?) a very capable maker.

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yes, were. HG filed for bankruptcy some time ago

MrProper said:

yes, were. HG filed for bankruptcy some time ago

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In fact they filled for bankruptcy 4 times in the last 12 years or so.

That's right. But no resurrection since 2017.
But Hein Gericke himself was no longer involved and had sold the company to a consortium. Incidentally, his son makes jackets under the brand „G-lab“. Unfortunately no leather. I have 2 of the first models from this brand.

Update:

I bought some replacement leather side laces, took off the belt and then cautiously unpicked the stitching from the four belt loops to remove them as well.

Then I put the jacket (with the new side laces loosely laced in place) in the washing machine, for a 30 minute gentle wash cycle with detergent. This gets rid of all the pre-loved mustiness and smells, and resets the fit conformity.

Like an über HWT.

So now it's all soaking wet I've put it on Marcel to lightly shape it while it dries until it's just damp. Then I'll wear it to conform it more to me until it's properly dry.

Here it is:

OMGoodness! It's only a fit pic!

Work progresses on this jacket. It's been machine washed and dried on both Manuel the mannequin and on me. And most recently it's been de-odourised with vinegar spray and inside out airing out outside (in out out).

Only two things left to do: get the broken cuff zip replaced (by a pro) and treat the whole jacket with my default Renapur. I've got something I want to try this time too; once liberally applying the Renapur I'm going to run a hairdryer over it to encourage the treatment to soak in before I buff off the excess. Haven't tried that before, but I've done it with waxed cotton to ensure rewaxing fully permeates the fabric. I have strong inkling it might help the hide absorb the treatment in this case too.

Anyway.

I've just realised I've fallen my mannequin both Manuel and Marcel. How rude! He is, of course, Manuel.

I always use a hairdryer when applying pecards or something like that 'cause otherwise, the stupid grease just sits on the leather for weeks. It does help get the dressing soak up into the leather quicker.

I'm not really sure why the manufacturer doesn't recommend it, though? Even with a hairdryer I still can't get Pecard to become nearly as watery as it gets during the summer...

The jacket looks great! Take some sun light photos of it.

The original Hein Gerecke was German bike racer who started the business in the Seventies, selling it ultimately in 1987. My gut instinct is that this particular jacket is from the eighties; I don't remember ever seeing a jacket with black poppers and zips that was made pre-1980. I'm inclined to guess later eighties with this one (when the P-type had a resurgence in popularity,l as I recall), but I couldn't swear to that, it's just an instinct.

The jacket's off at the zip menders now so I'm looking forward eagerly to the results.

Hello! Here I am again. I've been busy lately, and not as able to post now Tapatalk has all gone Pete Tong, and most recently there's been one thing and another.

Still. This jacket came back from the zip menders, albeit they took two goes to get things spot on. It's had more Renapur than anyone would know what to do with, encouraged in with the hairdryer and with some blazing sunshine hanging outside.

I've got a couple of update photos even though sadly they're still just wretched phone camera pictures, and they're not in daylight either. But anyway.

Keep safe you all.

barnabus said:

Hello! Here I am again. I've been busy lately, and not as able to post now Tapatalk has all gone Pete Tong, and most recently there's been one thing and another.

Still. This jacket came back from the zip menders, albeit they took two goes to get things spot on. It's had more Renapur than anyone would know what to do with, encouraged in with the hairdryer and with some blazing sunshine hanging outside.

I've got a couple of update photos even though sadly they're still just wretched phone camera pictures, and they're not in daylight either. But anyway.

Keep safe you all.

View attachment 222432 View attachment 222433

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I gotta find one!!! Looks really good.

Frustratingly, as I was poring over the jacket out in the sunshine today, pummeling it with even more Renapur, I discovered a small nick through the hide of the back panel - no more than 4 or 5mm long, but clean through the leather to the lining.

Luckily I taught myself how to patch exactly this sort of problem when I previously had a TT Leathers jacket that needed minor repair, so I've ordered some bits to fix it. Watch this space.

barnabus said:

Frustratingly, as I was poring over the jacket out in the sunshine today, pummeling it with even more Renapur, I discovered a small nick through the hide of the back panel - no more than 4 or 5mm long, but clean through the leather to the lining.

Luckily I taught myself how to patch exactly this sort of problem when I previously had a TT Leathers jacket that needed minor repair, so I've ordered some bits to fix it. Watch this space.

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A friend of mine had a 3cm clean cut on the back of an old leather jacket, a bit like if it had been stabbed, i glued a patch of leather over the cut from the inside with leather glue, it is honestly almost invisible and still holding strong 5 years later.

^^ I would try this...

This project / Restoreation jacket is looking all the better, and I like the simplified touches you made.

Interstingly, two notable specifics I've observed with prior owned Hein Gerecke jackets were - a tendancey to really stuff a lot of insualtion into them, normally snapped-in liners. Tehy really would keep you almost crazy warm.

Second, a leather smell that seemed to last for decades, and even through very harsh owner-induced odor "enhancers." Think Smoking here. I obtained one of these in a XL-Tall while I had my Honda Nighthawk for $20.00. It was the more "modern" style with lots of zippers. It was indcated to be a smoker's jacket but at that price - who would care? After a month or two of wearing it nearly non-stop, the cigarette odor was nealry gone (with no washes at all), and the very distinct, "Hein Gereke Leather" smell was back in force. I was quite suprised by this. There you go, my HG stories.

Another of my infrequent updates, this one showing a bit clearer how it fits after all the tinkering.

Still no sunshine photos I'm afraid, and for that I apologise. It's been glorious sunshine here today and I've been outside with the jacket softening on the sun.

I haven't repaired the cut yet, but so far I think it's looking better and better. I can't wait until this lockdown is done with, so I can go buy myself a new bike!