Schott Prices Going Up Tomorrow (Feb. 1)

[Deleted member 16736]

Schott just sent an email about it. Costs are up 15%. At least they warned their customers and are giving them one last chance to buy before the prices increase.

Repeat after me: there is no inflation... there is no inflation... you're getting sleepy...

 

[garzo]

Schott has raised its prices a lot in recent years. Granted, there are a number of factors like rising demand in China and the weak dollar, but it makes you wonder how people will be able to afford their jackets if the prices continue to climb and climb. I hate to think that they might be forced to move their operations overseas in order to survive.

 

[dr.velociraptor]

Honestly I'm surprised Schott hasn't been forced to move all production overseas already. The fact that they employ Union workers right here in the North East and manage to turn a profit is amazing. Even Vanson had to move everything overseas to try and limp along.

The only ones who seem able to make it in the US are companies like Langlitz who have a very very high price point, loyal customer base, and they never tried to grow so the work force is minimal.

 

[Deleted member 16736]

Is Vanson 100% overseas? I don't know about that. Personally, I think offshoring had to do as much with taxes and regulations than it did with labor costs, but that was certainly a factor. With Chinese labor becoming expensive, it appears as if some outsourced U.S. production has come back to the State. McKenzie issue a report on this phenomenon. So it may be reversing itself.

Prices in gold terms are flat since 1930.

 

[dr.velociraptor]

Is Vanson 100% overseas? .

I corresponded with the owner and asked and received a pretty cryptic answer about how good their products are that are made overseas, and all this flag waving is simply ignoring the world economy etc... After several emails I could not get them to commit that their leathers are still made here at all. I heard they make some full suits in Mass still. If you browse the site you won't see Made in USA advertised on any of the jackets.

Although if you can scour eBay or local retailers for some old stock made in USA Vanson stuff it's top notch.

This is off their FAQ's:

Are all your garments made in the USA?
Actually there are two Vanson Leathers factories, both owned and operated by Vanson. One is currently in Fall River Massachusetts where we have worked for more than 25 years. The other is in San Salvador El Salvador and has been open since October 2008. We make items in both locations depending on the resources of available labor hours and raw materials. We use the same materials, stitching, assembly and quality inspection protocol in each location.

Can I ask for my garment to be made in the USA?
Yes you can, and we will accommodate that request as best we can. To specifiy the garment being made in Fall River may extend the production cycle as there are fewer stitchers in that facility than in El Salvador, or a delay may occur due to arranging the transportation of appropriate pattern and/or materials from one location to the other. However there are some items that we only make in the US as well as some items we only make in ES due to specialized processes and equipment.

The "accommodate you as best we can" from the experiences I've heard about have been almost nil. And in my correspondence with the owner I couldn't get them to commit to make me a jacket in the US, he kept going back to the El Salvador jacket is the same jacket and great quality.

 

[Grayland]

Fall River, MA - home of Emeril Lagasse and Lizzie Borden.

 

[Adcurium]

I corresponded with the owner and asked and received a pretty cryptic answer about how good their products are that are made overseas, and all this flag waving is simply ignoring the world economy etc... After several emails I could not get them to commit that their leathers are still made here at all. I heard they make some full suits in Mass still. If you browse the site you won't see Made in USA advertised on any of the jackets.

Although if you can scour eBay or local retailers for some old stock made in USA Vanson stuff it's top notch.

This is off their FAQ's:

Are all your garments made in the USA?
Actually there are two Vanson Leathers factories, both owned and operated by Vanson. One is currently in Fall River Massachusetts where we have worked for more than 25 years. The other is in San Salvador El Salvador and has been open since October 2008. We make items in both locations depending on the resources of available labor hours and raw materials. We use the same materials, stitching, assembly and quality inspection protocol in each location.

Can I ask for my garment to be made in the USA?
Yes you can, and we will accommodate that request as best we can. To specifiy the garment being made in Fall River may extend the production cycle as there are fewer stitchers in that facility than in El Salvador, or a delay may occur due to arranging the transportation of appropriate pattern and/or materials from one location to the other. However there are some items that we only make in the US as well as some items we only make in ES due to specialized processes and equipment.

