New Bill Kelso - Custom Aeronaut In Russet Liberty Horsehide

[Fanch]

Great pictures! I don't know where that is as my only exposure to Italy is Sorrento, Capri, and Rome. My experience is that it is impossible to find a bad meal in Italy!

 

[nick123]

Nice color that horsehide has. The sun brings it out.

 

[thor]

Saw this on the BK Facebook page: it's called the "Campus". Basically an aeronaut with slash hand-warmer pockets.

 

[A-1]

View attachment 27468
Saw this on the BK Facebook page: it's called the "Campus". Basically an aeronaut with slash hand-warmer pockets.

They’ve called it the “Campus” now?! OK, why not. It deserved it’s own name, haha.
Both photos are from my jacket. I guess BK took my photos from this website. Funny how my ideas made a new design...

Ah, it’s got two inside pockets in the leather facing and a zipped breast pocket with a Talon zipper.

 

[handymike]

a bit like the Mister Freedom "Campus" jacket:

 

[thor]

They’ve called it the “Campus” now?! OK, why not. It deserved it’s own name, haha.
Both photos are from my jacket. I guess BK took my photos from this website. Funny how my ideas made a new design...
Ah, it’s got two inside pockets in the leather facing and a zipped breast pocket with a Talon zipper.

Maybe you can get some royalties for each "campus" sold?

 

[pawineguy]

Very nice jacket and pictures. I really like that shade of russet.

 

[A-1]

Maybe you can get some royalties for each "campus" sold?

I’ll call my patent-lawyer right away!

 

[handymike]

A-1, the beauty of the MF campus is that it starts out the color you saw and ages to the russet.
I really like your jacket, but Andy should re-name it something original.

 

[Superfluous]

This makes perfect sense. The Aeronaut itself is a copy of Himel's Heron. Andy wrote the following to me in a September 15, 2014 e-mail: "David Himel is angry because we copied his Heron jacket." Now, having created a variant of the Aeronaut similar to Mister Freedom's Campus jacket, BK is appropriating the "Campus" name used by Mister Freedom. As best I can tell, Mister Freedom was the first to label this particular style a "Campus" jacket. In fact, Mister Freedom's website includes an explanation of precisely how Christophe came up with the "Campus" name for this jacket: http://www.christopheloiron.com/the-campus-leather-jacket-natural-cowhide-made-in-usa/. In particular, Christophe came across a 1933 college yearbook entitled "Campus" in which several students were depicted wearing a similar style jacket: "What I do know is why we called our jacket the 'CAMPUS': flipping through a 1933 Pasadena Junior College year book entitled ‘Campus’, I noticed that that style of jacket was on many of the students’ backs."

Just as BK openly copied Himel's Heron, BK is now copying the "Campus" name coined by Mister Freedom.

* To be clear, I not not suggesting that BK copied the Campus style; rather, BK made the jacket as ordered by a customer (and it is not exactly the same as MF's Campus jacket). However, BK plainly did copy the "Campus" name, in addition to the Himel Heron style.

 

[bretron]

Nah, MajorMajor invented this jacket

This is an old debate in my eyes. Christophe didn't invent the shawl collar cossack any more than Himel did. To DH's credit, he absolutely, hands down gets the mark for rekickstarting the general pattern (as well as setting the bar) in my eyes, though LVC's Menlo predates it obviosly.

Also, for full disclosure purposes, I dropped the throat tab on mine in large part becuase I wanted to dostinguish it apart from a Heron. Secondly, however, I couldn't find any good reason why it was in place at all. No originals I've ever seen have one nor does it seem functional. It's just an offset button? I can see it with a zip up closure- gives extra protection at the neckline, but on a button front jacket it kinda seems pointless and "off" if that makes sense.

Anyway, to the latest chapter of #kelsogate; I say there's plenty of room in the market for another version of a shawl collar cossack. A1s is indeed a badass example of this point

But c'mon BK, you should have called it the "Hairon" or "Himelnaut" lol

 

[Superfluous]

But c'mon BK, you should have called it the "Hairon" or "Himelnaut" lol

Lol. I agree with your post. That said, Andy's admission is surprisingly blunt: "[W]e copied his Heron jacket."

Moreover, as far as I know, Himel was the first repro manufacturer to put herringbone twill camouflage lining in his jackets -- the Heron in particular -- and, thereafter, BK followed suit with its admitted Heron copy (the Aeronaut). In other words, Himel endeavored to deviate from the original, and BK copied Himel's deviation. This is not an issue of both companies seeking to reproduce the same original. Rather, BK is copying Himel's deviation from the original.

