Belstaff making replica jacket...

Mola Ram · Post by **Mola Ram** » Wed Mar 26, 2008 11:39 pm

http://www.belstaff.net/index.php?optio ... &Itemid=89

What the heck is this?
Whos lying?

It actually sounds more like they are doing what
dorfman does...except a lot priceier.

Indiana · Post by **Indiana** » Wed Mar 26, 2008 11:50 pm

Belstaff will bring Indy’s signature style to fans and collectors by providing high-end leather jackets modelled after those worn in the film.

They are not claiming they made the screen used jackets. They are just producing licensed replicas.

INDIANA_7 · Post by **INDIANA_7** » Wed Mar 26, 2008 11:51 pm

It sounds more like they're going to produce a replica of the jacket, which will available May 1st.

Best regards,
Indiana 7

Post by **Indy Magnoli** » Wed Mar 26, 2008 11:56 pm

Get ready for the $1000 Indy jacket! I wonder where they are going to put the Belstaff badge. They seem to ALWAYS have the Belstaff logo prominently applied to the outside of the jacket, usually on the upper sleeve, regardless of "screen accuracy". They did the same thing with the War of the Worlds jacket. This should be interesting.

One thing you can be certain of, this will be a quality jacket, not just a random "officially licensed" bit of merchandise.

Kind regards,
Magnoli

Indiana G · Post by **Indiana G** » Thu Mar 27, 2008 1:09 am

they're not that expensive...are they indy?

i love belstaff....i am a huge fan....they make high end, great quality products. of course their leather to the layman appears to feel and look cheap, if you understand how the hides are treated and selected, you will understand why the premium price (to some degree of course).

i don't feel comfortable with this manufacturer jumping on the indy bandwagon primarily because it is not their own. it's something that i (we) all hold dear to our hearts as members here and these guys are coming in to make a quick buck on the indy franchise. i can honestly say i respected them more when they were just good quality motorcycle jackets....a little less when they went all 'britalian fashionesque' with them...and now????

oh man....i'm so confused. hey belstaff, please don't ruin our iconic jacket...please make it sensible....not a $1200+ price tag either....indy jones ain't no fortune 500 to be spending that much on a jungle jacket. don't settle for your standard pocket flaps...make them as we see them....and if you don't, i will focus my flesh eating SA eyes to rip your jacket to shreds

sorry folks....its late....i'm a big proponent for belstaff....then they do this.....i'm gonna need to sleep on this.

_, what's up with nowak? did he sluff his rights to reproduce the CS jacket to belstaff? does lucas not want to have us indyfans wearing the gear anymore? in all honesty, i would like to add a belstaff indy to the collection (depending on how extreme the price is of course).....but i think its poor taste to throw our jacket to a manufacturer who'll slap a price tag on it that most people will find ridiculous to pay.

poor form belstaff/lucas....poor form. i just feel a little betrayed.

Indiana G · Post by **Indiana G** » Thu Mar 27, 2008 1:42 am

betcha belstaff will just reissue their fokker blouson as the CS jacket (it looks like a button down a2 jacket).

case in point: belstaff made will smith's "i am legend" jacket. what they sell to the public as the "legend trialmaster" has many inconsistencies as to what was seen in the movie; namely:

incorrect wax cotton fabric
incorrect sizing proportions
incorrect liner
incorrect belt design

currently, i do not have much faith that they can get the design right.

Vegeta · Post by **Vegeta** » Thu Mar 27, 2008 4:48 am

Nobody is gonna buy that piece of @#$%.

Kt Templar · Post by **Kt Templar** » Thu Mar 27, 2008 5:15 am

Produced in limited quantities, both styles come embossed with a unique number as well as the Belstaff logo. And only Belstaff products will come stamped with the Lucasfilm seal of approval, as well as the official Indiana Jones logo. The limited edition Belstaff “Indy” and “Mutt” jackets will be available in Belstaff stores worldwide on May 1.

Cassidy · Post by **Cassidy** » Thu Mar 27, 2008 11:23 am

Mikes Jones was onto this a while ago. Seems he was right.

http://indygear.com/cow/viewtopic.php?t=27173

St. Dumas · Post by **St. Dumas** » Thu Mar 27, 2008 11:33 am

So Belstaff gets the licensed jackets and Lucasfilm lets Novak sell unlicensed custom CS jackets because he made them for the film.

