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Where have all the Good Wears Gone? An Opinion Piece.

Dany McDonald

Dany McDonald

Well-Known Member
John Lever said:
I would expect owners to simply keep their Goodwear jackets, why would they sell them ?
Click to expand...

That sounds like a good explanation as to why the current offering is thin on GW. And the lower membership count frequenting this forum surely has affected the Buy/Sell volume in general, not only the GW kits. The price increase cannot be overlooked, for GW and other top tier too.

Anyways, here's my GW Rough Wear 42-1401-P, second hand. I know that Vic owned this jacket once, my info is thin on it's history though...:confused:

I love this jacket in many ways... Authenticity, color, quality, hardware.....:)


GW-42-1401-P.jpg



Dany
 
3

33-1729

Well-Known Member
B-Man2 said:
Has anyone noticed lately that Good Wear jackets have become harder to find in the last year or so? They pop up on EBay occasionally, but not like in previous years . If you see one for sale here, it’s a rarity. For those who are new to the forum, or who joined within the last couple of years, you may be surprised to learn that there was a time when the discussions in these threads were dominated by Eastman , Aero, and Good Wear jackets . Good Wears were a favorite subject for discussion by many members on this side of the ocean, due the ease in which they could be purchased, and there were no Customs Duties to contend with unlike Eastman or Aero jackets . At least once a week a VLJ member posted photos of his new Good Wear and told us about how stoked he was about his new jacket , and his photos backed him up. Discussions flourished about which contract was the most desirable and which hide was the nicest and closest to WWII jacket hides . Similarly some of our friends on the other side of the ocean posted photos of Aeros or Eastman’s and then we’d all engage in friendly discussions as to the merits of each makers jackets . The sales pages were the first thing I turned to when I woke up in the morning, because jackets listed for sale the night before would be gone by 11 or 12:00 noon and if you were quick you might be able to snag a Good Wear , an Aero or an ELC for a good price . Hell, if you were really lucky original A2’s could be had on occasion for less than the price of some of the repro maker jackets . But that doesn’t seem to be the case these days. I don’t think I’ve seen an original A2 come up for sale in the last year . As for Good Wears there seems to be fewer of them as time goes on . Most top tier jackets seem to have been replaced with less expensive jackets from South Asia or the Greater Middle East . Strangely enough, I remember some pretty intense discussions a few years back concerning price increasing and how it would effect future sales of jackets. Some thought that the quality and demand of top tier maker jackets justified the price increases and that sales would be unaffected . Meanwhile others cautioned that high price increases left the door open for anyone who could produce quality repros for less money . It wasn’t long afterward that we saw the entry of companies like BK, 5 Star , and JA DuBow enter the repro market . Most of you know the rest of the story, so I won’t bore you . Let me say that I am and always have been a fan of Good Wear Jackets and in particular John Chapman . I’ve never met the man, but I’ve talked to him on the phone several times . He’s a really nice guy and if we lived closer , he’s the kind of guy I could be friends with. He’s one of those “friends I just haven’t met yet” So it’s with some concern and a little bit of sadness that I say , “Where have all the Good Wears Gone ?”

Here’s one of the very first jackets that started it all, the 1st GW Rough Wear 1401p made by JC . Circa June 2009.

Good Wear Dubow

Good Wear Acme
Click to expand...

I prefer to wait and buy exactly what I want, rather than work my way up buying/selling those in-between, as it saves a lot of time and money in the long run. When I finally decided to purchase my long desired A-2, around 2009, I spent a lot of time looking at different contracts, makers, and just about everything else to determine the “best” A-2 for me. Good Wear was starting out and I ended up going with the well regarded Eastman Werber 33-1729. Mr Eastman was a great help and I’m still enjoying that purchase.

Fast forward a few years and I found this site. Good Wear created an outstanding track record on the quality and details of his jackets and while I really like the light russet of my 33-1729 one in a darker seal would be nice too, so I placed an order. It took a really long time, but Mr Chapman was incredibly helpful and I now have a perfect fitting A-2 in a darker seal. Was it worth the wait? I think so, as my plan is to enjoy it for a very long time. After seeing my first Good Wear I'm certain I will.
 
B-Man2

B-Man2

Well-Known Member
33-1729 said:
I prefer to wait and buy exactly what I want, rather than work my way up buying/selling those in-between, as it saves a lot of time and money in the long run. When I finally decided to purchase my long desired A-2, around 2009, I spent a lot of time looking at different contracts, makers, and just about everything else to determine the “best” A-2 for me. Good Wear was starting out and I ended up going with the well regarded Eastman Werber 33-1729. Mr Eastman was a great help and I’m still enjoying that purchase.

Fast forward a few years and I found this site. Good Wear created an outstanding track record on the quality and details of his jackets and while I really like the light russet of my 33-1729 one in a darker seal would be nice too, so I placed an order. It took a really long time, but Mr Chapman was incredibly helpful and I now have a perfect fitting A-2 in a darker seal. Was it worth the wait? I think so, as my plan is to enjoy it for a very long time. After seeing my first Good Wear I'm certain I will.
Click to expand...
Well stated ... nicely done.
 
Juanito

Juanito

Well-Known Member
Personally, I think the "irrational exuberance" over them has waned due to a number of things including the non-existant communication from JC, to the competitive pressures of things like Platon and even to an extent, FiveStar jackets. Much like Dutch Tulip Bulbs, there was great interest, but not so much now. Yes, there will always be the cognoscenti as stuart of LW calls them, but one can plainly see the demand and prices for the premium jackets just isn't there. Woe be unto JC if he actually has 3 years of $200 deposits taken if not held as cash in trust, I would think.

I think the realization that none of this is really rational was best explained in the "What I have learned..." thread that was posted by B-Man2, https://www.vintageleatherjackets.org/threads/what-i’ve-learned-over-the-years-about-this-hobby.24851/ Particularly item #2, #5, #9, and #11.

Then again, maybe everything went underground and I am totally off the mark with there being more interest and higher demand than ever.

As far as Good Wear jackets go, I have probably owned 10 or 12, but there were two that were my favorites because they were pigment finished, a Knopf and a USL.

Here's a photo of the USL:



Here's one of the Knopf:

 
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bseal

bseal

Well-Known Member
Some gorgeous Good Wears in this thread. Wow!

“Then again, maybe everything went underground and I am totally off the mark with there being more interest and higher demand than ever.”

I recently spoke to John and he showed me a bunch of jackets that he made for current customers. He’s a one man army and he is indeed flush with orders.
 
Clark J

Clark J

Well-Known Member
My GW Dubow goat in a 48 with a NOS Crown is floating around the UK , sure would like to get it back ! Small stain on collar lining .
 
Brettafett

Brettafett

Well-Known Member
@Juanito
My first GW was a Knopf. Its was a lovely chocolate brown, pigment finished with perfectly matching mid brown knit.
But... the sleeves were too short (surprise). None of others I got came close to that one.
 
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