Want to buy or sell something? Check the classifieds
  • The Fedora Lounge is supported in part by commission earning affiliate links sitewide. Please support us by using them. You may learn more here.

How to tell if shinki is teacore

JackBroChill

Familiar Face
Messages
89
I've got this Real McCoy's x The Armoury jacket and I'm just curious if all shinki RMC uses is teacore or if there's any way to really decipher if it's teacore other than waiting for the patina to appear.

Unfortunately the Armoury wasn't especially knowledgeable on details of what leather was used when asked.

It's been worn a fair amount over a year now, but not seeing any real brown pop in high wear areas. Pic of the zipper corner for reference.

I've e-mailed RMC about it but they just deferred me to the retailer if I recall correctly.

Anyhow, love the jacket just curious if there's a way to find out more info on the leather itself!
 

Attachments

  • IMG_3144.JPG
    IMG_3144.JPG
    1.2 MB · Views: 70
  • IMG_3153.JPG
    IMG_3153.JPG
    1.2 MB · Views: 60
  • IMG_3154.JPG
    IMG_3154.JPG
    1.2 MB · Views: 65

Nykwil

One of the Regulars
Messages
198
Location
Cyberspace
Look at the color of your leather zip pull. Is there brown? Your leather jacket will probably match that.
 

JackBroChill

Familiar Face
Messages
89
Look at the color of your leather zip pull. Is there brown? Your leather jacket will probably match that.
Zips and the back buckles make me think it's not teacore but I wonder why when practically every other RMC jacket is....no big deal but do kind of wish some brown patina might come through.
 

Attachments

  • IMG_3162.JPG
    IMG_3162.JPG
    1.7 MB · Views: 57
  • IMG_3156.JPG
    IMG_3156.JPG
    1.4 MB · Views: 53
  • IMG_3155.JPG
    IMG_3155.JPG
    1.3 MB · Views: 52

MrProper

I'll Lock Up
Messages
4,417
Location
Europe
I agree, I really dislike those topcoats that are designed to wear off fast. It makes a jacket look shabby within a couple of years.
I now see it the same way.
With my blackened brown Vicenza, the black comes off far too quickly and the brown comes through. Much quicker and more noticeable than I would have expected. On my CXFQHH back then, it lasted much longer and was only minimally brown on the sleeves.
Even though it doesn't look bad (yet), I wouldn't buy it like that again today.
 

Aloysius

I'll Lock Up
Messages
4,121
I now see it the same way.
With my blackened brown Vicenza, the black comes off far too quickly and the brown comes through. Much quicker and more noticeable than I would have expected. On my CXFQHH back then, it lasted much longer and was only minimally brown on the sleeves.
Even though it doesn't look bad (yet), I wouldn't buy it like that again today.

Your batch of blackened brown was very different from mine; the funny thing is I think most people would prefer the fast fade of yours!
What makes you say so?
You're going to get more interesting creasing, patina, and deepening of tones than the kind of flat topcoat ageing you get with the other version.
 

Will Zach

I'll Lock Up
Messages
4,872
Location
SoFlo
OG "teacore" was accidental.

In the 40s and 50s horsehide was (sometimes, not always) tanned through brown. Sometimes it was just left chromium blue, but the brown is more relevant to this discussion.

Then a black topcoat was coated on it to provide water and abrasion resistance . Then the jacket was worn for decades to develop some amazing patina, with original brown peeking through at stress and abrasion points on some vintage jackets.

Japanese marketeers figured out that the effect was desirable (analogous to denim), and engineered "teacore" - a fast wearing black topcoat on brown hide which tries to imitate this effect in a relatively short amount of time (nobody wants to wait decades for the tough topcoat to wear off), but mostly fails.

