Bill Kelso. Whats happening?

[B-Man2]

Awesome .... can’t wait to see it...

 

[P-47 thunderbolt]

looking forward to seeing some photos of it

 

[mulceber]

Heh, might be a while - it's supposed to be a Christmas gift, so I'll probably be one of a slew of people posting new jacket photos on December 25th.

 

[ausreenactor]

Have they sent you the pics?

 

[mulceber]

They do that? Never received pics on any previous jacket.

 

[ausreenactor]

Did you ask?

 

[mulceber]

I have now.

 

[mulceber]

...and they’ve already packed it. Oh well, it was worth a try.

 

[Brettafett]

Looking forward to pics!
What spec did you end up going for again?

 

[mulceber]

What spec did you end up going for again?

Weirdly, I don't know! I initially went for a 43 (between 42 and 44 on all the measurements, not just the pit-to-pit), but ~3 weeks ago I got cold feet and asked Andy for a 42. I never heard back from him, so...I'll find out when I open the box! I'm sure it'll be fine though (knock on wood): it'll either be more fitted or relaxed, but either way I think the jacket will fit me.

 

[ChampThrice]

Hi, I found this thread through Google- I ordered a jacket from Bill Kelso in January, and although I know their Italian suppliers would have shut down thanks to the crisis I now have not heard anything from the company in months, despite sending several messages.

Does anyone know if they are still in business? I'm worried that they have stopped trading due to the virus and I have lost my money. Does anyone have any contact phone number for the company?

 

[Brettafett]

They are certainly still in business. A few of us have been emailing them, a few of us have received replies...
All I can say, is keep trying. Be patient, but persistent... Jackets are well worth the wait and the hassle.
Many have had trouble contacting vendors, its not just Kelso.

 

[ChampThrice]

They are certainly still in business. A few of us have been emailing them, a few of us have received replies...
All I can say, is keep trying. Be patient, but persistent... Jackets are well worth the wait and the hassle.

Thank you, that's very reassuring. Do you know if their Italian factories have opened up? I understand that Italy's factories have been restarting.

I find it very frustrating and stressful. I run a small business myself and I would never ignore my clients. I don't think I'll be buying from them again.

 

[mulceber]

My understanding from talking to Andy (early in the crisis) is that they actually weren’t running short of horsehide. The bigger fear was that they wouldn’t be able to ship out the jackets. Although more recently the Greek government has ordered a quarantine, so that has halted production.

 

[ChampThrice]

My understanding from talking to Andy (early in the crisis) is that they actually weren’t running short of horsehide. The bigger fear was that they wouldn’t be able to ship out the jackets. Although more recently the Greek government has ordered a quarantine, so that has halted production.

Thank you that makes sense. How did you get to speak to him, may I ask? Just on email?

 

[Brettafett]

I heard from Andy 2 weeks ago (email). Sounded to me like they were getting lots of orders!
Even pre-apocalypse, its was hit and miss. He did get back to me, sometimes next day, sometimes next week.
Your money is safe, just be patient and respectively persistent. Same thing Id say for any of the other makers. I know some guys have been struggling with comms from ELC and GW also.
Only person who seems to get back to you is Shawn Ali!
What jacket are you looking at ordering/ or have ordered?

 

[mulceber]

Yep, email. I ordered a Star A-2 a month or two back when the pound dipped and on March 20th he told me they were well-stocked in Horse and were worried about shipping. I received an auto-response to a question informing me of the shutdown on May 10th.

 

[ChampThrice]

I heard from Andy 2 weeks ago (email). Sounded to me like they were getting lots of orders!
Even pre-apocalypse, its was hit and miss. He did get back to me, sometimes next day, sometimes next week.
Your money is safe, just be patient and respectively persistent. Same thing Id say for any of the other makers. I know some guys have been struggling with comms from ELC and GW also.
Only person who seems to get back to you is Shawn Ali!
What jacket are you looking at ordering/ or have ordered?

Thank you that's good to know. I've gone for the Relic Hunter in Striated Lamb: I know it's not one of the top ones but I love the look of it! The presenter on the WW2 SAS documentary on BBC Four was wearing one and I fell in love with the leather.

 

[mulceber]

That was my first high-end jacket. The leather is indeed excellent. Be wary though - it’s the gateway jacket. 2-3 years later, I’ve got 4 A-2s, a B-3, and a B-10.

 

[Brettafett]

Oooooh Id love one of those! I had a Wested raiders way back and loved it...