Finally got my own Ryo Jacket!

[Suijin]

I've really wanted Ryo's jacket ever since I played Shenmue for the first time back in 2018 or 2019, but most of the versions of the jacket online weren't accurate enough. I was just kinda waiting for one to drop that would be worth the money, but I lost hope on finding one that was a high-quality and accurate jacket that'd last. About a month ago I finally decided to take it into my own hands, read up on A-2 flight jackets, bought a really good quality repro from Avi Leather, found a shop selling Ryo's patches, and asked around to find the best tailor in my town who could put it all together.

It's been a long and expensive journey but this morning i FINALLY picked it up from the tailor shop and I'm insanely happy with how it turned out! Now I've got my OFFICIAL license to go to dive bars and ask about sailors before fighting the other patrons!

 

[red]

nice. i've read good things about AVI leather. what size did you buy 38 / 40?

i'm a fan of ww2 style, A2 jackets as well. i'm looking to buy one in the future.

 

[Vivi-gamer]

Wow, looks really nice! The problem I have with the Insert Coin leatherish jacket is that the material feels to hard and doesn't fold/crease naturally - this version looks a lot better!

 

[Suijin]

nice. i've read good things about AVI leather. what size did you buy 38 / 40?

i'm a fan of ww2 style, A2 jackets as well. i'm looking to buy one in the future.

I'm 6'1 and mine fits perfectly at a size 44! WW2 style jackets are always really great and from what I've found and people I've talked to, Avi is the best bang for the buck while also being a faithful reproduction of old jackets. There's other MUCH higher end ones like Bill Kelso that recreate specific contracts down to the stitch count, but as far as one that's faithful to the look, style, and fit of the classic jackets while still being comfortable, Avi's done me well and I love mine. Funnily enough, cockpit USA is like, triple the price, but some guys I know told me they're actually way lower quality.

 

[Suijin]

Wow, looks really nice! The problem I have with the Insert Coin leatherish jacket is that the material feels to hard and doesn't fold/crease naturally - this version looks a lot better!

I thought the Insert Coin one looked OK at first, but just the fact that it really isn't faithful to the A-2 look what with the side entry pockets, no collar, and baggy fit kind of irks me. There's a couple other places selling Ryo's jacket online, but eventually I just got fed up and thought "Hey, why not just get the actual A-2 and go from there?"

Definitely not the most economical decision but for me it was really worth it!