Photography Courtesy of Namesake

Now You Can Order a Custom Leather Jacket Without Having to Leave the House

Date December 13, 2018

Thanks to the dystopic brilliance of Amazon, it’s possible to order any object imaginable to your doorstep in just a few clicks – what if you could do the same with a custom leather jacket?

That’s the idea behind Toronto leather brand Namesake’s new Try-at-Home service, which melds the convenience of e-commerce with the old world precision of bespoke clothing. “In general, we’re kind of moving away from the bespoke way of making clothes but I think there is an appreciation for that old world craft still,” says designer Rosa Halpern, who has been bringing the rebellious into the realm of luxury since she founded her label in 2015. “There is a resurgence and appreciation for handmade things, but we want them instantly and wherever we are.” The Try-at-Home service makes it possible to experience the luxury of having a leather jacket made to your exact specifications, all through a through a process that’s no more strenuous than ordering takeout or calling an Uber.

Simply pick from the label’s lineup of jackets named after badass women (the Frida, the Yoko etc.) and you’ll receive an elegant black box filled with canvas sample jackets in the mail, along with a measuring tape so you can mark down your own dimensions and add or subtract inches where you see fit. (If taking your own measurements seems intimidating, have no fear. Namesake has filmed a foolproof, step-by-step instruction video to ensure you’re jacket doesn’t arrive looking like David Byrne’s Big Suit.)

Choose from silky soft to rough-and-tumble leather in classic black or go the risqué route in, say, blush or silver, then indulge your sense of fantasy by adding a fur collar, fringe or studs. You can select the lining from a veritable rainbow array of colours and emboss your initials (or anything else!) on the inside label. Once you’ve made all of the crucial decisions, simply ship the box back and voila, a completely custom-made jacket will arrive on your doorstep in under three weeks.

For my own jacket, I selected the Yoko style and opted to shorten the sleeves by a half inch to account for my puny arms. I briefly considered going with silver leather but in the end I decided on a soft, buttery lamb leather in basic black, because I wanted the jacket to feel like an old friend when I slipped it on. To counteract the simplicity of the jacket, I picked out a verdant shade of green for the lining and stamped my rather unfortunate initials, IBS, in gothic font on the label. Upon arrival, the jacket slipped on like it was made for me – probably because it was.

“When someone puts on a leather jacket it automatically changes the way they stand and present themselves. It allows them to be the most badass, fierce, brave version of themselves. It’s almost like body armor that looks really cool,” says Halpern. Every jacket is custom-built to carry a lifetime of stories – which will yours tell?