What Jacket Are You Wearing Today?

[TartuWolf]

Aero Hooch Hauler, Akubra boss and White's C350 team up on a trip in Norway.

 

[Tom71]

Here is their EU website with jackets listed...you can see from the pricing the jackets are not what the US website or stores offer. Schott in Europe is clearly aiming for a different audience separate from the one who seeks the world-class, premium jackets offered by the NJ factory/US-based stores and website.

My guess on this is that European customers are much more price-sensitive than Americans, who generally enjoy higher salaries and are less squeamish about a $1,300 or $2,000 jacket than a European might be. I say this as someone who frequently travels to Europe and has a reasonable handle on the marketplace there, particularly in FRA.

http://[URL]https://www.schott-store.com/en/collections/leathers

[/URL]

You are right to point this out. And yes, Schott Euro jackets are really really appalling.

However, you can get Schott Made in USA here in Europe, via the usual channels. Sometimes both types are listed side by side with the Made in USA range WAY more expensive than from the Schott webpage. Also, most Schott USA offerings are the special runs, so price is even higher.
For the unassuming customer, shopping by optics only, that will be massively confusing.

 

[Zoro]

Here is their EU website with jackets listed...you can see from the pricing the jackets are not what the US website or stores offer. Schott in Europe is clearly aiming for a different audience separate from the one who seeks the world-class, premium jackets offered by the NJ factory/US-based stores and website.

My guess on this is that European customers are much more price-sensitive than Americans, who generally enjoy higher salaries and are less squeamish about a $1,300 or $2,000 jacket than a European might be. I say this as someone who frequently travels to Europe and has a reasonable handle on the marketplace there, particularly in FRA.

https://www.schott-store.com/en/collections/leathers

The vast majority of people don't know Schott, just a handful of nerds out of which many are already here in TFL. I've tried a couple of Schott EU jackets (made in India or Pakistan) that were simply disappointing (and actually the reason I found and joined TFL, as those didn't fulfill what I was looking for).

There's some stores across EU that stock Schott, both the made in USA and the made in India/Pakistan. The main problem I was seeing was why the same jacket was available for 1200€ and for 300€. They fail to convey the difference in materials and craftmanship, so they simply leave it as one jacket being made in USA while the other one is not stated where. As they look visually identical, most customers would just go for the far cheaper option. It also doesn't help that the prices are generally higher than they would be buying them in USA directly.

 

[bobjones]

You are right to point this out. And yes, Schott Euro jackets are really really appalling.

However, you can get Schott Made in USA here in Europe, via the usual channels. Sometimes both types are listed side by side with the Made in USA range WAY more expensive than from the Schott webpage. Also, most Schott USA offerings are the special runs, so price is even higher.
For the unassuming customer, shopping by optics only, that will be massively confusing.

No one is more of a Schott guy than I am, I just bought three new Schott jackets (see my signature) in the last few weeks alone, and would buy more if my wife did not get on my case about spending so much on them.

IMO Schott has the best patterns of anyone; other major makers have one or two patterns I like, maybe one type of appealling leather choices - but Schott has about 15 patterns I'd grab if I had an infinite budget.

That said, I think Schott should have done a "J Crew / Madewell" solution, creating a distinctly-named sub-brand for Europe with its own logo to eliminate any marketplace confusion. Lower-priced jackets with unique patterns distinct from the NJ-made product would have provided a cleaner separation for what many might consider their 2nd-tier product.

Mind you, perhaps the EU/pakistan-made product is decent, but I don't think anyone could argue it is as good as the NJ-made Schott jackets, and they should not be inserted into the general marketplace as if they were.

The LAST thng a company would want is large amounts of lesser goods with their label on it floating around both the primary and secondary markets that damages their brand. There are few things Schott does that I disagree with as I love the company, this was one of them.

 

[bobjones]

The vast majority of people don't know Schott, just a handful of nerds out of which many are already here in TFL. I've tried a couple of Schott EU jackets (made in India or Pakistan) that were simply disappointing (and actually the reason I found and joined TFL, as those didn't fulfill what I was looking for).

There's some stores across EU that stock Schott, both the made in USA and the made in India/Pakistan. The main problem I was seeing was why the same jacket was available for 1200€ and for 300€. They fail to convey the difference in materials and craftmanship, so they simply leave it as one jacket being made in USA while the other one is not stated where. As they look visually identical, most customers would just go for the far cheaper option. It also doesn't help that the prices are generally higher than they would be buying them in USA directly.

The next time I'm in Paris I will visit the Schott store there and get a first-hand look at the "Euro-Schott" product. So many EU tourists come to NYC you would think the more informed ones would seek out the Schott store in Soho, but Schott would need to educate them that the US-made product was distinct, and something to pursue when here.

The women's leather jackets on their US website and in their NYC store are about a third to half of the price of the men's versions, and they clearly state on the site they are not made in the US.

I should add a note about this: like many situations in life we do not have all the facts, and there are possibilities that we are not aware of, like Schott offering their 1st-quality jackets only in EU for years, but then their licensee(s) demanded to be allowed to offer cheaper made lines because the US-made products were too expensive for the EU market in general. I admit to not knowing the history of how the EU stores were set up and managed from the beginning, this could have been a situation that evolved over time and Schott's hand was forced by the licensee(s). All of this is speculation, perhaps someone with more historical knowledge of the facts might see this thread and weigh in.

 

[Zoro]

perhaps the EU/pakistan-made product is decent

It's been a while since I've tried them, as well as having done so way before getting better stuff so I gotta put memories into context in my head which is not ideal, but I think most are priced fairly. I would say they would be top tier mall jackets. Perhaps a comparison with Rugged West would be interesting.

So many EU tourists come to NYC you would think the more informed ones would seek out the Schott store in Soho, but Schott would need to educate them that the US-made product was distinct, and something to pursue when here.

There's a harsh truth: Buying a leather jacket (let alone specifically Schott) is not even a consideration for EU tourists going to NYC. Schott cannot educate people that are not even aware they exist.

 

[LuddGang]

I actually took a trip to NYC recently (from the UK) and considered stopping at Schott but didn’t bother in the end. What put me off is that every time I see them listed, it seems like they put a lot more length on their jackets than I would like.

27 inches on a 23-24 inch chest, for me as a 5’11” guy, is just way too much to look good. If I was taller, I’d be more inclined to try them.