SD

Indiana G · Post by **Indiana G** » Thu Mar 27, 2008 11:50 am

i'm hoping the licenced jackets are better than the current licenced hats.

Post by **Michaelson** » Thu Mar 27, 2008 11:58 am

This sure came out of left field.

Lucasfilm was approached by just about every jacket maker I'm aware of for the license, and were told that Tony was the ONLY officially licensed vendor of the CS jacket after the film release. Period.

I'm wondering if Tony subcontracted the license to Belstaff for the heavy lifting, and he'll just make the custom/custom stuff for his own customers in his usual one to one way. That theory has been pondered offline before this came out.

Something to consider....

Regards! Michaelson

Indiana G · Post by **Indiana G** » Thu Mar 27, 2008 12:14 pm

Michaelson wrote:This sure came out of left field.

Lucasfilm was approached by just about every jacket maker I'm aware of for the license, and were told that Tony was the ONLY officially licensed vendor of the CS jacket after the film release. Period.

I'm wondering if Tony subcontracted the license to Belstaff for the heavy lifting, and he'll just make the custom/custom stuff for his own customers in his usual one to one way. That theory has been pondered offline before this came out.

Something to consider....

Regards! Michaelson

here's something else then.......OTR belstaff indy (limited edition, numbered series) will cost over $1K. nothing i have seen from belstaff that has a numbered series is less than $1K and you would be extremely lucky to get it for $1K or even $1200.

what would tony charge for a customized version of this then? $2500??? for that cash, he better fly down to calgary and take my measurements personally.

i am jumping to conclusions, i know and i will give belstaff a fair shake to see how this all pans out. my knowledge of the history of this company's limited edition jackets however does not give me much comfort.

when i found out that peter didn't get the contract for indy iv, i have to admit that i wasn't that disappointed as most of you due to wested's QA at the time. now that i see what is developing, i couldn't have been more wrong about my opinion (sorry peter). i know whole-heartedly that if wested would have gotten the contract, he would have shared the jacket with the fans.........not hike up the costs to a point where the true fan can only dream about owning it.

this is worse than the jar jar kerfuffle.

agent5 · Post by **agent5** » Thu Mar 27, 2008 12:16 pm

does Lucas not want to have us indyfans wearing the gear anymore?

I really don't think he cares one way or another. He makes his money off of selling the license. I doubt he sets the prices the companies sell their products at.

rebelgtp · Post by **rebelgtp** » Thu Mar 27, 2008 12:24 pm

They must be trying to make some money to settle the lawsuit with the Steve McQueen heirs.

Chewing Wax · Post by **Chewing Wax** » Thu Mar 27, 2008 12:27 pm

Cassidy wrote:Mikes Jones was onto this a while ago. Seems he was right.

http://indygear.com/cow/viewtopic.php?t=27173

Poor Mike Jones. He really got shot down there didn't he? How did _ not know about this? He knows everything.

Indiana G · Post by **Indiana G** » Thu Mar 27, 2008 12:34 pm

agent5 wrote:
does Lucas not want to have us indyfans wearing the gear anymore?
I really don't think he cares one way or another. He makes his money off of selling the license. I doubt he sets the prices the companies sell their products at.

thats the problem 5. if he cared 1/100th of the amount that peter, todd, sgt. hack, etc. does about us, i wouldn't be up at arms about this.

i like belstaff because not too many people around my neck of the woods wear it....i know its an elitist mindset but hey, i guess i'm a snob. however, when it comes to the indy jacket, i care more about us fans having the IJ jacket because i would know nothing about it if it were not for the good folks here. producing an IJ jacket that only an elite few can afford, purchase and wear sickens me. how many of lucas' cronies lurked around here to reap our knowledge from the gear that we've paid our hard earned money for, just to return it to us with an impossible price tag?

belstaff products are in at least 20 movies as of late, but they're products have always been placed in there and not created for it. now they are creating it after the fact.....and since it was in the movie, that justifies them running a limited edition set and gouging the consumer.

St. Dumas · Post by **St. Dumas** » Thu Mar 27, 2008 12:34 pm

This just shows you how much movie marketing has changed since 1989. I remember being able to get a Last Crusade t-shirt only at the theatre itself. They're marketing CS as much as a Star Wars prequel.

