Domestic Manufacturing as a Speed Advantage, Reaching a Younger Audience & 52 Years Under One Roof with Gregory Molinar

Thank you for having me on. My name is Gregory Molinar, based in Fall River, Massachusetts. I’m very active within the city and in my role with Vanson Leathers, which is also headquartered in Fall River.

About five years ago I started doing events in Fall River to bring education and build community around younger, technology-minded creatives. I was very active in the blockchain and AI scene outside of textile manufacturing, and I wanted to introduce new technology through things people already knew about: music, clothes, art. Along the way I was introduced to Vanson, and with some partners in the city we put on a big community event with live performances and a fashion show. I asked Vanson if they’d be the headline since they’re in Fall River, and they agreed. That was my introduction to Vanson, about four years ago.
Over the next nine months I stayed in contact. I was born and raised in Fall River, I know what Vanson stands for, and I have a natural pride in the city. Learning about companies like Vanson that are headquartered there made me feel more people should know about them. I stayed in touch with the owners and kept telling them it would be an honor to help get the brand out into the community more.
That’s where community and growth come together. It was about giving them touch points in the community, getting them recognized and integrated with younger generations and students, and helping them grow beyond where they were, whether through new programs like the intern program we’re part of, or through new collaborations and partnerships I’ve brought to the table.

A few things intersect there. One is being from Fall River. I grew up there as a kid to a single mom, and I know what it’s like to be a city kid. In a lot of cities you see a loss of hope, a dimness in kids’ eyes, a feeling that there isn’t opportunity. Part of what I’m doing is connecting students to places they can be proud of and that do provide opportunity.
For the brand, it’s about connecting with the younger generation. The company is fifty-two years old, and the original demographic isn’t so much the demographic anymore. It also opens up the opportunity for students to learn about brands like Vanson that they can go work for when they graduate. We’re starting the third year of the intern program with the local high school, which includes Vanson and several other manufacturers in the city. The impact has made it clear that it’s needed and wanted from both ends, and that it’s positive for both the students and the manufacturers.

The company was founded in 1974 by Mike, who is still the owner. He was working for a motorcycle company and was sent to the manufacturer making their jackets. When he got there and saw how the operation was running, he and his friend, somewhat naively but with a lot of drive, thought they could do it better. He was 22. They came back and started making the jackets themselves, finding people who could help and learning the process.
Being able to see that process and live it, with the control over the product that comes from being in one building where it’s made and also sold, makes us nimble. We can pivot when needed without waiting for things to ship back and forth. It’s given them a control over quality that they’ve been known for over the last fifty-two years.

It’s definitely helped us touch back in with the younger generation, albeit differently than the original motorcycle community. Now it’s more streetwear and pop culture, but we still focus on staying true to the DNA of the company and what brought it to where it is. It’s brought more awareness to the brand and helped open doors to collaborations with individuals and big brands, like the collabs we’ve done with Supreme, Aimé Leon Dore, Mastermind and Essentials.

As a brand, the target audience is definitely riders. The core of the company is protection, protecting the people wearing the jackets. There’s an interesting line between pure riders and pop culture, and we’ve found a nice mix of the two while staying true to what we are. Mike is very dedicated to making sure Vanson stays known for what built Vanson, and to not going outside of that much.

We have some interesting things we’re working on. There’s always collaboration interest coming in, and we take the ones aligned with our focus. People reaching out also introduces us to opportunities we didn’t think of, or that come from a different angle than we expected, so it opens up the vision of what can be done.
I don’t know how much you’re aware of the bike life movement, but it’s a whole scene with tens of millions of people worldwide, a majority of them a younger demographic. That’s definitely a focal point over the next several years.

Personally, I use it every day. I’m a big proponent of it. As I mentioned, the other third of my life is blockchain and AI, and I don’t always agree with the masses on it. As a brand, though, it’s not very implemented. Mike, the founder, also coded the original computer system, the whole sales system everything runs on. It’s much different from almost every other company, more old school. So there’s not much AI implementation brand-wise or business-wise, but I’m a big fan and use it daily.

They have some staples. The Star Jacket, the one with the big star on the back, is well known. The Bone Jacket is one of the more famous pieces we’re known for. Jacket-wise, those are the two go-tos.

Absolutely. A good friend of mine, Terminology, a legendary hip-hop artist from Massachusetts, started Good Dad Gang about twelve years ago. Every year he does one big collaboration with another brand, they put it out for sale, and all the money raised funds that year’s back-to-school backpack giveaway. Last spring I brought him the idea of collaborating with Vanson. He loved it. He did t-shirts, hoodies, hats and a leather jacket, and everybody responded really well. It was great to be part of a cause where everything goes back to the community.
He’s from Lawrence, Massachusetts, so he usually does the giveaway there, but as part of the collab I asked if we could do a portion here in Fall River with the Boys & Girls Club. We went to their summer camp and donated a hundred backpacks last year, and this year, through a similar program, we went back and donated 150. It’s been great to give back to the community we’re in and keep tapping in with the younger generation.

The original founder is still the owner, and he’s there every day. Even though it’s a global brand, it’s very much a family business, which makes it unique. I work directly with Mike and Kim, and because everything is under one roof, we can act fast and make decisions that normal brands on the same scale can’t. There’s a little kitchen right in the offices, so we cook lunch and sit down together family style. When people come in for tours, or students visit, they don’t expect to see that, and it breaks down the wall and makes for a comfortable, free-flowing atmosphere.
A lot of people also don’t know they can order custom Vanson jackets. A lot of what we do is custom. You can buy the retail products on the website, and anything you see there you can also order fully customized, picking different colours and adding patches or graphics on the jacket or the bag. We’re right in Fall River, and the showroom is open Monday through Saturday, so you can walk in, shop around and check out all the products.