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  • diorowen
    Senior Member
    • Aug 2010
    • 415

    @endorphinz,
    I dont think its true. just like Shucks said, its not easy to find a good aligator skin and finding a good quality one will be expensive be it legally or illegally . $500 wouldnt really get u a good real aligator leather jacket. I'm from SE btw.
    still trapped in my juvenile state

    Comment

    • Chinorlz
      Senior Member
      • Sep 2006
      • 6422

      Shucks is closer on point. Yes, there is the standard store based markups which are of no surprise. Working backwards, the costs estimated are pretty accurate. I would even daresay that the actual material cost would be even higher than $2500.

      Seeing the components that going into the jacket, matching panels and specific graining/patterns across the body and sleeves and making sure these parts are flawless (or at least minimally flawed) is no easy feat. HUGE amounts of leather waste. On top of that, more than one 'gator was used for this given the irregular long shape of each hide.

      Wild gator versus farmed will definitely cost more, then the correct processing/tanning and then customs/importation costs. CITES is no simple thing for exotic hides.

      That all being said, Rick does gator leather jackets better than most that I have seen. His grain matching and building the pattern around the hide textures is really incredible.
      www.AlbertHuangMD.com - Digital Portfolio Of Projects & Designs

      Merz (5/22/09):"i'm a firm believer that the ultimate prevailing logic in design is 'does shit look sick as fuck' "

      Comment

      • Shucks
        Senior Member
        • Aug 2010
        • 3104

        i saw an interesting thing in gucci's factory once, where they replaced damaged 'scales' in crocodile leather with identical ones from other parts of the hide or from leftover hides (don't remember which - guessing the first) in order to reduce waste. it was done using CAM technology / optical recognition software or whatever it's called...

        Comment

        • Chinorlz
          Senior Member
          • Sep 2006
          • 6422

          Originally posted by Shucks View Post
          i saw an interesting thing in gucci's factory once, where they replaced damaged 'scales' in crocodile leather with identical ones from other parts of the hide or from leftover hides (don't remember which - guessing the first) in order to reduce waste. it was done using CAM technology / optical recognition software or whatever it's called...
          holy shit that sounds epic. Pretty neat sounding application of the technology. Even more interesting to me is that this infers that Gucci's usage of croc leather hides is so high that they deemed it cost worthy to invest in what is likely extremely expensive equipment to address this issue. Sounds like over the long term, it actually become cost effective for them.

          I would be interested in if there were size limitations of what scale(s) were replaced (small ones versus the larger belly and center back scales) and just how they were attached/fit into the space left by the removal of the imperfect scale(s) without evidence of any change/future breakdown considering they're garments.... or were they used for bags?
          www.AlbertHuangMD.com - Digital Portfolio Of Projects & Designs

          Merz (5/22/09):"i'm a firm believer that the ultimate prevailing logic in design is 'does shit look sick as fuck' "

          Comment

          • Shucks
            Senior Member
            • Aug 2010
            • 3104

            Originally posted by Chinorlz View Post
            holy shit that sounds epic. Pretty neat sounding application of the technology. Even more interesting to me is that this infers that Gucci's usage of croc leather hides is so high that they deemed it cost worthy to invest in what is likely extremely expensive equipment to address this issue. Sounds like over the long term, it actually become cost effective for them.

            I would be interested in if there were size limitations of what scale(s) were replaced (small ones versus the larger belly and center back scales) and just how they were attached/fit into the space left by the removal of the imperfect scale(s) without evidence of any change/future breakdown considering they're garments.... or were they used for bags?
            iirk it was leather for bags, which i would guess is where 99% of their exotic leather goes. i think there was some sort of canvas on the back to support the fixed leather - it was a few years ago... no idea as to limitation on size, but i guess bigger would be easier to replace?

            as for the technology used, i'm not so sure it was very different from the one used to optimize placement of patterns on the hides and then cut them - some sort of optical sensor + software and then a water jet-cutter, i think....

            if it allows gucci to buy sub-prime/damaged exotic leather at steep discounts and then 'refurbish' it and use it, then i can see this type of investment reaching break-even quite fast...