In a related note, I wonder if Novak's jackets will actually be "licensed", or rather that Lucasfilm will just recognize that he has a proprietary right to make jackets from his patterns, even though those patterns were commissioned by Lucasfilm. It just seems strange that there would be two seperate jacket licenses.

SD

DoubleOhSeven · Post by **DoubleOhSeven** » Thu Mar 27, 2008 1:21 pm

Hmm...

Unless I didn't see it, there are no images of the jacket on that site.

Wonder why you wouldn't at least put up a picture of the jacket, even though its not released yet? Take pre-orders or at least give people an idea of what it will look like? The link on their site is dead.

I guess maybe because the movie isn't out yet or whatever.

Not sure I understand all of this. I mean, AB is selling hats and the movie isn't out yet, right?

Guess I've got a bit to learn about stuff like this. All I do know is Belstaff won't be getting a grand from me for a coat. That's just ludicrous. Especially not when I can get a custom fitted, gauranteed one from Magnoli's for half of that.

Rundquist · Post by **Rundquist** » Thu Mar 27, 2008 1:22 pm

I was thinking about this sort of thing last night. For one thing, the fans don’t really need to be up in arms. This Belstaff jacket doesn’t mean that all of the regular jacket options aren’t there. So why should anyone really care? There’s also a Dorfman-Pacific officially licensed fedora that sells for 400 bucks. It doesn’t look accurate by our standards. So what? You don’t have to buy it. Indygear fans seem to always be under the assumption that they’re average fans. You’re not. That stuff that they’re peddling is actually fine for the average person. I’ll take this a point further.

Lucasfilm has always had a bad rap for chasing people with Darth Lawyer. Most of that reputation is not unwarranted. But you can also choose to look at things from an other point of view. Licensing is precious to Lucas. Lucas’s empire is not so much built on his films, but the licensing of his films. Many people here already know that Lucas has made more money off the licensing of the Star Wars movies than the movies themselves. His shrewdness with rights is what gave you the Empire Strikes Back instead of “Star Wars 2”. If 20th Century Fox had owned the sequel “rights”, they could have conceivably made a Star Wars sequel without Lucas’s input whatsoever.

Another thing that fans don’t realize is that once Lucasfilm has struck a deal for licensing a product, they have to go after the makers of competing unlicensed products as part of the licensing agreement (even if the competing product is vastly superior). No one would pay a licensing fee otherwise. What good would a license be if competing product was allowed in the marketplace?

With that said, it does appear that Lucasfilm doesn’t really search out the best product to license. But sometimes there are other things to consider as well. Tony Nowak can’t make 5,000 jackets personally, for instance. He doesn’t have the means to. Cheers

Post by **Michaelson** » Thu Mar 27, 2008 1:24 pm

Tony Nowak can’t make 5,000 jackets personally, for instance. He doesn’t have the means of. Cheers

That's what I mean by my 'heavy lifting' comment.

Regards! Michaelson

Indiana G · Post by **Indiana G** » Thu Mar 27, 2008 1:33 pm

i care because i only wear 2 types of jackets...indy jackets and belstaff jackets.......now my 2 worlds are colliding!.....like on seinfeld when relationship george collided with independent george..........not a good thing

Rundquist · Post by **Rundquist** » Thu Mar 27, 2008 1:33 pm

Michaelson wrote:
Tony Nowak can’t make 5,000 jackets personally, for instance. He doesn’t have the means of. Cheers
That's what I mean by my 'heavy lifting' comment.

Regards! Michaelson

Right. I got that. I also fixed my typo(s).

Post by **Michaelson** » Thu Mar 27, 2008 1:41 pm

Good. I gave up trying to catch all mine.

Regards! Michaelson

Mike Jones · Post by **Mike Jones** » Thu Mar 27, 2008 2:32 pm

AAA then I had reason!

Post by **Michaelson** » Thu Mar 27, 2008 2:33 pm

Yes sir, you sure did, and I tip my fedora to you!

A true 'scoop!

HIGH regards! Michaelson

St. Dumas · Post by **St. Dumas** » Thu Mar 27, 2008 2:43 pm

Mike Jones, were were all given the impression that there would be no licensed jackets for CS, and we knew that Nowak was making the film jackets. That's why all the doubt. Nice scoop indeed.

