Up Close With...
Vanson Leathers
June 09, 2007
Today, I drove to Vanson Leathers located in Fall River, Massachusetts. I figured it was a good a place as any to start as they are the original manufacturers of one of my favorite jackets - The Dr. Gregory House jacket from the Fox television show House, M.D.
The appeal of this jacket to me, is many-fold. First off, it looks cool. In Houses' words "It keeps me warm ...and cool. How does it know?" For anyone who has not seen our House, M.D.: Dr. Gregory House (1) page, or read the posts on the House, MD thread in the 'Television Jackets' forum, the actual screen-used jacket that you see on television was originally made by Vanson. It is their "Model B" jacket and it has the "Star Jacket" (optional) arm stripes. The wardrobe department at Universal Studios Wardrobe added the patches. More on that later...
I arrived at the Vanson showroom at approximately 11:00 am. The building is a non-descript 5-story mill building that was built in the early 1900's and it has all the charm that is found in old mill buildings. Converted freight elevators, creaky wooden floors, high ceilings and old windows. To look at it from the road, you would never realize you are looking at a leather jacket lover's heaven, if not for a small sign that reads "Vanson Leathers." It is exactly the type of atmosphere that I like. A flight of stairs decorated with a double yellow line leads you from the parking lot to the factory showroom entrance.
I was immediately greeted and asked if I needed help. I told the young lady that I was there to meet Mike Medeiros, the Sales Representative who I have corresponded with several times since the inception of FILMJACKETS.COM. While I was awaiting Mike's arrival, I started to look around. The first thing that caught my eye was the X-Men Wolverine jacket hanging up behind the service desk. A closer examination showed that there were actually two jackets there. Alongside that were two screen worn jackets from 'Talladega Nights: The Ballad Of Ricky Bobby" that were worn by Will Ferrell and Grayson Russell. Next to that was the jacket worn by Tom Cruise - again, the actual screen-worn jacket - in the movie "Days of Thunder."
Looking into the shop revealed rows and rows of leather jackets and motorcycle uniforms. Here are a few pictures to whet your appetite:
It would be a lie to tell you that I was prepared for the onslaught of information I received, as well as some of the great people I met during an impromptu tour. Mike Medeiros was a gracious host bringing me upstairs to see where it all begins. Well, technically, it all begins with the order sheet booklet, where all measurements are taken. This is vital if you are ordering a custom size. I tried on a size 42 Model B jacket and it fit fine, so detailed information was not as important. But had I needed special designs, lettering requests or graphic layouts, that information would be added to the order sheet. If you go to Vanson to order a motorcycle suit, plan on being asked questions about your preferred riding position or whether or not you are a weight lifter as there are special considerations for these situations.
Mike brought me to the 5th floor. This is the leather storage area and cutting room. Leather is inspected for cuts, scars and brand marks and these imperfections are cut out. Vanson uses only the best part of the leather to make their jackets, and hardly any leather goes to waste. The leather that is in good shape and the larger, more basic panels are cut using a laser-guided rotary knife. The pattern is projected to a mirror above the cutting table where it shines onto the leather for the knife to follow. This helps the person place the leather pieces in a manner that will fit the most pieces.
If your jacket has lettering, or intricate patterns, they will more than likely be cut using the high pressure water jet. This high-pressure water can cut through up to 8 layers of leather at one time making it perfect for multiple cuts of the same design. For instance, all the Harley Davidson custom jackets are made by Vanson and each one requires the small "Harley Davidson" lettering.
Once all the jackets panels are cut the jacket parts are all placed together. I full size leather jacket may be in a stack of parts that would fit into a hat box. The parts are placed in a plastic bin and sent down a conveyor belt. Many employees may be involved - all working together like a well-oiled machine - to assemble your jacket. While I was there, I observed one worker who was sewing sleeves and another that had a stack of panels to which she was sewing the pockets. Each panel had the zipper installed already just awaiting the other pieces to come together and create your jacket. The assembly work is done by hand, using pedal-operated sewing machines.
From there the nearly completed jacket goes to the lining department where the lining is cut using a template and a machine that utilizes a razor knife. Each jacket has a unique serial number stamped into the leather and you are given a matching keychain fob. This number is kept on file by Vanson and leads them to all the jacket information. Since Vanson also offers repair services on your jacket, this is important. Jackets sometimes have to be disassembled, repaired and sewn back together using the same needle holes!
For your very own 21 minute and 31 second video tour of Vanson, you can go here.
One of the most pleasant and unexpected surprise for my visit was meeting Michael Vanson, the owner of Vanson Leathers and his wife Kim. Mr. Vanson is a very accommodating and down-to-earth man who met with me again after the tour to talk a bit more. In fact, even though I had overstayed my welcome (by my estimation) I was never made to feel that way. Mr. Vanson even asked me to join them as they had a pot of spaghetti that had just filled the leather-scented room with a new equally pleasant smell that got the the attention of Zoe and Freedo - the resident dogs. It is with thanks to Mr. Vanson that this article and the attached pictures exist at all.
Once we got back to the showroom, it was time for a few more pictures. Below is the House, M.D. jacket in it's 'before' state without the arm stripes added - and of course, without the patches:
And as an added treat, this is the first prototype made by Vanson for the X-Men Wolverine Jacket. It is a size 44 which is a bit too large for me, but it is a cool jacket nonetheless. Far more subdued than what the jacket ultimately evolved into, but I find that appealing. I particularly like the back panel cut as it lends a flattering, tapered shape to the wearer.
All in all, it was a rewarding day and I want to thank Vanson Leathers for their hospitality during my time there. I spent about 3 1/2 hours there and learned quite a bit. Much more than I can share here right now. I do know that if you need custom work with difficult patterns, one-offs or just a simple motorcycle jacket, Vanson can handle it. Feel free to contact them after reading this, and by all means - tell them that FILMJACKETS.COM sent you!