NorthBayRay
Active Member
Hi friends, some of you may recall my asking advice a few months back about a 1941 mixed-batch B-3 by Aero Leather that I found in rough condition in a pile of discarded clothes headed for the landfill. Thanks to everyone here for sharing your experience and advice - I wanted to give a quick status update and share some cool news!
While considering options for preserving, patching or otherwise, I got a note from John Chapman at Good Wear Leather, asking if I'd be open to selling it. He felt the jacket was unfortunately beyond repair, but he was interested in spec'ing the colors and patterning an exact copy, while keeping the original 'on file' for future work. He has done an earlier 1939 Aero previously, but to date hadn't done a 1941 contract. I took John up on the offer, and asked if he was open to doing some kind of exchange for the prototype - which he was!
Earlier this month John reached out and said he finally had a few days to work on this project. After some back and forth he dove in and sewed up the prototype - and I was thrilled to receive the box from Fedex this week! The repro is absolutely stunning in every detail, heavy, insanely warm and just a joy to wear. Of course it has John's remarkable attention to detail - he matched the leather and fleece as closely as humanly possible and used a combo of vintage and new hardware. He copied the tag for reproduction and then sewed the original back in for me. He tailored it to my measurements and made it a stitch longer in the arms and a stitch wider in the shoulders since I will wear it for some weekend motorcycle riding. I requested he sew the shoulder rank tabs down to match the original.
As you all know John is a legend, a craftsman, a magician, and just an all around great guy. I'm so happy that this poor old rescue jacket lives on in a way that can be enjoyed by others - plus I also now have my own dream jacket with a cool back story. Win-win-win!
Here's a few pics of the the repro as it wears on me, the original, and some detail photos from John. Enjoy!
While considering options for preserving, patching or otherwise, I got a note from John Chapman at Good Wear Leather, asking if I'd be open to selling it. He felt the jacket was unfortunately beyond repair, but he was interested in spec'ing the colors and patterning an exact copy, while keeping the original 'on file' for future work. He has done an earlier 1939 Aero previously, but to date hadn't done a 1941 contract. I took John up on the offer, and asked if he was open to doing some kind of exchange for the prototype - which he was!
Earlier this month John reached out and said he finally had a few days to work on this project. After some back and forth he dove in and sewed up the prototype - and I was thrilled to receive the box from Fedex this week! The repro is absolutely stunning in every detail, heavy, insanely warm and just a joy to wear. Of course it has John's remarkable attention to detail - he matched the leather and fleece as closely as humanly possible and used a combo of vintage and new hardware. He copied the tag for reproduction and then sewed the original back in for me. He tailored it to my measurements and made it a stitch longer in the arms and a stitch wider in the shoulders since I will wear it for some weekend motorcycle riding. I requested he sew the shoulder rank tabs down to match the original.
As you all know John is a legend, a craftsman, a magician, and just an all around great guy. I'm so happy that this poor old rescue jacket lives on in a way that can be enjoyed by others - plus I also now have my own dream jacket with a cool back story. Win-win-win!
Here's a few pics of the the repro as it wears on me, the original, and some detail photos from John. Enjoy!