SD

Mike Jones · Post by **Mike Jones** » Thu Mar 27, 2008 2:54 pm

HAHA! thanks, then aspect the fedora!

Tron7960 · Post by **Tron7960** » Thu Mar 27, 2008 3:08 pm

Rundquist makes an excellent point about the $400. licenced DP!
It doesn't sound like the Belstaff will be any more authentic or SA than the DP (Belstaff logo?). We thrive off of the products from Peter and Magnoli and Todd as well as G&B, U.S.Wings etc. I have no doubt that any and all of these guys can and will offer up a KotCS jacket that will be far more satisfying than the Belstaff. Skechers could make Indy boots and some would buy them.
Merchandising from Star Wars allowed Lucas to become independent and make the movies HE WANTED! Some of those are not so popular with some of my fellow COW members but I can name at least ONE that is! (any guesses?)
Marketing and merchandising one the scale of Phantom Menace leaves a bad taste in many a mouth, but I think it's smart. Love him or hate him, Lucas will never be tied to studio accountants or focus groups. I respect that.
Lucas has his "Belstaff Money". Let Belstaff get buried under an unsold pile of LICENSED CS jackets!

agent5 · Post by **agent5** » Thu Mar 27, 2008 3:14 pm

For one thing, the fans don’t really need to be up in arms. This Belstaff jacket doesn’t mean that all of the regular jacket options aren’t there. So why should anyone really care?

My whole take on it.

Another vendor is a good thing. If it's too expensive or you don't like it, there are so many other choices to satisfy. If Belstaff is too much, get a G&B and be just as satisfied.

rick5150 · Post by **rick5150** » Thu Mar 27, 2008 3:40 pm

Well, Belstaff is known for form-fitting jackets. I have a War of the WOrlds Hero Jacket and the label for that is a little distracting. But it is nowhere near as goofy-looking as this one.

I have a theory that if they make them so only those who are thin and in shape can wear them, it creates better visual advertising for them. Let the dieting begin!

Last Crusader · Post by **Last Crusader** » Thu Mar 27, 2008 3:54 pm

The production of motorcycle jackets made Belstaff famous and they seem to make every jacket they offer with this tight motorcycle cut. In this case they are missing the character of an indyjacket completely.

But maybe this look is caused by the tailor's dummy while the jacket is pinned onto it on the back to get this slim fitting look.

rick5150 · Post by **rick5150** » Thu Mar 27, 2008 4:05 pm

With the opening of the New York Belstaff store in the Fall, I am hoping to get some quicker responses. But unless you are in a movie, I doubt there will be an option for custom sizing.

Look at their other licensed jackets. Again, the Belstaff Hero jacket is tight as heck, but Cruise was able to wear a hoodie under his jacket in the movie though.

Post by **Indy Magnoli** » Thu Mar 27, 2008 5:50 pm

rick5150 wrote:Again, the Belstaff Hero jacket is tight as heck, but Cruise was able to wear a hoodie under his jacket in the movie though.

OT: Rick, have we confirmed that Belstaff actually made the Hero jacket worn in the film?

-Magnoli

rick5150 · Post by **rick5150** » Fri Mar 28, 2008 10:35 am

I very much doubt it, but they definitely got the licensed version. We know that there were many versions made - including a vinyl version for the water scenes. I suppose it is not impossible that Belstaff had one or two of their jackets appear on screen since there were 40 jackets reportedly made.

That is what I was getting at though. The version he wore was inspired by a motorcycle jacket that Joanna Johnson's uncle wore if I remember correctly. It is form fitting, but he is still able to wear a hoodie under it. That is not so easy with the Belstaff version. Cruise is small framed, but not THAT skinny.

The J. Crew hoodies are thin, but I have trouble getting my arms in the sleeves of the Belstaff while wearing one. That is why I am bought one of yours.

I am thinking upon first glance, that the Indy jacket will be similar. There is nothing wrong with another choice though for those who like Belstaff jackets, but I doubt many folks will be wearing sweaters under these jackets unles they are built like stick figures.

Garzo · Post by **Garzo** » Fri Mar 28, 2008 10:45 am

How do these licensing agreements affect other manufacturers, like Peter, Todd and Indy? Are they in danger of receiving legal threats as we get closer to the release date or even having their operations shut down?

