Lewis/Aviakit 'Irvin'

[joeson]

I'm surprised that no one has mentioned the fact that these look absolutely identical to Eastman Irvins. The cut, the stitching, the zips, the fleece, all the little details just scream Eastman to me. Are we sure Eastman didnt make a special order of late-war jackets for Lewis?

You may be on to something......

 

[John Lever]

I'm surprised that no one has mentioned the fact that these look absolutely identical to Eastman Irvins. The cut, the stitching, the zips, the fleece, all the little details just scream Eastman to me. Are we sure Eastman didnt make a special order of late-war jackets for Lewis?

You may be on to something......

I would say NO.
I can't give names but they use different tanneries.
The tannery I use has supplied materials to lewis.
BTW I know someone who claims to have provided the jackets that Eastman used as templates for their sheepskin jackets.

 

[jonnyboy]

Hawkeye,

I think it looks similar to an ELC jacket too. Especially in the way the main zip is a mix of Lightning style slider and Dot style pin box (as on ELC). The general styling of the jacket does look very much like an Eastman too. Maybe they had an Eastman jacket on hand, as well as the original which they copied it from? It's a lovely jacket!

Cheers,

Jon

 

[havocpaul]

or maybe both LL and ELC based their design on an original late-war Irvin!

 

[Roughwear]

The Irvin in this earlier thread is similar to the expensive one from Japan. There are differences of course!

viewtopic.php?f=7&t=3661

Here's a late war Irvin which I sold which is even closer to the repro. The collar is more rounded though.

 

[John Lever]

Is this Lewis the same ?
I think it's the same shop I used to walk past every day as a student.
http://cgi.ebay.co.uk/WW11-WWII-RAF-Pil ... 20af30e65d

 

[havocpaul]

That's the same Lewis, John. They made loads of pre-war and WW2 flying helmets for the RAF.

 

[John Lever]

That's it then I have to have one.

 

[havocpaul]

I keep discovering more interesting Aviakit/Lewis items on Jap sites, even a Donkey jacket but these are apparently made under licence in Japan, it seems their range there is much wider than here in UK, although the Japanese do seem to like to 'mess' with traditional styles making fashion statements of the heritage.

 

[joeson]

I keep discovering more interesting Aviakit/Lewis items on Jap sites, even a Donkey jacket but these are apparently made under licence in Japan, it seems their range there is much wider than here in UK, although the Japanese do seem to like to 'mess' with traditional styles making fashion statements of the heritage.

Just yesterday I saw that they had done a collaboration with a glasses manufacturer to make a 50's style pair of 'Bud Ganz' glasses.

 

[John Lever]

I found this one -
http://translate.googleusercontent.com/ ... 2R106wSqtQ

http://translate.google.co.uk/translate ... Bfficial

 

[BONNIEGIRL4]

can't put my finger on it, but something about this jacket say's Aviation Leathercraft.

 

[Andrew]

can't put my finger on it, but something about this jacket say's Aviation Leathercraft.

I can. Why any maker would whack on a dumb looking badge on the front of a jacket type that never had such a thing...

...and I know ALC don't do that but to me it lowers this one's stock immensely.

 

[John Lever]

I think the label is an option and can be removed/left off.
Not terribly good photos though as I think they look ' muddy' somehow.
On enquiry about size and availability they are made to measure and so are bespoke.

 

[asiamiles]

Why any maker would whack on a dumb looking badge on the front of a jacket type that never had such a thing...

...and I know ALC don't do that but to me it lowers this one's stock immensely.

I think the badge looks quite good actually and the reason it's there is that the jacket is made more for someone who wants a Lewis than someone who wants an Irvin...after all, one could buy an original cheaper or an equally accurate repro from elsewhere.

 

[Andrew]

I think the badge looks quite good actually and the reason it's there is that the jacket is made more for someone who wants a Lewis than someone who wants an Irvin....

No accounting for taste I guess, and if that were the case wouldn't they buy one of their other types and not one that actually looks like an Irvin? :lol: :lol:

 

[Roughwear]

I have absolutely no doubt studying the pictures on the website below and comparing them with ELC's repro RAF jacket that they were made in Devon by ELC. I have seen the very same jacket for sale in the Eastman mobile shop. They are the only repro maker to use the Dot style slider bucket on their Riri zips. Export to Japan would help to explain why ELC made small batches of multipanelled Irvins and did not advertise them on their site, apart from occasionally in the Reissue Dept.

http://translate.google.com/translate?h ... ogle.co.uk

 

[John Lever]

I have absolutely no doubt studying the pictures on the website below and comparing them with ELC's repro RAF jacket that they were made in Devon by ELC. I have seen the very same jacket for sale in the Eastman mobile shop. They are the only repro maker to use the Dot style slider bucket on their Riri zips. Export to Japan would help to explain why ELC made small batches of multipanelled Irvins and did not advertise them on their site, apart from occasionally in the Reissue Dept.

http://translate.google.com/translate?h ... ogle.co.uk

I disagree.
1.Lewis use skins from Fenland who do not sell to Eastman, they use Devonia
2.I asked Allen if Eastman make their jackets and he replied no.
3. Eastman will no kind of custom work. All the Lewis jackets are made to measure.

I must admit though that the jacket do look similar. The bloke at Lewis told me that their jacket is a copy of one their very old ones from the 40's

 

[Roughwear]

Thanks for the insider information John. In that case if one disregards the labels and the origin of the fleece its a clone of an ELC late war jacket.

 

[John Lever]

Thanks for the insider information John. In that case if one disregards the labels and the origin of the fleece its a clone of an ELC late war jacket.

No one would ever doubt your judgements on these jackets, I just phoned up and asked them !

I would still love to see pics of the one off made by ELC as seen at the air show.