The Custom Order Experience

Most leather goods are designed for an average body and an average taste, then produced in six sizes and four colours. That works until you are 6'4" with a 40" chest, until you want a bomber in oxblood rather than black, or until the bag you keep picturing has a laptop sleeve that no manufacturer thought to include. A custom order is how you stop compromising: the piece is cut to your measurements and built to your specification instead of to a size chart.

This page explains the whole service in plain terms — what is genuinely possible, what we need from you, how long it takes, and what happens if something is not right when it arrives.

What "custom" actually means here

There are two overlapping things people mean by custom, and it is worth separating them.

Made to measure applies to anything worn: jackets, coats, shoes. We build to your body measurements rather than to a standard size. Sleeve length, torso length, shoulder width, chest, waist, foot length and width are all yours rather than the industry's guess.

Made to specification applies to everything, worn or carried. You choose the leather, the colour, the lining, the hardware finish, the pocket layout, the stitching, and personalisation where the piece allows it. A bag has no size chart, but it still has fifteen decisions in it that a shelf product makes for you.

Most custom orders are both at once.

The decisions you get to make

• Leather — full-grain, top-grain, lambskin, sheepskin, cowhide, goatskin, suede or shearling
• Colour — matched to a reference you send where the hide takes it
• Lining — material and colour, including contrast linings
• Hardware — zip and buckle finish, from bright metal through to matte and dark tones
• Pockets — number, placement, depth, interior organisation
• Proportions — length, width, gusset depth, strap drop, collar and cuff details depending on the item
• Personalisation — initials or monogramming on pieces that suit it

How an order runs, step by step

1. Tell us what you want. Get in touch through contact with the product you have in mind. Reference photos help enormously — a picture of a jacket you liked, a colour swatch, a sketch of a pocket layout. Describe the problem you are solving, not just the product.
2. We come back with the spec. Leather, colour, lining, hardware, dimensions, and anything we think will not work as described. If a request is impractical in a particular hide, we say so at this stage rather than after cutting.
3. Measurements, if the piece is worn. We tell you exactly which measurements we need and how to take them. Our measuring guide covers the jacket and coat set in detail.
4. You confirm, we cut. Once you approve the spec the hide is selected and the piece is cut by hand for you specifically. Nothing before this point is irreversible; everything after it is.
5. It ships. Made-to-measure orders normally ship in about 3–5 weeks. Standard-size orders move much faster, roughly 5–10 working days. Free express dispatch applies to US orders, with international rates given at checkout.

Getting measurements right

This is the part where custom orders succeed or fail, and it costs you twenty minutes. Three rules cover most mistakes. Measure over the layer you will actually wear underneath — a shirt for a bomber, a jumper for a winter coat. Have someone else hold the tape for chest and shoulders, because reaching around yourself changes the number. And send us your body measurements, not the measurements of a garment you own, unless we specifically ask for a garment reference. We add the ease; if you add it too, the piece arrives a size too big.

For shoes, measure both feet at the end of the day when they are at their largest, and tell us if one is noticeably longer — most people have a difference and we build to the larger foot.

Choosing a hide

Leather choice changes how a piece behaves more than any other decision. Lambskin is light and soft with immediate drape, best for pieces you want to feel supple from day one. Cowhide is thick, tough and structured — it holds a shape and outlasts everything. Goatskin sits between the two: pebbled, durable, and more supple than its weight suggests. Suede is napped and matte, handsome but happier away from rain. Shearling brings its own insulation. Full-grain keeps the hide's natural surface and develops a patina; top-grain is sanded smoother and more uniform. Our types of leather guide and the lambskin vs cowhide vs sheepskin comparison go deeper if you are undecided.

Where custom is available

The service spans most of what we make. Common starting points are men's leather jackets, women's leather jackets, coats, bags, shoes and small leather goods. If you can describe it and it is made of leather, ask.

Custom order questions, answered

Can I return a custom piece?

Not on the same terms as a stock item. Our standard 7-day return window applies to regular orders; made-to-measure pieces are cut for one person and cannot be resold, so they follow different terms. In practice that means we work with you on alteration rather than refund. Tell us what is off and we will put it right. This is exactly why we spend so long on the spec and the measurements before anything is cut.

Does custom take longer than 3–5 weeks?

Occasionally, if a hide or colour needs sourcing, or if the spec goes through several rounds. We will tell you at the confirmation stage rather than let a date slip quietly.

Is the guarantee the same? for your custom order

Yes. Lifetime stitching cover is included. See craftsmanship for how they are put together.

What if I am not sure what I want?

That is a normal place to start. Send the problem rather than the solution — "nothing fits my shoulders", "I need a bag that takes a 16-inch laptop and looks right in a meeting" — and we will propose something.

Start an order

Message us through contact with what you have in mind. There is no obligation at the spec stage, and the conversation itself usually clarifies what you actually want. Shipping and returns detail lives on the shipping & returns page.