To a discerning eye it looks artificial; the jacket being fairly new with denim-like "fades". For most of the leather-buying public it's okay though, and it's fine. To each his own.
 

zebedee

One Too Many
Messages
1,915
Location
Shanghai
Yep, Aero's jerky is like this - the black topcoat wears off very quickly and shows a russet/brown base. E10BF81F-9627-45DC-9013-B41CDA3B8788.jpeg 06A5FA4E-1E77-4870-B0EB-B2A4438BC550.jpeg 35646287-F1D3-4FE0-B37F-7CDCC4259494.jpeg
Now, the question is - does this float your boat? For me, the answer is 'Not on most days' and I would have much rather have this particular Plainsman in a solid, struck-through black, but I thought it'd wear through like Aero's black fqhh (dark brown) as opposed to this odd, pinky-orangey-with-black-smudged in colour. I don't like it at all, but, bearing in mind it also has an odd split at a shoulder-fold seam, I now wear it in the worst weathers, in places with sharp objects, in the company of women I don't care for and low-light environments where no-one can see my shame.

It has brown stitching, which sort of offsets it slightly, but never again will I say to myself: 'That might look really striking'; instead I will say to myself: 'Struck THROUGH, my boy!'

One day it will, perhaps, look fantastic, but I won't really wear it enough for that to happen. It's also probably worth not much at resale because it already looks pretty knackered. Should have done my research. It's a good leather for weight and feel, but this tea core thing ain't my cuppa...

Blackened brown Vicenza fades in a nicer way, I think.
 

Will Zach

I'll Lock Up
Messages
4,872
Location
SoFlo
^^
Exactly. Some (not all) OG vintage "teacore" hides fade in an amazing way - the wear is smooth, the fades are gradual, giving the whole thing incredible depth. I have seen a Star Glove like that on a Japanese website - long sold, but still in my mind . Contemporary engineered teacore topcoat merely peels off.
 

zebedee

One Too Many
Messages
1,915
Location
Shanghai
^^
Exactly. Some (not all) OG vintage "teacore" hides fade in an amazing way - the wear is smooth, the fades are gradual, giving the whole thing incredible depth. I have seen a Star Glove like that on a Japanese website - long sold, but still in my mind . Contemporary engineered teacore topcoat merely peels off.
It's a gruesome affliction if the fading is too quick :(
 

TartuWolf

One Too Many
Messages
1,304
Location
Tartu, Estonia
Good kind of tea core - gorgeous, much better than dyed through. Bad kind of tea core - ugly unless you like the thrashed look. Dyed through is safer. Tea core is an exciting gamble unless you know very well what you're getting.
 

JackBroChill

Familiar Face
Messages
89
Good kind of tea core - gorgeous, much better than dyed through. Bad kind of tea core - ugly unless you like the thrashed look. Dyed through is safer. Tea core is an exciting gamble unless you know very well what you're getting.
Interesting. Any examples of 'good' tea core you like?
 

TartuWolf

One Too Many
Messages
1,304
Location
Tartu, Estonia
Interesting. Any examples of 'good' tea core you like?
This would be a great example for me personally:
https://www.reddit.com/r/goodyearwelt/comments/pkaymt The general idea is that it the top coat should gradually rub off, not come off in chunks. Whether you like the process to happen faster or slower is subjective. And the core itself should be a nice color (again, subjective). I guess the ideal is a gradually and slowly rubbing off top coat.
 

dudewuttheheck

I'll Lock Up
Messages
4,492
Your zipper pull is usually the indicator of what the "core" of your leather is.

Shinki does teacore better than most IME, but I still prefer something that ages very slowly. Struck through is more pleasant in my opinion.
 

Canuck Panda

I'll Lock Up
Messages
4,799
You can take a Q-tip soaked with some alcohol and take a few dabs at the inside hems (inside cuff is best imo) and see what color is underneath the top coat.

Shinki has struck through leather, not tea core. But most RMC Shinki jackets I have are teacore. The only way to tell is to check it by taking a tiny bit of top coat off in the invisible spot.
 

MickeyPunch

One of the Regulars
Messages
177
I have a pair of “avant garde” boots in Guidi leather that were originally burgundy/almost red and one day I put a couple of layers of black shoe cream and after wearing them for weeks/months the burgundy starts peeking but the effect is very subtle and the black kinda wears off but doesn’t peel. I repeat this process once per year.

I wonder if this could be done with a brown jacket and what the results would be.
 

Forum statistics

Threads
109,548
Messages
3,083,145
Members
54,365
Latest member
EBN
Top