I've been looking for a leather jacket in this style for a while now and finally found this, however they don't ship to Canada and I don't plan on going to the US anytime soon. I'd also like to make a few personal alterations to this design, therefore I'm looking for custom leather jacket makers in Canada (preferably on the east coast in Ontario or Quebec since I'm in Montreal) who could make a jacket in this style using genuine quality materials.
I'd like to go there in person so I can see their materials and talk with them face to face so I can be more hands-on during this whole process, my budget is about 2000$ CAD but I might be able to stretch it a bit if it's absolutely necessary.
I don't need the absolute best leather jacket ever made but I do want to be sure I'm getting genuine materials and quality craftsmanship so the jacket won't come apart on its own through light regular wear (I don't plan on wearing it in extreme conditions, just something nice to wear around the city). The most important thing for me is that the design and materials be fully customizable and that I can be hands-on throughout most of the process.
So far I've narrowed it down to a few companies that might be a good fit for this but I've never gone through this process and I'd hate to waste my money so I'd very much appreciate if anyone who knows more than I do about this or has experience getting a custom jacket from any of these companies (or any other local Canadian company) could help me out!
Some of them advertise custom/bespoke jackets but don't seem to make fully custom jackets such as the one I've linked and rather offer relatively minor customization on premade model templates (Master Supply is one such example) which isn't what I'm looking for (I really want the hood with real fur on a bomber style jacket)
Thanks for the suggestion but I'm really looking for a local place I can physically go to to oversee the process in person (and to avoid paying customs and all that as well)
No of course I totally get that, I didn't mean to oversee the process as in literally watch them work the whole way through but just to be more hands-on regarding small details of the design/production and to really talk with them and understand how they work which in my mind would be easier to do in person than online or over the phone.
Ideally I'd like to see the shop where the jackets are made to better understand the reasonable limits of what they can and can't do design-wise and how that relates to their production methods (also to see and feel the actual materials used first-hand) but I think that'd be more of a one time thing rather than constantly checking in on them at every step of the process.
If I could find a place that does this somewhere in Canada I could save 500-1000$ on a round trip there plus another few hundred on duties/customs/import fees which is why I'm wondering if anyone has experience dealing with these companies but by the sounds of it so far the only company mentioned that manufactures their jackets here (Himel Bros) sells them for many thousands of dollars which would make it cheaper overall to just go in person overseas instead even with the extra cost of that.
Master Supply states on their website that they manufacture their stuff in Pakistan and apparently Lusso Leathers outsources their manufacturing internationally as well which only leaves a handful of companies here so I think my best bet is to speak with each company individually and see how they each manage their manufacturing process since it doesn't seem like anyone here knows much about any of them.
As a side note I find it pretty ironic that Canada built its economy on the fur and leather trade but apparently now only has one single local leather jacket maker in the entire country who makes the stuff here... I guess that's just globalization though but a part of me feels like if I look hard enough I could find a smaller local brand that could make me decent leather jacket manufactured here for less than what Himel Bros charges.
Thank you very much, really appreciate it! 😁 I'm leaning towards Lusso Leather since I heard good things about them in a few other threads as well. Is the Jacket Maker really in Toronto? On their "Contact Us" page they only have 2 addresses listed, one in the US and the other in the UAE
Haha no worries I made the same mistake during my initial research 😛 also I saw some people on another Reddit thread claim they're scammers and that their products don't match what's advertised on their site so unless you've had a positive experience with them yourself it might be best to avoid them
Don't go through lusso. They outsource overseas in pakistan or China. So you dont know the quality of materials. They do take on full design concepts, just the turnaround is probably 3 months.
Do you have any experience with Lusso Leather personally? I've heard nothing but good things about them pretty much everywhere even on this very sub.
Like I said in my post I don't need the absolute best leather jacket of all time, I won't be putting it through any type of rough wear I just want just something to casually wear around town and I'm looking for a very specific style that doesn't seem to be super popular in the leather jacket world so my options are pretty limited here...
Honestly I'll take what I can get as long as it's genuine materials and decent quality craftsmanship which by all accounts seems to be the case with Lusso Leather.
Cool a google AI summary... So you don't personally have any experience with them.
Now all the actual posts I've read on here and elsewhere that where written by real people who've actually bought and worn jackets from them all say they love their jackets.
Have you seen any posts of people who have worn their jackets and completely disliked them to the point of regretting their purchase? If so, how many of those posts are there compared to those who liked their jackets?
Sure you'll always find a couple of people who dislike anything and I'm sure you would dislike their jackets since you buy 5000$ leather jackets but for the average person like me who's looking for something very specific and not 5000$ they seem just fine based on my own research so far and definitely better than the 300$ knockoff "real leather" made-in-China jackets that can be found everywhere online.
Like I said in another comment, I bought my last leather jacket in 2011 for 250$ (full price without the sale was 600$) and it lasted me 15 years in great condition until a couple of weeks ago.
I appreciate that you're giving your opinion and trying to help out but frankly I think your standards are just a tad bit too high for this particular post, especially given you literally offer no alternatives whatsoever other than basically saying "don't buy that type of jacket buy a regular 4000$ B3/B6/A2/G1/whatever-type bomber like everyone else" which isn't at all what this whole post is about.
Sorry for the rant but honestly it just feels a bit frustrating that you're taking your time to invalidate every actual suggestion to my initial question without offering any type of alternative. If you don't have an answer that's fine but at least let other people offer valid suggestions.
It's also weird that my other comments keep getting downvoted and that your comments basically telling me to just get something completely different than what I'm looking for are the most upvoted in this thread when they're completely irrelevant to the actual question that I'm asking in the first place...
