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ELCs New Combat Combat Collection.

ties70

Well-Known Member
Burt,

those were my thoughts exactly...

At these prices the stuff will be next must-have for German gangster rappers. They love their camo clothing, usually labelled by Gucci, Balenciaga or other luxury brands.... But now that ELC at least prices its stuff accordingly, bingo...

Of course, ELC is just running a business...Maybe I just wished I lived in the same parallel universe, where there is no Corona, no global economy crisis and no financial hardship ;)
 

B-Man2

Well-Known Member
Ties
Couldn’t agree with you more .
For the cost of a pair of pants you could have a new A2 from 5 Star.
 

Smithy

Well-Known Member
Before COVID for the last wee while ELC have been trying to position themselves as a luxury brand rather than clobber specifically for historic flight jacket enthusiasts and they've been targeting the Far Eastern markets.

This is just them "doubling down" on that. Us guys here (and the historic aviation buff) are no longer their primary focus like we were, they want the cashed up kids in China, Taiwan and Japan with an Americana fetish to cough up these prices.

COVID and its affects on economies could change all that and make it more difficult for them. I posted a very good article here a few weeks back by a French investment bank demonstrating luxury spending in the middle to upper demographics significantly slowing in the Far East because of the pandemic. ELC isn't a Bally, Hermes, Gucci, Prada, etc, they're very niche so they'll have more trouble than those bigger luxury brands.

Will people in Asia fork out 300 quid for a pair of camo trousers by the boatload, time will tell. But one thing is for sure with that email and its accompanying pricing they've well and truly dumped their traditional historic aviation/WWII buffs by the wayside.

I used to be the biggest ELC fan back in the day. Now I couldn't care less about them. I love my Irvin from them but I bought that back when they were focused on making jackets for the WWII aviation nut and you could feel their passion for that. Now they just come across as a pack of greedy rip-off artists.
 

mulceber

Moderator
Yeah - this is why I really hope Five Star will get into the cloth jacket game as well. Eastman has some wonderful products, but it's clear from their pricing scheme and their marketing that they don't much care whether aficionados can buy them. Beyond the better price, I'd much rather buy from someone who actively wants to sell to us.
 

B-Man2

Well-Known Member
Before COVID for the last wee while ELC have been trying to position themselves as a luxury brand rather than clobber specifically for historic flight jacket enthusiasts and they've been targeting the Far Eastern markets.

This is just them "doubling down" on that. Us guys here (and the historic aviation buff) are no longer their primary focus like we were, they want the cashed up kids in China, Taiwan and Japan with an Americana fetish to cough up these prices.

COVID and its affects on economies could change all that and make it more difficult for them. I posted a very good article here a few weeks back by a French investment bank demonstrating luxury spending in the middle to upper demographics significantly slowing in the Far East because of the pandemic. ELC isn't a Bally, Hermes, Gucci, Prada, etc, they're very niche so they'll have more trouble than those bigger luxury brands.

Will people in Asia fork out 300 quid for a pair of camo trousers by the boatload, time will tell. But one thing is for sure with that email and its accompanying pricing they've well and truly dumped their traditional historic aviation/WWII buffs by the wayside.

I used to be the biggest ELC fan back in the day. Now I couldn't care less about them. I love my Irvin from them but I bought that back when they were focused on making jackets for the WWII aviation nut and you could feel their passion for that. Now they just come across as a pack of greedy rip-off artists.
Interesting take on this Tim. Furthermore I think you’re spot on. I remember about 2 years ago when ELC raised their prices 3 times in one year, that we had a similar discussion, and several, including myself thought that 3 price increases in one year was over the top. A few took the position that ELC made great products and ELC was well within their rights to charge whatever the market would tolerate and to focus on the Asian market to expand their brand. Now this is the part where I think you’re spot on..... The US and European consumers of flight jackets are no longer the focus of ELC or their business model, and the consumer group that helped get them to the point where they are now, has been relegated to the back of the bus. It’s true that ELC can do what ever they choose to do but what goes around comes around. I have all of the ELC jackets I will ever care to own, I said as much after their third price increase in one year. So for me, it’s good bye ELC and hello 5 Star...and if Karma happens to come around and bites ELC in the ass.... they will have no one to blame for it but themselves.
 

bn1966

Well-Known Member
Could have almost been me writing the above, I have all the ELC jackets I’ll ever need (great jackets to be sure) and can cover all UK temperature ranges, cant sport current ELC ££££ any more..too rich for my blood as some say. Five Star have been a breath of fresh air for me too, G-1 on order and Id be surprised if I don’t buy a B-3 as well at some point. Fancied a bit of ‘Tiger Stripe’ cloth this month and ordered some from Pike Bros yesterday from their latest range ...within my budget which the Eastman cloth isn’t.
 

Smithy

Well-Known Member
Interesting take on this Tim. Furthermore I think you’re spot on. I remember about 2 years ago when ELC raised their prices 3 times in one year, that we had a similar discussion, and several, including myself thought that 3 price increases in one year was over the top. A few took the position that ELC made great products and ELC was well within their rights to charge whatever the market would tolerate and to focus on the Asian market to expand their brand. Now this is the part where I think you’re spot on..... The US and European consumers of flight jackets are no longer the focus of ELC or their business model, and the consumer group that helped get them to the point where they are now, has been relegated to the back of the bus. It’s true that ELC can do what ever they choose to do but what goes around comes around. I have all of the ELC jackets I will ever care to own, I said as much after their third price increase in one year. So for me, it’s good bye ELC and hello 5 Star...and if Karma happens to come around and bites ELC in the ass.... they will have no one to blame for it but themselves.

Couldn't agree more Burt. They've blown it for me. The incessant and constant price rises over the last two or three years haven't just made me think "whoah bit pricey there" but rather "what a bunch of greedy shits charging horrendously over inflated prices". I wouldn't buy a single thing from them now, not even a fucking keyring because I don't feel like I'd be getting what I was paying for, rather I was getting shafted up the arse by their prices.

I'm like you, I would never even entertain buying a new ELC anything. They've thrown their traditional customers and supporters under the bus with their avaricious attitude.

I'll choose to support and buy from companies which aren't fixated and primarily focused on out and out greed. I also wouldn't even bother recommending ELC like I used to in the past on forums like this and others. They're just a rip-off now, pure and simple.
 
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bn1966

Well-Known Member
Went to their London Pop Up last year (ELC) primarily to say hello to Rob & meet up with some FL members for a browse and a drink..nice smutter and no mistaking but my wallet stayed firmly In my pocket. Rather liked the custom ELCMC bags but now have the ‘helmet bag’ on order from Shawn at a fifth of the price.
 

Micawber

Well-Known Member
Nice gear apart from the jacket cuff and waistband knits. Those prices for off the peg copies of GI items is quite something and actually selling the stuff at full retail is something else. The company pension fund ought to be quite healthy by now. I foresee a major downturn for this kind of stuff as the economic and health crisis continues to ripple around the globe.
 

mulceber

Moderator
Yeah, I'm no expert in marketing, but it sounds like what they're trying to do with this new line is remind the Asian market that they're still here and recapture the initiative with them. I suppose it's not necessarily a bad move, but if it doesn't work, they're basically high and dry with a new line and nobody who wants to buy it.
 
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