New from Bill Kelso “Eastwood Leather Clothing”

[mulceber]

Pete at BK got in touch with me today about a new spinoff brand they’re starting:

Eastwood Leather Clothing co. – Military and heritage clothing

eastwoodleather.com

As of now, the focus seems to be on cloth and nylon flight jackets. There are some details they get wrong (I noticed the lack of blackened brass zippers on the B-15A), but Pete fairly pointed out that every change increases the price, and to his credit, the prices are stellar. For someone looking to dip their toe into cloth flight jackets, but who doesn’t know if it’s for them, this looks like a promising option. Personally, I’m tempted by the hooded N-1.

 

[coolhandluke]

Another ELC, huh? Eastwood rather than Eastman? Seems like a bit of deceptive branding.

Regardless, it's nice to see that items are stocked and modestly priced.

 

[mulceber]

Yeah, there shouldn't be any issues with lengthy delivery times here.

I gather BK really like to name their brands after movie stars. "Bill Kelso" is John Belushi's character from "1941", so this is at least in line with that. I agree that it could cause confusion among newbies.

 

[coolhandluke]

Yeah, there shouldn't be any issues with lengthy delivery times here.

I gather BK really like to name their brands after movie stars. "Bill Kelso" is John Belushi's character from "1941", so this is at least in line with that. I agree that it could cause confusion among newbies.

Gotcha...Eastwood was probably the much safer alternative to Good Wood Leather Clothing Co.

That hooded N-1 does look like a winner. It's making me consider buying one and flipping my Bronson N-1. I'd consider the Tanker and B-15A as well. I'm just not entirely sure if I want a patched B-15A. I do appreciate the lack of shoulder decals. Someone needs to talk Pete out of silk screening the blue N-1 and deck jackets.

 

[CBI]

Eastwood ...........really, these guys are totally unscrupulous......of all the names they could have chosen, REALLY?????

 

[mulceber]

Pete's exact words were "Charles Bronson was taken, so it was either Lee Marvin or Clint Eastwood."

 

[Nickb123]

Should have been named after DeNiro…

Bickle & Sons Co.

 

[coolhandluke]

Jan, if you communicate with Pete, can you ask that they add additional details to their product pages that note the materials used in construction? Similar to what Bronson does in the screenshot below?

 

[mulceber]

Jan, if you communicate with Pete, can you ask that they add additional details to their product pages that note the materials used in construction? Similar to what Bronson does in the screenshot below?

View attachment 173485

I'm sure he's reading. And yes, I agree - product details would be helpful.

 

[coolhandluke]

Pete's exact words were "Charles Bronson was taken, so it was either Lee Marvin or Clint Eastwood."

Not to beat a dead horse, but it's ironic that Bronson was mentioned. The not-so-subtle of copying other brands name and likeness is extremely disappointing. Why use the "leather co" moniker when you offer zero leather products (at least currently)? Even their logo appears to be inspired by some of Bronson's bulldog product branding (which, yes, was also borrowed from LVC).

 

[John Lever]

Pete at BK got in touch with me today about a new spinoff brand they’re starting:

Eastwood Leather Clothing co. – Military and heritage clothing

eastwoodleather.com

As of now, the focus seems to be on cloth and nylon flight jackets. There are some details they get wrong (I noticed the lack of blackened brass zippers on the B-15A), but Pete fairly pointed out that every change increases the price, and to his credit, the prices are stellar. For someone looking to dip their toe into cloth flight jackets, but who doesn’t know if it’s for them, this looks like a promising option. Personally, I’m tempted by the hooded N-1.

Me too...

 

[johnwayne]

I very nearly posted on this having had a FB pop up and thought exactly as is being said then saw Mulceber’s thread! More Chinese made it would appear although they don’t publish their address or I couldn’t find one, too expensive in Greece maybe or more like if you can’t beat ‘em, join ‘em.

 

[Wz1999]

 

[Chandler]

"The WW2 tanker jacket, also known as the M-1943 tanker jacket."

Hmm.

That said, it's not a bad looking piece, but I'll stick with ATF.

Waitaminnit. "Quilted lining? Adjustable cuffs and waist?" Copy and paste problems?

 

[Alliance507]

Surely with a name like that, one would be safe to assume leather offerings are on the horizon...

 

[mulceber]

Surely with a name like that, one would be safe to assume leather offerings are on the horizon...

Pete said yes, some of the usual suspects.

 

[Alliance507]

Pete said yes, some of the usual suspects.

Good to hear. Wherever they are made-- China or Greece or Timbuktu - at these prices color me intrigued.

 

[Alliance507]

I made it to the FAQs, where it says "All orders are shipped from our warehouse in China."

 

[Kermit3D]

Hmmm, I don’t want to sound negative right off the bat, but this feels a bit like a joke.
I completely agree with @coolhandluke . ELC can’t just be a coincidence, or it’s extremely tone-deaf, especially when it’s a line of nylon jackets! If I were Gary Eastman, I wouldn’t like this at all.
Why didn’t they simply add this line of nylon jackets to their current Bill Kelso website? Maybe they’re aiming to launch a budget-friendly line ?

That said, the jackets are quite nice, and the prices are (strangely) low. Too bad there’s no B-10.

 

[coolhandluke]

It looks like this will definitely be a budget catalog that will hopefully be another welcome alternative to Bronson, 5*, Avi, Bob Dong, Pike Bros, etc. If they can get the cost of shipping down to a more reasonable level, I'd likely be a customer.

I'm all for this budget friendly, stocked items, spin-off. I just think the branding is questionable at best.