Separately, several companies remake many of the same vintage jackets and, therefore, certain repros inevitably look similar. However, copying the name of a repro jacket coined by another repro jacket manufacturer is something entirely different. As explained above, MF clearly coined the name "Campus" to refer to its Cossack style jacket with slash hand warmer pockets. Therefore, while BK is well within its rights to produce a similarly styled repro jacket, naming their jacket a "Campus" jacket is clearly improper (just as it would be improper if Eastman produced a jacket substantially similar to Aero's Sunburst, and Eastman called their jacket a Sunburst). If the name of the jacket is derived from the original -- e.g., Hercules -- that a different story. However, where the jacket name is not derived from the original -- e.g., Campus -- other repro manufacturers should use a different name for their similarly styled jackets.

 

[Sloan1874]

You'd think it wouldn't be hard to take 10 minutes out from shooting themselves in the foot to come up with their own names but apparently that's too much like hard work. A poor show and unnecessary.

 

[HoosierDaddy]

You'd think it wouldn't be hard to take 10 minutes out from shooting themselves in the foot to come up with their own names but apparently that's too much like hard work. A poor show and unnecessary.

Well Bill Kelso is a fine name for a jacket co. too with the movie history to go with it...and on the VLJ the BK rep even had Charlie Sheen as his avatar. Couldn't be more creative and now seems perhaps a perfect fit...D ) [huh]

 

[ausreenactor]

Buzz Rickson did the same and they make a killing. Good Wear is a direct take from a WWII maker as well.

 

[HoosierDaddy]

[video=youtube;40t6ys8pgNo]https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=40t6ys8pgNo[/video]

 

[A-1]

You'd think it wouldn't be hard to take 10 minutes out from shooting themselves in the foot to come up with their own names but apparently that's too much like hard work. A poor show and unnecessary.

Great marketing, isn’t it Sloan?

Every FB-post of BK is making it worse. Actually, I’ve tried to help them out by posting some photos here, so they don’t have to post anything but their newly made jackets. And then they use the photos (btw without a heads-up) to come up with yet another sad post.

I mean they can use them, no problem. However, I find it nice to tell me for what.

My jacket is "naut a Campus”! I mean seriously, are they just lucky that they’re copying from the smaller companies? A bigger company would most certainly sue them, wouldn’t it?

My jacket is now called “Loki”.

 

[thor]

I just read on FB that BK is now calling the jacket "The Cadet".

 

[Superfluous]

I just read on FB that BK is now calling the jacket "The Cadet".

:eusa_clap

From BK's FB page: "apparently someone else is already using the name"

"Apparently"? Is BK really claiming that it was not aware of MF's prior use of the "Campus" name, and it is sheer coincidence that BK used the identical name for their jacket? :eusa_doh: I call BS.

 

[Edward]

Nah, MajorMajor invented this jacket

Yeah, MajorMajor's blue jacket was the one of which I was thinking here. He did that in conjunction with Aero some time before MF had theirs out. Of course, Himel are widely recognised as the first to revive this style. I like it with handwarmers I'm surprised that this hasn't become a more popular variation before now.

This is an old debate in my eyes. Christophe didn't invent the shawl collar cossack any more than Himel did. To DH's credit, he absolutely, hands down gets the mark for rekickstarting the general pattern (as well as setting the bar) in my eyes, though LVC's Menlo predates it obviosly.

Yes, that's the nature of a market in reproduction designs - noone truly 'owns' any particular design when it's a redux of something from the thirties (or whenever), though of course house style may be distinctive.

Anyway, to the latest chapter of #kelsogate; I say there's plenty of room in the market for another version of a shawl collar cossack. A1s is indeed a badass example of this point

But c'mon BK, you should have called it the "Hairon" or "Himelnaut" lol

:lol: Absolutely. There's always room (providing the market will support it with the ready cash) for another maker's take on a histrorical design. The key for any new company is to avoid going for a product line which seems too "me too" ("Here's a version of their line with different names"), or selecting names which infringe upon a current, valid trade mark. Adopting a historical mark which has fallen out of use is one thing, but going for a name which clearly gloms off something that is very much a going concern is both potentially legally problematic and makes the company look like they're merely trying to copy someone else's business model. Not, imo, a good idea if you're trying to create and sell a quality product as a distinct business venture. [huh]

My jacket is "naut a Campus”! I mean seriously, are they just lucky that they’re copying from the smaller companies? A bigger company would most certainly sue them, wouldn’t it?

In terms of trade-mark infringement, it's a risky move to use the same or very similar names for very similar or identical goods. (Identical in the trade-marksense, which is as simple as 'old-fashioned leather jackets'). Based on posts above (I've not looked at the Facebook), it sounds like they've done the sensible thing and changed the name of the 'Campus' model. If they're sensible, they'll change the "Aeronaut" too.