Todd's Jacket Status

[rick5150]

Does anyone know what the status of Todd's jacket's is now? I read at COW that the calfskin leather is not only no longer available, but that the supplies that were available were cleaned out by someone other than Todd.

Please check this post out for more information.

[Deleted]

Rick,

Thanks for posting that.

I have not heard anything from Todd for some time. Hopefully he will post something soon.

I thought that he had allready purchased the Calf Hides before I had announced the special offer.

Cheers?
G-MANN

[todd]

Hey, all! Sorry for the bad news. I will post more info here, but I'm short on time today with an approaching deadline. I'm working on the situation. Stay tuned...

Todd

[IndyBlues]

"What in the Wide Wide World of Sports???"
Slim Pickins in "Blazing Saddles"

[Kaplan]

Todd! Say it ain't so! That leather was so much better looking than lambskin! Give me the phone number...I'd like to give the leather guy a piece of my mind as well!

You know Todd, if you are somehow able to get the calf...but it will take longer, I'll hold out for it. No Problem!

[todd]

Okay, sorry to be so slow updating you today. We've got a crazy project going here and I had no time to post. In fact, because of it we weren't able to work on any jackets last week or this week. Sorry. It is shipping out Thurdsay, so we'll be back to jackets then.

Here's what happened: the leather dealer where I found this calf told me that there would be no problem with supply on it - "I can get tons of it" he said. Good, I went ahead and offered it. Late the week before last, I went to place a large order - no problem. I waited and waited and it didn't show up. I called him up and he told me that he thought he was out and he couldn't get anymore. I was sure he was wrong because he just said he could get all of it I wanted. Since these things don't have precise model numbers, he sent me some swatches to be sure we were talking about the same leather. Nope, not the right stuff. I sent him a swatch of the calf. I just called yesterday and got the news that I can't get any.

Here's the story: apparently that leather was a mistake - the tannery made it for someone and it wasn't right, so they had to dump it somehow. This dealer bought a few thousand feet of it, I guess. I got a few hundred feet of it (last I was there they still had a few large boxes full of it!) I guess it sold like crazy, and the tannery sold all they had. So, there is no more.

I asked the dealer to contact the tannery about a) making more of it, or b) telling me who bought it all up so I can see if they'll sell me some. Neither option is probably going to work. At the best, it would take months to have more made.

In the meantime, I am looking for alternatives. Afterall, the calf was an alternative to the original lamb I started with, right? There are a few alternatives:

a) my own custom lamb, which should be in at the end of this week. It should look a little like the lamb I started with. I'm having a lot of it made, so I won't have to worry about running out. I had always planned on it being my main leather.
b) a distressed lamb which I haven't tried yet. It actually doesn't look distressed, it just doesn't look "new". Not the fake, heavy distressing that I usually hate. I should have some here tomorrow. We're going to make a jacket out of it right away so you can see how it looks - I think it will look really good
c) goat - I have goat which has a low shine and a nice small grain. A little thicker than I like, but it will make a good jacket
d) a new cowhide plonge - great looking leather with a slight crinkle to it. It might end up being a real winner. Right now I only have swatches. It is a new leather and will be available soon.

So there are four really good alternatives - two I have now and two are just on the horizon. Just let me know what you want to do. If you want to wait to see pics before you decide, just let me know and I'll put you on hold until we get pics of the other hides. These are all more expensive leathers, but I will honor the price for all current orders.

I'll keep you posted on any further news. This is a terrible set-back for me, but hopefully only a temporary one. Of course, I will offer refunds for any who had their heart set on calfskin. It might be a while before I run across another suitable calf. I'm always looking.

Sorry for the bad news. I got off the phone yesterday with the leather dealer and the others in the shop thought someone had died - not good news to say the least.

The good news is that I have some new seamstresses that are really fab! We'll get them out in no time!

[Deleted]

Todd,

Thanks for the update. We will all be looking forward to seeing the new leathers.

For everyone that is on the list for the deal on Todd's Jackets please keep me informed as to how you all want to handle this via PM.

Cheers,
G-MANN

[Kaplan]

Todd, it's good to know that there are so many options. If you could shoot some pics of the swatches that you have right now, we may be able to help you decide.

[platon]

Let's see some photos of the lamb and distressed lamb jacket please.

[pitfallharry]

Man, this must have been a real "kick to the gut" for you Todd. Of course it's not your fault. You were told one thing and then it turned out not to be true.

My only concern with a few of the hides you mentioned above is how they will drape when worn. I think a lot of people got excited about the calfskin because of how soft and broken in it looked. I can't see a hide like goat or cowhide being the same way. I own a Wested goat and it's nice but it doesn't drape on me like the way I want it to. I would think the lamb would be the only option for something like that. Of course I could be wrong.

