NYC Jackets Gekin Leather Jacket review

REVIEW – Several years ago I reviewed a leather wallet from Godbolé, and I loved the way this handmade gadget looked and felt.  It’s a quality product that has lasted four and a half years and gave me an appreciation for genuine leather products.  In this review, I’m hoping to find another great leather product in the Gekin leather jacket from NYC Jackets.

What is it?

The Gekin is a vintage-looking, brown-colored, men’s leather jacket.  It has five buttons down the front, a classic-looking collar, and four pockets.  NYC Jackets’ mission is to “provide easy access of exceptionally steezy leather jackets to our customers and let them spark high with up-to-the-minute fashion assemble.”  I have no idea what “steezy” means; there’s a dance app by that name, so maybe these are jackets that you wear while dancing.  In any case, I want to be sparking high in this jacket!

What’s included?

The only thing in the box was the leather jacket.  There were no customer care cards or instructions on how to take care of the jacket.

Tech Specs

• Material: Real Leather
• Inner: Viscose Lining
• Front: Buttoned Closure
• Collar: Shirt Collar
• Cuffs: Buttoned Cuffs
• Pockets: Two outside and two inside
• Color: Brown

Design and features

Leather jackets come in a variety of styles, some of which are instantly recognizable, like the bomber, biker, racer, and moto jackets.  NYC calls the Gekin a “vintage leather jacket,” a description that’s not helpful, as nearly all leather jacket styles are vintage.  Perhaps they called it this because it doesn’t really follow any specific style.  It comes closest to a trucker style jacket, a type of jacket that is typically made of denim and was originally designed for cowboys back in the 60’s.  The Gekin retains the buttons up the front, the shirt-style collar, and the buttons on the end of the sleeves, but NYC has simplified the trucker style by removing the breast pockets and the vertical stitching.  I think it makes for a cleaner look that is more for heading to the office or out on a nice date rather than doing some rugged outdoor activity.

NYC identifies the material as “real leather,” which is another term for genuine leather, the lowest quality of leather.  It won’t last as long as full grain or top grain leather, but it is considerably cheaper.  NYC has not identified which animal this real leather comes from.  The Gekin is lighter in weight than I was expecting for a leather jacket, good for cool, crisp weather but not for cold weather.

Assembly, installation, and setup

The jacket arrived from Karachi, Pakistan, which I learned is the twelfth-largest city in the world.  Unfortunately, NYC crammed the entire jacket into a small box, one about the same size as a shoe box.  Though it had been wrapped carefully in plastic and tissue paper, when I pulled it out, it had more wrinkles than a box of Sun-maid raisins.  My first impression of the jacket was thus very negative; it just looked horrible.

There is no information on NYC’s web page on how to remove wrinkles, though I did find a blog post on how to take care of a leather jacket.  Google turned up a host of suggestions for removing wrinkles, and they mostly agreed on these three steps:

• Let it hang up for a while, and the weight of the jacket will undo the wrinkles.
• Hang up the jacket in the bathroom while I take a long, hot shower, and the steam will work out the wrinkles.
• Get an iron, set it to its lowest setting, and carefully iron out the wrinkles while keeping either a towel or parchment paper between the iron and the leather.

I tried step one first and let it hang for five days. While there was some improvement, it was still very wrinkled.  I then tried step two and left it in bathroom while I showered a few times; again, only slight improvement.  To be honest, I’m scared to try step three.  If I accidentally touch the jacket with the iron, set it too hot, or use a towel that isn’t thick enough, I could permanently damage the jacket.  I don’t want to take that risk, so I think I’m going to have to live with the remaining wrinkles.