Post by **Michaelson** » Fri Mar 28, 2008 10:47 am

Short answer, yes, unless certain criteria is met.

Regards! Michaelson

Minnesota Jones · Post by **Minnesota Jones** » Fri Mar 28, 2008 11:28 am

Update: I just closed the original thread, as we don't need two threads going on at the same time on the same topic.

I now return the thread to it's regularly scheduled discussion....

Garzo · Post by **Garzo** » Fri Mar 28, 2008 11:31 am

Michaelson wrote:Short answer, yes, unless certain criteria is met.

Regards! Michaelson

That sounds ominous and disturbing. What sort of criteria, may I ask?

Johnny Fedora · Post by **Johnny Fedora** » Fri Mar 28, 2008 12:38 pm

I thought clothing was different, untouchablee?

Johnny

Post by **Michaelson** » Fri Mar 28, 2008 12:48 pm

Clothing, maybe. Direct patterns? No.

Intellectual property and/or input must be proven, or a disclaimer that the maker has no association at all with Lucasfilm or any of it's affiliates must be provided at the site or with any items sold. Even that is a slippery slope.

For instance, here's Belstaff's statement:

Lucasfilm, Indiana Jones and related properties are trademarks and/or copyrights, in the United States and other countries, of Lucasfilm Ltd. and/or its affiliates. TM & © Lucasfilm Ltd. All rights reserved. All other trademarks and trade names are properties of their respective owners.

While here's the one at U. S. Wings:

Note: This jacket is based on US Wings' standard Indy jacket pattern; it is not based on the Indy jacket pattern seen in Indiana Jones and the Kingdom of the Crystal Skull™ nor has it been licensed or authorized by Lucasfilm Ltd. Only the leather is the same. Indiana Jones and the Kingdom of the Crystal Skull™ is a registered trademark of Lucasfilm Ltd.

Wested, on the other hand, can prove his association with the original design of the first jacket, and his statement is as follows:

My name is Peter Botwright of Wested Leather Co and I was originally commissioned by Bermans and Nathan Costumiers to produce the first Raiders Jacket back in 1980. Based on one of our unique designs, the Jacket passed through many stages of design, finally meeting the exact requirements of both the film's designers and Mr. Harrison Ford himself.

Last, but not least, here Gibson and Barnes:

Indiana Jones™ and Raiders of the Lost Ark™ are registered trademarks of Lucasfilm Ltd. Flight Suits is not affiliated with Lucasfilm Ltd. The Expedition Jacket has not been licensed or authorized by Lucasfilm Ltd.

So, as you can see, there are many things that can be done in order to keep between the ditches regarding copyright infringement.

Regards! Michaelson

michaeljcr · Post by **michaeljcr** » Fri Mar 28, 2008 4:04 pm

Well, as I mentioned in another thread, my office is less than five minutes walk from the Belstaff shop in Manchester, so I'm happy to go on a scouting mission when it hits the shelves. If anyone does want one, I'd get on to it as soon as they come out, as Belstaff don't seem to understand much about retailing in their own stores, especially from a range point of view. Also, their EPOS system seems a little primitive and the staff, while friendly and helpful, don't seem to know a lot about their product, current ranges or availability.

I went in yesterday to try and buy a bag advertised in their Spring/Summer 2008 range and they had to look it up in the catalogue, suggested it might not actually exist (even though we found it in the catalogue) and, when they did a store stock search on the computer, found there might be one in the company but they had no way of knowing where it might be. Now, I've been a professional retailer for twelve years, done the shop floor thing and the head office thing and honesty can't understand what they think their doing with those shops.

Satipo · Post by **Satipo** » Fri Mar 28, 2008 5:53 pm

It's kind of funny I think. Whereas previously Wested and Todds owners have occasionally had to endure Indiana Jones wannabe comments, now they also face being accused of wearing fake Belstaffs!

Bogie1943 · Post by **Bogie1943** » Fri Mar 28, 2008 9:24 pm

Being a "skinny" person..form fitted jackets are amazing. Belstaff indeed has some wonderful styles, heck they even made the Aviator jacket Leo wears at the beginning of that film...I want that jacket.