So once everything is straightened out with the hides then how much of a substantial increase in the retail price of these jackets are we going to see? Any estimates at the moment?

I look forward to seeing what alternatives you come up with.

[todd]

Pitfall, don't sweat it. Drape is a primary concern for me. I think some of the alternatives will be just as good if not better. I'll have pictures soon of the distressed lamb and the goat. The custom lamb and the cowhide will be along soon.

[pitfallharry]

todd said:

Pitfall, don't sweat it. Drape is a primary concern for me. I think some of the alternatives will be just as good if not better. I'll have pictures soon of the distressed lamb and the goat. The custom lamb and the cowhide will be along soon.

Sounds good, Todd. I can't wait to see the pics.

[IndyBlues]

Looking forward to the pics.
'Blues

[todd]

Time for the weekly update.

I'm working on getting more calf. So far the vendor hasn't given me an answer despite three phone calls. I am looking at alternatives, but it seems the most promising ones are still in the future. My custom calf will be a few more weeks in getting here, as will the regular distressed lamb (same tannery). The distressed plonge is still a month or more away from being ready (it is being produced now). The only thing I can get now are the dressy plonges, lambskins and goatskins. I have one other alternative - I know a vendor down in Commerce, CA who has PILES of lambskins. The problem is that they are all left-overs from tanneries. So, you have to spend hours sorting through them to try to find color/grain matches. It's not a good situation. I will go down just in case I luck out and find a pile of matching hides.

I do have some of the regular goat here (it looks lot like the leather FS uses) and some of the regular distressed lamb. I will take some pictures later so you can see them, at least flat on a table.

Oh, yes, one other bit of news. Because of the higher leather cost now (the cost for these other hides is $35 more per jacket over the calf!) the price for new club member orders will be $375. I hate to do it, but my "margins" were thin as it was and I can't loose $35 per jacket.

I'm also getting buckle samples. So far, no winners. I'll have to make them myself, I think.

[Kaplan]

Thanks for the update Todd. Keep us posted. I'm looking forward to seeing what you come up with.

[Ragingblues]

Geez... the fun never ends does it?

Best of luck with the leather/buckle sourcing. It will be good to have this sort of thing behind you, I'm sure.

Ken

[todd]

Sorry, I got around to the pics too late last night and my light was gone. I have some new leathers coming in today, so I'll take pics later with all of them.

[todd]

Here are pics of the four leather choices I have at the moment.



For the life of my I can't make brown stuff come out with colors that look like they do in real life. Go figure. All of the browns are nicer looking in person than these photos. The cow is not red - it is nice rich dark brown.

Goat: about 2.5 ounce thickness, very stretchy. A little thick for really great drape. Dark color with no shine. My last choice.

Deer: About 2 ounce thickness, soft soft soft with great drape. Extremely comfortable. Not "screen-accurate" grain, but will make a handsome jacket nevertheless. Low gloss. My third choice.

Lamb: About 2 ounce thickness, feather light and soft. Slight gloss. Nice used look. Very nice drape. If you want "authentic" lamb, this is good. My second choice.

Cow: About 2 ounce thickness, nice and heavy giving it great drape. Color is nice warm brown with "screen-accurate" sheen and great crinkled look. I'd suspect this one to be the warmest of the group, too. The cow should break in quickly giving you natural distressing without having to wear it for 20 years. My favorite! The equivalent of my ill-fated calf, or better.

Those of you on the list, just let me know via e-mail which one you'd like. [e-mail]

Todd

[Marc]

You offer DEER WOW!!! - What's next? ROO?

Is there ANY chance to see samples of the offerings?

Regards,

Marc

[pagey]

I like the look of the lamb!

[IndyBlues]

Todd, is the lamb similar to the lamb on Johns prototype jacket?? I'm torn between the lamb and the cow, at the moment.
'Blues

[Tyrloch]

Blues,

I second that. I like the color of the lamb more than the cow, but Todd's already stated that this isn't a good representation of the actual colors...

~Jace

[Kaplan]

Oh man....this is a tough one. I like the color of the lamb but I trust Todd's judgment. I want something slightly darker than Wested's authentic lamb.

I wish we could see more of the cow under different light conditions.

Todd, how does the color of the cow compare to that of the "calf of yesterday"?

[Deleted]

Just wanted to let you know. I have decided to cover the shipping for the jackets too. So everyone is all set, the moment Todd finishes your jacket he can ship it right out.


Gentlemen, Pick your leather.

Tyrloch your shipping fee has been refunded.

Cheers,
G-MANN

[Tyrloch]

John,

You're too much! If this wasn't already one Hell of a deal, thanks again!

~Jace