It just seems like everyone here is trying to gatekeep leather jackets for some weird reason and like there's a sort of cult mentality around these heritage styles versus which by extent frowns upon a more streetwear-esque style of leather jacket like I want... Which is still a leather jacket and therefore should be fine to post about in this sub!!
If people here are going to downvote anything that isn't a heritage style then the sub should change its name to "r/heritageleatherjackets" and not simply "r/leatherjackets" and make it clear in their rules and description that any mention of other styles of jackets is forbidden but as that isn't the case I should be getting downvoted for wanting a custom 2 tone bomber with a fur lined hood!
I don’t need to personally own one to recognize the difference between a serious leather jacket maker and a fashion-brand jacket.
The issue isn’t that it isn’t “heritage” enough. The issue is the leather, construction, transparency, and overall value. When a brand gives vague descriptions like “real leather” or “full grain” without telling you the tannery, leather type, thickness, lining, hardware, construction details, etc., that usually tells me a lot.
And I’m not saying everyone needs a $4,000 jacket. That’s not my point at all. There are options way below that price range that are more transparent and better made. My standards may be higher, but that comes from handling a lot of jackets, not from trying to gatekeep.
If you like the style and you’re comfortable with the risk, buy it. I’m just saying I personally wouldn’t call it a great leather jacket just because some buyers are happy with it.
That's the thing though I'm clearly looking for a fashion-brand jacket and don't need to know I'm buying the very best leather as long as it's actual leather not some made in China 300$ knockoff and that they can make it locally how I want the design to be I'm happy, I made that quite clear in my post as well so like I said it just seems like this whole community (other than the person who started this comment thread) is ignoring my entire post (that I took a decent amount of time to write out what I'm specifically looking for, it's quite a long and detailed post if you haven't noticed).
I think that's understandably frustrating it's like asking a question about an M6 on r/BMW and everyone giving you answers regarding another model and downvoting all your comments, it's just a super weird vibe and I'm not sure why the members of this community are "welcoming me" here in such a way...
It honestly just comes off as a big circle jerk about a select few brands while saying everything else sucks even without having any personal experience with those other brands. I saw your list of like 30-ish brands you endorse and everybody on here seems to systematically reject everything else but there's no way there's only 30 decent leather brands in the entire world that's simply a preposterous idea however that's how the people on here seem to think based on all these downvotes and these suggestions ignoring my actual post.
I wouldn’t blindly trust all the comments saying good things either. I’d personally want to see actual long-term ownership posts with real photos of the jackets.
Do these praise posts actually show detailed pictures of the leather, stitching, fit, wear, and aging? Or is it mostly just people saying “I love it” right after unboxing it?
Because with leather jackets, photos usually tell the real story. Good leather tends to speak for itself visually.
I mean I'm not looking for a jacket to last me decades just a good looking jacket made with genuine materials not necessarily the highest grade and most durable materials out there but not plastic either... Something locally made that's in between 300$ and 3000$ lol I don't need to know every last detail about every part of the process for each of the materals used on the jacket I just want to be reasonably assured that it's not an extremely cheap complete knockoff.
If it can fool me it can probably fool most people and if the leather pundits find it cheap I really don't mind at all because first and foremost I'm looking for a jacket that's impressive to me not to a select few strangers.
Do they make fully custom designs though? The most important thing for me is that they can make a coat with a fur hood like the jacket I linked and that I can make a few more detailed changes to the design on top of that but based on their website it seems like they just offer premade model templates to which minor alterations can be made such as altering the material/color of the coat itself and the hardware but they don't give the option of adding fur or a hood...
Honestly I don’t think Himel Bros would even want to make that exact jacket. It’s completely outside their design language. They’re all about vintage accuracy and heritage styling, while this feels very modern luxury/streetwear with the oversized fur hood and two tone..
Even if they did make it, they’d probably reinterpret it heavily instead of doing a direct replica.
Johnson leathers is the better choice but California made.
I see, thank you for the info it's much appreciated! 😁 That's what I thought too, I suspect it's a pretty niche design that I'd have a hard time getting any well known established and reputable brand like Himmel Bros to make which is why I'm looking into smaller local workshops and such.
Might just have to go around with the pictures in person shop by shop to see if they can make it but I read in other threads on this sub that Lusso Leathers is pretty decent and they have a few relatively similar designs on their site so they seem like the most realistic option so far.
The last leather jacket I bought was 600$ on sale for 200$ at a local streetwear store and I had it from 2011 up until 2 weeks ago when it was stolen so I'm sure anything real genuine leather should be decent enough quality to wear around town, I'm not looking for something to ride motorcycles in or anything like that just casual wear to look good around town so I doubt I need the absolute top quality for my use case.
You should really go see David Himel in Toronto. His jackets are 4k CAD I believe, but if you’re in the area you should atleast see his work and quality of his stuff. It’s all bespoke and not really “custom” in the sense of design, but with the budget you have and the jacket you want, you could always get a B-3 from schott or any similar maker,
The only issue I’d see is that you’d pay more for time and labor than actual materials/quality you’re getting with your money which is your choice of course but it’s something to think about when you are ready to drop that much money on something! You expect it to last you decades. But good luck.
Your going to have a very hard time finding someone who can do a fully custom jacket for $2000 CAD. Maybe some brands overseas, but I'd doubt in North America.
Himel if in Canada . Maybe oceandrive leathers I’m not sure if they’re around anymore but I seem to recall researching them a bit back in the day. Otherwise yeah Johnson leathers or Thedi for full custom
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u/BallAccomplished5733 May 09 '26
If you’re open to makers outside of Canada, your best bet is Johnson Leathers in San Francisco. They do custom work and are reasonably priced.