Merc quality

I bought a Merc Harrington jacket seven years ago and am still wearing it. The quality is great. I have been wearing it a lot and the fabric is still in good condition, only the colour has changed from black to red-brown, due to wind, rain and sun. Back then I paid 50£ in their Carnaby Street shop.

Of course the quality of Merc jackets might have changed. The prices certainly have.

There is an interesting discussion about labels - like Fred Perry, Ben Sherman, Baracuta and Merc - that try to rewrite their own history and jump on the Mod/Skinhead bandwagon to gain "street credibility": http://www.styleforum.net/t/89027/mod-to-suedehead/10065

I am always suspicious when I see branding and adverts that try to summon the spirits of the past, in this case the 60ies and 70ies, to communicate quality. Real quality labels don’t need this. In the case of fred Perry I can say that it is a rather cheeky lie. The company used to sell sportswear, now it is a lifestyle label The quality of their polos went down in the last couple of years. I bought a FP polo when I was a teenager and after a lot of wear it is still in a better condition than the ones I bought two years ago.