There Are Two Rules For Success
Never tell anyone everything
So with that being said, guess what we're going to do? Keep some secrets.
Don't want our designs leaked after all!
Some people have been anticipating a post like this since we reintroduce the Raiders Hero into the Indiana Jones collection, some people are here because they are potential buyers and some people are here because they are hoping to see our newly famous Wested cat, Lily.
**Insert cat picture**
***Forgets to insert cat picture***
So onto a serious point, what's the difference?
We call one the Raiders Hero, we call the other the Raiders Standard. Ta-dah!
THE END!
...
Okay, there's a bit more to it...
Basically, the Raiders Hero is the screen-accurate jacket and the Raiders Standard is the one that has been altered to fit the general public.
There's a big difference between the two jackets in fit and in practicality, the common misconception is that the screen accurate jacket (the Hero) is the better jacket because it looks like the film jacket. In reality, the better fitting jacket is the Raiders... You've got to remember we made the original Raiders jacket in around 48 hours and the Hero is based around this pattern. The Raiders standard was created after we took the Hero pattern, worked out the kinks and built a lasting leather jacket from it, this took weeks.
So question time:
If a man makes a jacket in 48 hours, and another man makes a jacket in 2 weeks, what do you think will be the better jacket?
Don't over think it. It's not a riddle. There's no extra answers, it's just:
a) 48 hours
or
b) 2 weeks
We're not specifically saying the Raiders Standard IS the better jacket, it depends what you want it for, we ARE saying the Raiders Standard is a simpler jacket...
We'll go over FOUR differences in this blog and you can come up with your own answer!
So put your serious hats on, we're going to do some comparison.
(Just to be clear we're comparing OUR two jackets, not comparing to the movie jacket)
PART 1
THE COLLARS
Spot the difference... 10 points to Gryffindor if you get it right.
Oh wait, the wrong film, this is an Indiana Jones comparison.
They don't look too different, do they? Okay, one photo is slightly closer than the other but taking that away they're just sitting differently, right?
Wrong.
The main difference is the Hero collar actually measures around 3.5" and the Raiders measures around 2.5". The Raiders collar is actually significantly smaller, it's also more tapered to fit with the jacket. The Hero collar is less tapered and this makes the collar "spread itself" and sit the way it is in the picture, for the Hero, the collar actually has a slight effect on the back length too...
It's not the biggest difference but it's big enough to make a difference (riddle me later)
*all blog proceeds will go towards getting the Lady in the pictures nails redone, please donate to this good cause*
ONTO PART 2
THE FACING
We're putting this in the blog because there's going to be a resounding What on earth is facing? call going from computer to mobile to tablet.
Facing is important, it's not mandatory, but it's important. It is a strip of leather that is sewn on the inside of a zip, it helps secure the zip and keeps it sitting straight. Without facing a zip will waver instead of sitting straight, without the reinforcement your zip isn't as secure.
The Standard Raiders HAS facing.
The Raiders Hero DOES NOT have facing.
The only way we can show this is through pictures:
A quick note is that the HERO always has a Nickel zip (it was painted in the film, rather badly, they did want a brass), the STANDARD always has a Brass zip.
See the facing and lack of... (the leather strip)
Now let's see what the wavering effect actually looks like...
It's quite hard to show on a photograph, but the STANDARD sits perfectly straight, the HERO wavers down.
Why did we make them different?
...Because jackets SHOULD have facing
...So why doesn't the Hero have it?
It just didn't, we forgot, shut up.
PART 3
THE POCKETS
This is where the Raiders Hero wins some points back, it has scalloped pocket flaps, and excuse us for getting excited about it, but they're beautiful.
The Standard Raiders has pointed flaps because they're easier to make and it helps to avoid mistakes as it is a simple point.
Both the jackets have hand-warmer (side entry) pockets and both the jackets have press stud closures. They're slightly different in size and the Raiders Hero pockets are positioned differently in comparison to the storm flap.... but as we said at the beginning, we're not giving all our secrets away.
Here are some pictures to show the curved (scalloped) pocket flat vs the pointed pocket flap and some size comparison whilst we're at it:
PART 4
THE SIZING
DUN DUN DUN, IT'S THE BIT YOU'VE BEEN WAITING FOR.
So here it goes...
The honest truth...
(note: If you do not follow our social media you may not understand the cat jokes, keep scrolling and we promise we'll resume to a more serious nature)
p.s. We had our fingers crossed about the serious part.
ANYWAY... let's try again...
THE SIZING
Probably (DEFINITELY) the most difficult part of this comparison is the sizing.
The problem is the HERO sits differently on every single person, whereas the Raiders is more predictable, so for that reason we ask you to use this as more of a guide of information rather than to follow exactly/over think the next couple of comparisons.
Let's start with our very own break the internet pictures.
Two jackets, one a Raiders, one a Hero, both with the following measurements, both on the EXACT same model when the photos were taken...
Here are the measurements:
Chest: 44"
Sleeve: 26.5"
Back: 25"
...But look at the pictures:
Two jackets. Same measurements. Same mannequin. Same leather.
What the hell, right?
We'll start with the back...
The pictures above are really good at showing how the Hero differs in back length, here's the things you need to look for to spot WHY it's sitting so much longer, despite having the same back length as the Raiders.
1) Look at the collar; see the RAIDERS collar is sitting quite high up and close to the mannequin neck whereas the HERO collar is further back. This is because the Hero is design to have a back "hang", this means the back hangs off of the shoulders, causing the collar (and the shoulders) to sit further back, "increasing" the back length.
2) Take a look at the shoulders themselves, the shoulder seam on the RAIDERS is sitting about an inch off of the mannequin shoulders, the HERO is sitting about 2" off of the mannequin shoulders. The bigger shoulders on the HERO are also causing the back length to seem longer, the sleeve length quite often ends up coming up longer too but this is something that's very hard to show in pictures.
We'll end with the front...
The pictures above make the front comparison quite hard, both jackets are too big for the mannequin but the HERO hangs off the shoulders, causing the whole thing to just look way too big.
If we're going to temporary ignored the pictures then I can tell you that the HERO on average is 2" smaller in the chest and more tapered in the waist, which makes the whole jacket a rather triangular shape, with big shoulders, an oversized back and a tighter chest!
The RAIDERS however is proportional and has no surprises when you put it on.
COMPARISON OVER!
So... How are you feeling?
So what's the summary?
Brutal honesty is that comparing these two jackets is super hard. They're built for completely different things and we desperately try and keep them separate.
The Hero is a screen accurate jacket when it comes to fit, but does that mean a guy looking for an everyday jacket should buy it?
NO.
It's a unique fit, if you've got big shoulders and a small waist (aka you usually struggle with clothes) you might want to consider the Hero. If you're tall and slim, the jacket will drown you.
The Raiders is the standard fit, it's the kinder fit, it's the first time buyer fit, and it's the everyday jacket fit. It lacks the glitz and glamour the Hero carries, but it is without a doubt the better fit...
...But the Hero is the screen accurate and it comes with a cool leather concessionaires label...
UNTIL NEXT TIME...