The "accommodate you as best we can" from the experiences I've heard about have been almost nil. And in my correspondence with the owner I couldn't get them to commit to make me a jacket in the US, he kept going back to the El Salvador jacket is the same jacket and great quality.

I Drive past their operation in Fall River every single day. I suppose I should try to stop in?

 

[Adcurium]

Fall River, MA - home of Emeril Lagasse and Lizzie Borden.

I drive well above the speed limit as I go through Fall Riv...

 

[volleykinginnc]

Is Vanson 100% overseas? I don't know about that. Personally, I think offshoring had to do as much with taxes and regulations than it did with labor costs, but that was certainly a factor. With Chinese labor becoming expensive, it appears as if some outsourced U.S. production has come back to the State. McKenzie issue a report on this phenomenon. So it may be reversing itself.

Prices in gold terms are flat since 1930.

Ha ha...riiiiiight....Unions and our inflated sense of living standards have priced us out of any manufacturing jobs coming back here. The only thing that might possibly stay here are highly specialized craftman type of jobs and even those only temporarily and are quickly going as foreign countries gain this expertise. Unfortunately, the owner of Schott is exactly right in that his jackets probably have the exact same quality regardless of where it's made. Thus the beauty of a production style jacket.

 

[dr.velociraptor]

Unfortunately, the owner of Schott is exactly right in that his jackets probably have the exact same quality regardless of where it's made. Thus the beauty of a production style jacket.

It was Vanson I was corresponding with...

I don't have any doubt that an El Salvadorian can sew a jacket every bit as good as an American (there's a good chance they are El Salvadorian, Polish, or some other immigrant as sewing isn't really a trade in the states anymore and a bit of a lost art).

For me it's knowing that someone local created the jacket and I'm helping someone in my country keep their job, and also these guys send everything overseas where I doubt QA is as good as when it was made outside the owners office. In fact just look online to what has happened to Vanson's reputation since 2008, coincidence?

And lastly it's funny because these items go overseas but the savings never seems to be passed on down the line. You never see the price go down at all and Vanson is no different. Same premium price, just paying 1/10th to make it.

 

[ButteMT61]

I agree, DrV. If a union US employee makes $35 an hour, and some poor guy in XX country makes $8/day, the costs should be way lower. I too like giving a local a job as my preference - not because I think we are the only ones that can do things well. In fact, I would argue the opposite in many situations. I'm no fan of unions, so I'll keep that out of it, but we had indeed priced ourselves out of a lot of work here. If I have to spend (retail) $800 on an "assembly line", non-custom jacket, I'll just save the extra $200-$400 for a custom. I only buy off the rack jackets on sale on ebay and forums for 1/2 of the retail or less.

 

[dr.velociraptor]

I agree, DrV. If a union US employee makes $35 an hour, and some poor guy in XX country makes $8/day, the costs should be way lower.

It never seems to work that way though, they still charge because of the name even though the quality and materials are not nearly the same (not sure of Vanson's quality levels now, but Levi's and Chuck Taylors to name two).

If I have to spend (retail) $800 on an "assembly line", non-custom jacket, I'll just save the extra $200-$400 for a custom. I only buy off the rack jackets on sale on ebay and forums for 1/2 of the retail or less.

I agree with this too, but I recently bought a Schott HH jacket for ~$600 shipped. I fully expected to send it back and be underwhelmed at that price but loved the pics so I had to take a flyer. I was surprised at how nice the jacket was and kept it, it seemed so much more substantial than other Schott jackets I've both seen and owned.

Of the three makers I was considering one was in Scotland and I wanted an American jacket, the other Langlitz I just don't like the styling, and the Lost Worlds owner kind of turned me off to spending that much coin with him, plus I just didn't consider the Suburban a true riding jacket and doubted how it would perform on the bike with no bi-swing back, looser cut, longer length coat, no buttoned down collar etc... But in all three cases it was well over a grand for the jacket shipped so that was a significant difference to me. Also the only other thing I've ever had custom was a disaster sending in measurements, if I could get measured there I may have done it. But Schott is right in my backyard, I got to their yearly factory sale, so I was happy to support them.

But I'm still eyeing one of those half belts from Aero I'll be honest. Maybe next years tax return.