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

B-Man2

Well-Known Member
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.
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Good Wear Dubow
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Good Wear Acme
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Brettafett

Well-Known Member
Burt, that is an impressive array of GW goodness! Stunning.

I have owned 4 GWs in my time. The last of which was an Ebay find. Unfortunately the fit turned out to be a bit off.
I often go online to see what's about, and its true that one does not see too many GWs. Strangely, there are always a number of ELCs and often times a few Aeros about (tons of Buzz Rickson and Japanese makers....) Id say likely due to the fact there are simply a lot more of them out there. John's a one-man show and guys wait years for their jacket.

Theres a peach of a GW Doniger on Ebay at the mo, size 46 (44), if only it was a 40/42... Reasonably priced. UK only sales it seems, but dont let that stop you ;)
 

ausreenactor

Well-Known Member
This is the Perry I have owned twice now...

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And have a GW Rough Wear in Mildura I might see this weekend in Melbourne if Tianna can make the trip to a friends wedding....

I think that the sales have halted as the dollars are not there. Stimulus checks might be coming soon to kick-start the economy?
 

Flightengineer

Well-Known Member
Maybe John is making fewer jackets? Besides being a "one man show"?
A good friend of mine three years ago paid an advance JС for jacket and still has not received it and doesn't know when he can expect receive it, and John not answer his letters. Although in the beginning they corresponded, I know.
 

Brettafett

Well-Known Member
Posted before, but here are 3 of the 4.
RW 27752, lovely in a ll respects... one size too big
GWRW27752_1.JPG

RW1401 size 40, fit well, but sleeves were too short. Looks ok in pic, but lifting arms brought cuffs way up. Also, did not like the reddy/ orange Shinki colour.
Brett_GWRW1401 07.JPG

Monarch 44, lovely jacket, just felt a bit roomy in the torso and a touch short in the back.
Monarch GW 44.jpg
 

Dubpynchon

Well-Known Member
Theres a peach of a GW Doniger on Ebay at the mo, size 46 (44), if only it was a 40/42... Reasonably priced. UK only sales it seems, but dont let that stop you ;)

It's the same as the one listed on the Goodwear page, it has the same order number.


Here's the link:


Good deal for someone.

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Nickb123

Well-Known Member
It seems a lot of the original folks or folks posting ten years ago here left or are in hibernation. Maybe they were easier to order in the past with less wait. Everything seems to come in cycles. I know that when I’m looking for Goodwear porn, I tend to start at the last page of the forum.
 

Nickb123

Well-Known Member
It's the same as the one listed on the Goodwear page, it has the same order number.


Here's the link:


Good deal for someone.

View attachment 54842

The Doniger is great. Mine’s a 44 (I don’t think it’s the same one as the sale page). It certainly runs trimmer than the Roughwears or Monarch IMO. Arguably less comfortable but that’s the price paid for the cool collar!
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