Post by **Indy Magnoli** » Fri Mar 28, 2008 9:53 pm

Bogie... if you want the Aviator jacket, drop me a line. One of my customers has an original Belstaff and is willing to loan it to me for study...

Kind regards,
Magnoli

bobjones · Post by **bobjones** » Fri Mar 28, 2008 9:55 pm

I am a fan more of leather jackets in general than either Indy jackets, or the movies themselves, so as an "outsider" I am thinking the following: since the posters here are a good portion of the core buyers of the higher-end Indiana Jones merchandise, you all could theoretically just say "FU" to Belstaff if you don't like their jacket, pricing, or treatment of other vendors like Wested or GB.

The posters here have enormous leverage, and frankly, outside of either some wealthy clueless tourists stumbling into a Belstaff store and saying "oh look, an Indiana Jones jacket" buying on impulse, the only people who will spend $500 or more on a leathr replica jacket will be a COW poster.

Someone from here should lean on Belstaff and say look, if you legally chase too hard the other makers we will spend significant efforts to screw you over and no hardcore Indy fans (yes, that's how lukewarm fans like me see you people, nothing personal) will purchase your jacket.

I think it might have an impact both on their pricing, and general behaviour.

If you are wondering then what I am doing on this forum, I think the films are ok, but there are leather jacket rocket scientists here who are incredible resources of information, and for them, I am quite grateful. And yes, ok, from the front the Indy jacket is rather cool...

Satipo · Post by **Satipo** » Sat Mar 29, 2008 5:18 am

bobjones wrote:And yes, ok, from the front the Indy jacket is rather cool...

You bet your sweet bippy!

rick5150 · Post by **rick5150** » Sat Mar 29, 2008 6:34 am

bobjones wrote:Someone from here should lean on Belstaff and say look, if you legally chase too hard the other makers we will spend significant efforts to screw you over and no hardcore Indy fans (yes, that's how lukewarm fans like me see you people, nothing personal) will purchase your jacket.

I think it might have an impact both on their pricing, and general behaviour.

Surely, you can't be serious. (Left wide-open for an Airplane quote).

While I really can appreciate your intentions with that post, Belstaff is not catering to hardcore Indyfans. For the last decade or so, Belstaff has been in a revival of sorts and they are using marketing and movie placement to bring them into the limelight even more. And they are wildly successful with over 20 rather prominent movies. Most of the time the belstaff badge on the left sleeve is visible too. This is not an accident. Their jackets are decent quality at a high-end cost.

The same reason you think you should boycott Belstaff's Indy jacket is what makes it appealing to others. The cost alone makes it a status symbol of sorts. So does the fit. This is simply Belstaff's version of the Indy jacket. Will Belstaff rather drop the price so a few more "hardcore Indy fans" will buy the jacket; or would they rather have publicity shots of people like George Clooney, Leonardo DiCaprio, Will Smith and Tom Cruise wearing their gear? Buy a Belstaff and you are amongst the elite group.

My suggestion is if you do not like the jacket, simply do not buy it. There are plenty of options out there in all price ranges for everyone (including ebay). You will get a much more screen accurate jacket from them unless the Belstaff jacket makes a brief appearance in the movie. Who knows?

bobjones · Post by **bobjones** » Sat Mar 29, 2008 7:27 am

Surely, you can't be serious. (Left wide-open for an Airplane quote).

I will leave that one up to other, more wittier posters....

While I really can appreciate your intentions with that post, Belstaff is not catering to hardcore Indyfans. For the last decade or so, Belstaff has been in a revival of sorts and they are using marketing and movie placement to bring them into the limelight even more. And they are wildly successful with over 20 rather prominent movies. Most of the time the belstaff badge on the left sleeve is visible too. This is not an accident. Their jackets are decent quality at a high-end cost.

But I guess this begs the question if their Marketing execs are looking at potential target market segments as to who will buy, I would think the 2 most likely are impulse tourists and hard-core fans. (This is along the lines of a Fedora lounge thread I was in about Hermes recently).

The hardcore will know the price/quality/value isn't there, and won't appreciate them legally assaulting long-trusted other legitimate vendors. That would seem to leave impulse buyers like wealthy, ignorant tourists - who don't know they can get a better jacket for less elsewhere.