I typically wear a 2XL for sweatshirts and polo shirts; in suit jackets, I am a 44L.  Looking at the sizing guide on the page, I ordered a 2XL.  How it does it fit?  The length is absolutely perfect, coming down to my wrists.  The waist is also great; there’s plenty of extra room in there.  The shoulders are the problem for me.  While the top of the sleeves come almost to the edge of my shoulders, there’s not quite enough material across the back.  If I lift up my arms or cross them over my chest, I start to feel constricted; it’s especially noticeable if I have any of the buttons buttoned.  The jacket will work fine with just a light shirt, but I won’t be able to wear a sweater under it; I certainly won’t be able to do any strenuous physical activity in it.  For me, this jacket is close to a good fit, but not quite perfect.  If I had tried it on in a store, I would have put it back and tried the next size up.

This, of course, brings up a question:  Can I return it if it doesn’t fit?  NYC’s website says they have a thirty-day refund or exchange policy, but here’s the rub:  the “shipping fee for returns, exchanges, or refunds are the buyer’s responsibility.”  I have to pay to ship it to me, and then I have to pay again to return it.  It also says that, “Our return inspection team will evaluate the product before authorizing a refund or exchange.”  To be fair, this policy is common among online-only stores, excepting Amazon, of course, but it does make it a bit risky to purchase this jacket sight unseen.  But there’s even more risk:  Their shipping page notes that, “Our orders are shipped with Delivery Duty Unpaid (DDU), so all the customs charges will be borne by the customer. We recommend contacting your local customs office prior to purchasing.”  NYC Jackets do not come from New York City, I have to pay any customs.  Wow.

If I have to return a jacket, I wondered where would I return it.  I don’t want to pay for shipping back to Karachi.  I checked their website for an address, and their “contact info” lists Virginia Beach.  The address, however, is incomplete, as it lacks a street; I can’t use an invalid address to ship things.  (Also odd, the 778 area code for their phone number is for British Columbia, Canada.)  I reached out using their “contact us” page and spoke with their support who would only tell me that they have a warehouse in the US for returns.  At least shipping shouldn’t be too much.

The leather in the jacket has been colored with a set of at least three colors.  I think the base dye is a good brown color, and then shades of light brown and black were adding sparingly on top with either a brush or a sponge, almost like dry-brushing a miniature.  You can see this clearly on this closeup from NYC Jacket’s website.  Using multiple shades of dye gives the jacket a more textured look, like comparing something that is 3D to something that is only 2D.  It also makes the jacket a bit more casual, but I think it still looks good.  I’ll be able to wear this with anything from jeans to business casual, but I don’t think I could wear it dressy.

The interior of the jacket is lined to prevent the leather from rubbing against me; as far as I can tell, NYC did not add any insulation in the lining for cold weather.  All four pockets are lined as well.

The stitching on the outside looks good; I don’t see any mistakes or places where it’s coming undone.  The buttons are large and securely in place; the fit through the button holes is tight, but that will probably loosen naturally over time.

Overall, this is a well-made jacket for its price point.

NYC specializes in customizing jackets, if you want to create a unique look.

What I like about the NYC Jackets Gekin leather jacket

• Classic look
• Clean design
• Made well

What needs to be improved

• Learn to ship products carefully
• Provide instructions for removing wrinkles

Final thoughts

The NYC Jackets Gekin is a leather jacket that features a simple style, a brushed-on dye look, and genuine leather.  It’s a lightweight jacket that will feel good on a cool, crisp fall day and will complete any casual outfit.  The jacket I received almost fit me perfectly; I just need more space across the back for my shoulders.  I think the quality of the jacket is good for genuine leather.

Would I recommend purchasing this jacket?  If we’re just considering the jacket itself, yes.  I like it.  I do, however, have some concerns about purchasing this jacket from NYC.  Customs charges and return costs for jackets that don’t fit are on you, NYC won’t reveal where returns are made, the location information on NYC’s site is incomplete and inconsistent, and NYC has problems properly packaging their jackets.  If these sorts of details don’t bother you, then yes, give NYC a shot and see if you can find the leather jacket that you’ve been looking for.

Price: $224
Where to buy:  NYC Jackets online store
Source: The sample for this review was provided free of charge by NYC Jackets. NYC Jackets did not have a final say on the review and did not preview the review before it was published.