yes, as jan wrote when i received the jacket from him, the fading had already begun. my leaving it out doors has hastened the process quite a bit. my guess is that within a year or so the fade will begin to be noticeable. my elc Werber is even more dramatic in terms of fading, and like the rw, it was purchased used, and had the beginnings of fading. in the years of ownership, the werber has taken on the look and characteristics of an original. its possible that both jackets were veg-aniline tanned and dyed [as per the elc claim], and thus react to the suns rays more than chrome dying. that said, I have and have had originals that were chrome dyed, and they have faded as well.