They've Scott the lot!
By TMX Archives on 2nd Mar 07
SCOTT Leathers nestles almost secretly in the unlikely rural setting of Barnard Castle, in north east England, near Darlington. It is run by irrepressible Scot Jimmy Aird, a man who needs no introduction to motocross fans.
‘Wee Jim' has been a feared competitor on the motocross circuit for around four decades now and can still create a stir when he turns out on his fire-breathing all-British CCM. His most recent competition success is Australian Over 50 champion, when he was proud to race with the legendary, twice World MX Champ, Jeff Smith.
Originally a farmer's son, from Kirkcaldy, in Scotland, Jim moved south to work with the equally hard-riding Len Thwaites, the man who founded TT Leathers in Barnard Castle, but when – to cut a long story short – TT Leathers eventually foundered, Jimmy took up the challenge and founded Scott Leathers – and 24-years later is still driving the company along, always looking for new opportunities.
Running a clothes manufacturing company in Britain in the 21st century, even a specialist one, as everyone should realise, is a tough task. We are all aware of the huge impact that cheap clothing imports from the Far East have had on our lives. And virtually all of the ‘Big Names' in off-road clothing (European and the USA) actually have their kit manufactured out on the Pacific rim, cashing in on inexpensive manufacturing but still charging premium prices.
But Scott is certainly not running scared and has quite a few strings to its bow as well as new ideas to keep those heavy-duty sewing machines ticking over. Scott operates with a tight-knit, knowledgeable team served by skilled machinists, all locally sourced and trained, and there's a really positive team vibe.
Currently, Scott is manufacturing top quality clothing for motocross, enduro, speedway, road-racing, supermoto and for road riders.
At the heart of the business these days is made-to-measure leathers. No need to doubt the quality as some of the biggest names in road racing insist on Scott leathers, including Isle of Man TT hero, John McGuinness. Scott supplies several leading Superbike race teams and the team leathers they produce not only look awesome, they importantly offer maximum protection, points that are not lost on road-bike riders.
Says Jim: "I've visited the quality opposition, AlpineStars, Dainese, etc and we are very competitive to what they are doing.”
As we visited the Barnard Castle premises, business from the road-bike boys was really picking up and Jim was quoting up to ten weeks on deliveries. While we were there, the Scott team measured-up a further three customers ensuring the machinists a busy time!
A recent diversification for Scott has been developing a new jacket for use by police motorcyclists. These are made from tough Cordura, are 100 per cent weatherproof and have met with the exacting standards of the Metropolitan police. The jackets have been sold to several forces now, including the Met, with many more showing interest. There's an obvious follow-up to road riders who would be impressed with police endorsement. An interesting spin-off has been supplying similar jackets to the mounted police (on horses), in several forces.
On the off-road front, the big news is an upcoming new enduro jacket and pants running under the Spirit brand name, which has been developed with the input of Fast Eddy Racing himself, Paul Edmondson.
Jim is very pleased with the way the prototypes have turned out and points out that the gear is not just for show, it is waterproof and very practical and has been designed as the ultimate enduro jacket.
The sleeves zip-out, there are three extra vents and no fewer than seven pockets including a see-through time-card pocket. There are four pockets in front and two at the back – one suitable for handy access to tools plus a big full-width across-the-back pocket in which you could store the removeable sleeves.
Jim is still keen on the motocross front and has been quietly looking at supporting several Youth riders including young Matthew Moffatt.
The motocross market is dominated by strong, big name brands, but Jim is confident that there's an alternative market for Scott to take advantage of. Scott is a frequent visitor to the Bike Shows and with all his experience, Jim knows what will sell.
Jim points out: "One big advantage we have here is we can make small quantities, we can also produce extra kit quickly and incorporate modifications quickly. Once the big boys have ordered their kit, that's it!”
For anyone who thought that manufacturing in Britain, especially clothing, was a dead duck, Scott Leathers is proof positive that with a positive attitude, enthusiasm, skilled workers and an eye for the right product lines, there is still a powerful case for British is Best...
Scott Leathers
www.scottleathers.com
018330 638 913
Elmers
01603 880 740
www.elmers.co.uk
Motorcycle Centre Stockport
0161 476 6323
www.motorcycle-centre.co.uk
SS Motocross
0191 370 2546
www.ssmotocross.co.uk
RPM
01909 567 125
www.rpmmotorcycles.co.uk