When I mention to friends I dropped $900 on an Aero, their jaws hit the floor, and that jacket is considered amongst the best in the world, so who do you think makes up the target market for $1,200 jackets that aren't even all that great? I just can't see a parent willingly picking one up for an enthusiastic teenager, so I am just wondering out loud who will step in and buy an Indy jacket for that kind of money.

I mean, look at the posters, here - how many of them balk at Gibson, even though its seems to be the best constructed - at $400 and change, and the people here are IMHO the most likely to spring for a jacket from the "authentic" movie vendor?

The same reason you think you should boycott Belstaff's Indy jacket is what makes it appealing to others. The cost alone makes it a status symbol of sorts.

I can't speak to this point, as I have never really been drawn to labels, and I would take quality construction over name any day - but others might feel differently.

So does the fit. This is simply Belstaff's version of the Indy jacket. Will Belstaff rather drop the price so a few more "hardcore Indy fans" will buy the jacket; or would they rather have publicity shots of people like George Clooney, Leonardo DiCaprio, Will Smith and Tom Cruise wearing their gear? Buy a Belstaff and you are amongst the elite group.

I know where you are going with the last line, its just a question whether there are enough people gullible enough and financially able to justify a $1,200 or so jacket that is inferior to others.

For me, I went with Aero and plan to buy a Lost Worlds BECAUSE they are not fashion items, and will be worn for decades. The thought of spending $1,200 on a jacket that is fashionable for this season only seems rather alien to me these days...

My suggestion is if you do not like the jacket, simply do not buy it. There are plenty of options out there in all price ranges for everyone (including ebay). You will get a much more screen accurate jacket from them unless the Belstaff jacket makes a brief appearance in the movie. Who knows?

Agreed. If I was to get an Indy, I think Gibson & Barnes would be the best choice for me, but that's what's great about the situation now for the fans here, there are seemingly so many vendors at different price points to choose from.

rick5150 · Post by **rick5150** » Sat Mar 29, 2008 8:34 am

bobjones wrote:The hardcore will know the price/quality/value isn't there, and won't appreciate them legally assaulting long-trusted other legitimate vendors. That would seem to leave impulse buyers like wealthy, ignorant tourists - who don't know they can get a better jacket for less elsewhere.

First off, I have to ask. Do you own a Belstaff? If you do, you will know that they are not shoddily-built jackets. If not, how can you claim that the quality is not there unless you have worn one for some period of time? (Not just looked at a friends jacket, for example). I cannot honestly say the Belstaff jackets are better or worse than Aero or Lost Worlds. I own jackets from each of these manufacturers I love them all for different reasons. Belstaff jackets are certainly not poorly constructed jackets by any means.

Bob Jones wrote:When I mention to friends I dropped $900 on an Aero, their jaws hit the floor, and that jacket is considered amongst the best in the world, so who do you think makes up the target market for $1,200 jackets that aren't even all that great?

Those who have no qualms about spending the money. Those who have the money. Belstaff has a great reputation and a huge following.

For that cost, you more than likely got a heavy FQHH jacket from Aero. My modified Highwayman is my favorite jacket ever. But you have just made the argument that you have no qualms about spending $900 on a leather jacket and it made your friends jaws drop. The way your jaw might have dropped to hear someone else paid $1500 for a Belstaff Indy jacket?

The Indy jacket has not been released yet, and you area already claiming it is not "That great."

The value of an item is hugely subjective to the buyer. It is worth it to them. That is how these high end fashion items designed by Prada, Armani and the likes sell their wares. Is a $4,000 handbag better than a $40 handbag? Not to me, but if it is worth $4,000 to the purchaser, then the value is justified.

BobJones wrote:I mean, look at the posters, here - how many of them balk at Gibson, even though its seems to be the best constructed - at $400 and change, and the people here are IMHO the most likely to spring for a jacket from the "authentic" movie vendor?

But how many here will spring for a $1200 -$1500 Tony Nowak Indy jacket if he offers them? I am not claiming that will be the price range, but say it is. You can get a jacket made by the original manufacturer of the movie. Not to say it is not worth it, but how much better can a $1500 Nowak Jacket be than a $700 Schott, a $700 Vanson, an $800 Langlitz, and $800 Bates, a $900 Aero, etc.? It is all perceived value. And it will not even be horsehide.