The two most important rules for success:
Never divulge everything to anyone.
With that in mind, we’re going to keep some secrets. We certainly don’t want our designs to be leaked after all!
We digress. It’s time to just tell you the truth:
We call one jacket the Raiders Hero, and the other jacket the Raiders Standard! Voila!
The End!
Actually, there’s quite a lot more to it than that. Essentially, the Raiders Hero is a screen-accurate jacket as worn by Harrison Ford, while the standard is a jacket that’s been especially adapted to fit as many of you as possible.
The biggest differences between the jackets comes down to their fit and practicality. Many customers get the misconception that the screen-accurate Hero jacket is better because it looks exactly like the one in the film. But the reality is quite different - the jacket best for most people, and the one which fits best, is the Raiders Standard.
It’s worth keeping in mind the fact that we made the original Raiders jacket in as little as 48 hours for use in the film. The Raiders Hero was based directly around the pattern of this original jacket. With the standard, we took this pattern, fixed any of the kinks that came with it, and from that we developed a much more comfortable and longer lasting jacket. This process took weeks, rather than 48 hours.
So this begs the question:
If someone makes a jacket in just 48 hours, and someone else makes a jacket over the course of a few weeks, which one will end up as the better jacket?
It’s not a trick question, there’s just two possible answers:
- 48 Hours
- 2 weeks
It’s not a case of the Raiders Standard being the better jacket, it all comes down to what you’re looking for in a jacket. But the Raiders Jacket is definitely simpler and more practical.
So in this blog, we’ll go over the four key differences between the two jackets, and you can come to your own conclusions.
(To clarify, we’re comparing our two jackets, not the specific jacket used in the film).
Difference 1 - The Collars
You’d be forgiven for thinking that there’s no difference between these two collars. But there really is a difference, a big difference.
The Hero collar measures around 3.5” while the Raiders Standard collar is around 2.5”. This means that the Raiders Standard collar is actually substantially smaller, making it more tapered to fit with the rest of the jacket. The hero collar on the other hand is less tapered, making it “spread itself” and sit just like it does in the above image.
The hero collar also has a slight effect on the back length too, and while not the biggest difference, it’s large enough to make a difference.
Difference 2 - The Facing
You may be wondering what facing is, so let us explain it to you.
Facing is an important part of the jacket, but surprisingly it’s not mandatory. Facing is a strip of leather that has been especially sewn onto the inner part of a zip, helping to both secure the zip and keep it straight. Zips on jackets without facing will waver rather than sit straight, and without the reinforcement provided by facing, your zip will be less secure.
So with all of that in mind, it’s very important to note that the Raiders Standard has facing, while the Raiders hero doesn’t have facing.
The two images below do a good job of illustrating the differences between them.
It’s also worth noting that the Raiders Hero always has a nickel zip (which was badly painted in the movie, with the film’s producers wanting a brass zip), while the Raiders Standard has a real brass zip.
This all begs the question then, why didn’t we include facing and brass zips with the original jacket?
Sadly it just didn’t, and we’ve forgotten why… time to move on.
Difference 3 - The Pockets
In this case the Raiders Hero wins some desperately needed points back, as it has really quite beautiful scalloped pocket flaps (if we say so ourselves).
The Raiders Standard has pointed flaps, which are easier to manufacture, ensuring a much lower tendency for mistakes as they’re being made.
Both the Hero and the Standard feature hand-warmer (side entry) pockets as well as press stud closures. The pockets are however slightly different in size, as well as being in different positions in comparison to the storm flap, but just as we emphasised at the start of this piece, we’re not giving away all of our secrets.
In the pictures below, you can see the pockets compared, with a handy tape measure just to illustrate the difference fully.
Difference 4 - The Sizing
By far the most difficult element of the comparison is the sizing. The Hero jacket fits differently on everyone, while the Raiders jacket is much more predictable in its fit. Because of this, we ask you to use the following images purely as a guide rather than a rule.
These images may blow your mind.
Two jackets, one a Raiders Jacket, the other a Hero, both with the following measurements, both draped on the exact same mannequin when the photos were taken.
Here’s the measurements:
Chest: 44”
Sleeve: 26.5”
Back: 25”
Now time to see the pictures…
Unbelievable, right?
Let’s start with the back. The pictures above are really useful for showing how the Hero differs in terms of back length. To the untrained eye, you might wonder exactly why there’s such a drastic difference, but here’s the things we can point out to show you exactly why the Standard sits so much longer, despite having the same back length.
- Take a look at the collar. The Raiders Standard collar sits quite high up and close to the mannequin neck, while the Hero collar is further back. This is down to the fact the Hero is designed to have a back “hang” - this means the back hangs off of the shoulders, causing the collar, as well as the shoulders, to sit further back, thus increasing the length of the back.
- Secondly, bring your attention to the shoulders themselves. The shoulder seam on the Raiders Standard sits about an inch off the mannequin shoulders. The larger shoulders on the Hero jacket also make the back length look longer, with the sleeve length often appearing longer too.
Now onto the front. While it’s not as easy to show in the images, with both jackets too big for the mannequin, the Hero hangs off the shoulders, leading to the entire jacket simply looking too big.
The Hero on average is 2” smaller in the chest, while much more tapered in the waist area, giving the jacket a uniquely triangular shape, larger shoulders, a longer back, and a tighter fit on the chest.
Whereas the Raiders Standard is much more proportional with nothing unexpected when you try it on.
So in Summary
Comparing these jackets is hard, as they’ve been designed for very different purposes, which is exactly why we try to separate them.
The hero is screen accurate, but does that mean anyone looking for a jacket for everyday use should wear it? Of course not.
It’s a very specific fit, so if you have big shoulders, plus a small waist, then you could consider the Hero. But if you’re tall and slim, the jacket will overwhelm you.
The Raiders Standard on the other hand is very much standard - it’s been specifically designed to fit comfortably and neatly for everyday use. Ultimately, it’s the better fit (even if the Hero comes with a fancy leather concessionaires label).