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Where are Buzz Rickson's leather jackets made?
- Thread starter Jeff M
- Start date
I e-mailed HPA, seeing as they are the Buzz distributor in N. America. The reply I got follows as a direct quote from Charles:
Thank you for your inquiry on this matter. Yes, you've come to the right source: We are the agent of import and distribution in N. America for Toyo Enterprises' Buzz Rickson & Sugar Cane brands, as well as being responsible for handling all matters related to brand relations with the public. I have no idea where such spurious rumors ever begin but it is our job to clarify them immediately, as the wrong information can be injurious to the reputation of the brands.
I am not aware of any Buzz Rickson's products being made in China or anywhere else other than Japan since our affiliation with the brand in 2002, and all BR products purchased by us have been represented to us as made in Japan. There is no select collection or series of products, or second-tier of sub-standard lower-priced products produced under the BR label that are made in China or anywhere else other than Japan. No BR A-2 jackets are produced anywhere else but in Japan, which means no production in the USA or Europe, as well.
The only credibility to the notion that BR items are produced in China rests with some experimental goods. I am aware of experimentation by Buzz Rickson's and The Real McCoy's with products made in other Asian nations such as S. Korea, but everything I know indicates this never went beyond experimentation in the late 1990s/early 2000s. Production in locales outside Japan typically yields dilution of the very details that make these brands as highly regarded as they duly are, so it would seem very unlikely production will ever take place outside Japan, and even more unlikely that I wouldn't hear of it.
Any products made outside of Japan, and especially in China, become very costly and difficult to import back to Japan, so any savings found in cheaper production locales would be largely offset: If you look at any products produced under the Sugar Cane label that are made in the USA, they are all about 1/3 more costly than the same type of item made in Japan; other than denim bottoms, these USA-made goods are inferior in workmanship to the same types of items made in Japan. Theoretically, goods made in China could be obtained at a savings to BR, but the finished goods would not be up to standard, based on the experiments, and would have to be sold for less, thus it seems this would be a pointless venture. Lastly, products made outside of Japan must be expressly labeled with the country of origin, so you will always be able to see where the item was made by one of the tags in the garment (usually the one with care instructions). Also, I can't see any benefit to having U. S. military goods made in Europe, as the higher costs yield BR nothing, whereas made in the USA can sometimes bring an extra level of panache and marketability that can be justified in the higher costs to the Japanese consumer.
History Preservation Associates only retails BR products that are made in Japan and all of our BR products are clearly described in the listing with the country of origin. If BR products should ever be made outside of Japan and if we are ever offered these products, we would have to deem these products worthy of our own high standards before we would market them, and the country of origin of these goods would be fully disclosed to the consumer in our listing.
I trust this answers your questions regarding the country of origin in the production of BR products, particularly A-2 jackets, but please direct anyone so disposed to contact me if more information is required. Should ANY other issue surface or question arise on ANYTHING related to the brands we offer or ANYTHING we may do or engage in, please encourage those curious souls to contact us IMMEDIATELY for clarification rather than spending innumerable hours in the great tennis match of speculation, myths, rumors and innuendo. The truth and real answers are never far from hand if you go to the source.
Best regards,
Charles DiSipio
History Preservation Associates
Post Office Box 1450
Cherry Hill, NJ 08034-0059
Ph: 856-489-8103
Fx: 856-489-8104
E-mail: [email protected]
http://www.historypreservation.com
Thank you for your inquiry on this matter. Yes, you've come to the right source: We are the agent of import and distribution in N. America for Toyo Enterprises' Buzz Rickson & Sugar Cane brands, as well as being responsible for handling all matters related to brand relations with the public. I have no idea where such spurious rumors ever begin but it is our job to clarify them immediately, as the wrong information can be injurious to the reputation of the brands.
I am not aware of any Buzz Rickson's products being made in China or anywhere else other than Japan since our affiliation with the brand in 2002, and all BR products purchased by us have been represented to us as made in Japan. There is no select collection or series of products, or second-tier of sub-standard lower-priced products produced under the BR label that are made in China or anywhere else other than Japan. No BR A-2 jackets are produced anywhere else but in Japan, which means no production in the USA or Europe, as well.
The only credibility to the notion that BR items are produced in China rests with some experimental goods. I am aware of experimentation by Buzz Rickson's and The Real McCoy's with products made in other Asian nations such as S. Korea, but everything I know indicates this never went beyond experimentation in the late 1990s/early 2000s. Production in locales outside Japan typically yields dilution of the very details that make these brands as highly regarded as they duly are, so it would seem very unlikely production will ever take place outside Japan, and even more unlikely that I wouldn't hear of it.
Any products made outside of Japan, and especially in China, become very costly and difficult to import back to Japan, so any savings found in cheaper production locales would be largely offset: If you look at any products produced under the Sugar Cane label that are made in the USA, they are all about 1/3 more costly than the same type of item made in Japan; other than denim bottoms, these USA-made goods are inferior in workmanship to the same types of items made in Japan. Theoretically, goods made in China could be obtained at a savings to BR, but the finished goods would not be up to standard, based on the experiments, and would have to be sold for less, thus it seems this would be a pointless venture. Lastly, products made outside of Japan must be expressly labeled with the country of origin, so you will always be able to see where the item was made by one of the tags in the garment (usually the one with care instructions). Also, I can't see any benefit to having U. S. military goods made in Europe, as the higher costs yield BR nothing, whereas made in the USA can sometimes bring an extra level of panache and marketability that can be justified in the higher costs to the Japanese consumer.
History Preservation Associates only retails BR products that are made in Japan and all of our BR products are clearly described in the listing with the country of origin. If BR products should ever be made outside of Japan and if we are ever offered these products, we would have to deem these products worthy of our own high standards before we would market them, and the country of origin of these goods would be fully disclosed to the consumer in our listing.
I trust this answers your questions regarding the country of origin in the production of BR products, particularly A-2 jackets, but please direct anyone so disposed to contact me if more information is required. Should ANY other issue surface or question arise on ANYTHING related to the brands we offer or ANYTHING we may do or engage in, please encourage those curious souls to contact us IMMEDIATELY for clarification rather than spending innumerable hours in the great tennis match of speculation, myths, rumors and innuendo. The truth and real answers are never far from hand if you go to the source.
Best regards,
Charles DiSipio
History Preservation Associates
Post Office Box 1450
Cherry Hill, NJ 08034-0059
Ph: 856-489-8103
Fx: 856-489-8104
E-mail: [email protected]
http://www.historypreservation.com
ausreenactor
Well-Known Member
Otter said:
:?