            Comment

            • Crowzer
              Senior Member
              • Feb 2011
              • 1197



              At first I tought it was a kind of bug such as women shoes listed in men shoes but there are in men size.
              Last edited by Crowzer; 10-01-2013, 09:10 AM. Reason: Fixed misspelling :D

              Comment

              • k3mist
                Senior Member
                • Apr 2013
                • 331

                talking about crazy shoes

                Comment

                • 888
                  Senior Member
                  • Jan 2011
                  • 165

                  Not a fan of the alligator jacket. I don't really see the appeal in exotic skins at all, in fact. Maybe 100 years ago something like that would have an exotic, dangerous air about it. But using hides of wild animals when they have so much else stacked against them in modern times, seems, at best mean-spirited and at worst spoilt. I mean, it's not like you are risking anything buying your fancy jacket at a boutique. You're not Hemingway. You're a consumer. At least when you buy something like cattle leather you know there are decent regulations in place (at least in most countries) on the way the animals were treated, that the product is durable and long-lasting.

                  Comment

                  • Bson
                    Senior Member
                    • May 2013
                    • 189

                    Originally posted by 888 View Post
                    Not a fan of the alligator jacket. I don't really see the appeal in exotic skins at all, in fact. Maybe 100 years ago something like that would have an exotic, dangerous air about it. But using hides of wild animals when they have so much else stacked against them in modern times, seems, at best mean-spirited and at worst spoilt. I mean, it's not like you are risking anything buying your fancy jacket at a boutique. You're not Hemingway. You're a consumer. At least when you buy something like cattle leather you know there are decent regulations in place (at least in most countries) on the way the animals were treated, that the product is durable and long-lasting.
                    People can buy python or alligator for the same reasons you would buy suede, nubuck, or any treated leather, really. Sure there is the allure of it being more expensive, which may be a large part of using them (take the croc Birkin for example), but I don't think it's really the idea of killing a wild animal that gets people wanting to buy it. It has a different feel and aesthetic.

                    Comment

                    • Faust
                      kitsch killer
                      • Sep 2006
                      • 37852

                      Page 400 of WTF. There is a lot of WTF out there.
                      Fashion is a form of ugliness so intolerable that we have to alter it every six months - Oscar Wilde

                      StyleZeitgeist Magazine

                      Comment

                      • cjbreed
                        Senior Member
                        • Feb 2009
                        • 2712

                        i kind of think of exotic skins like gator the same way i think of fur. meaning i kind of hate it. this might be utterly senseless of me though, since i love leather. but only the usual farm raised suspects like calf, lamb, horse, kangaroo, bison, pig...
                        dying and coming back gives you considerable perspective

                        Comment

                        • Faust
                          kitsch killer
                          • Sep 2006
                          • 37852

                          I get it. Leather is still functional. This is sheer excess, without a modicum of necessity. Fur though, if you live, say, in Russia, it's not pure luxury. It gets fucking COLD, and there is nothing warmer than fur or a shearling. No goretex or moncler will save your ass there.
                          Fashion is a form of ugliness so intolerable that we have to alter it every six months - Oscar Wilde

                          StyleZeitgeist Magazine

                          Comment

                          • ErnstLudwig
                            Member
                            • Oct 2011
                            • 62

                            Leather is merely a by-product of the food industry, so we humans can ease our conscience that no living being died solely for a garment.

                            btw I consider fur fully substitutable by duck/goose down, another food spin-off.

                            Comment

                            • Ahimsa
                              Vegan Police
                              • Sep 2011
                              • 1879

                              Originally posted by ErnstLudwig View Post
                              Leather is merely a by-product of the food industry, so we humans can ease our conscience that no living being died solely for a garment.

                              btw I consider fur fully substitutable by duck/goose down, another food spin-off.
                              Ahh, that explains all the snake, alligator, and stingray meat I've been seeing for sale...

                              But seriously, ostrich meat for example is a byproduct of the ostrich leather industry.
                              StyleZeitgeist Magazine | Store

                              Comment

                              • Faust
                                kitsch killer
                                • Sep 2006
                                • 37852

                                /\ I think he is referring to the less exotic offerings that my comment referred to. In this case, it is true. Leather is only 10-20% of the monetary value of an animal such as a cow. It's simply not worth killing a cow for leather.
                                Fashion is a form of ugliness so intolerable that we have to alter it every six months - Oscar Wilde

                                StyleZeitgeist Magazine

                                Comment

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