‘Made’ Brand Launches Bespoke Technical Outerwear With Customizable Features
‘Made’ gives you a seat at the design table to tailor outerwear to your exact measurements and the features you want.
A new brand, Made, is now offering made-to-measure, designed-by-you, custom technical outerwear. Made’s first product just launched on Indiegogo: a waterproof, windproof, breathable hardshell ski/snowboard jacket. The specs suggest a super-durable build with welded seams, waterproof zippers, and three-layer waterproof fabrics.
But, what sets this apart is that, using Made’s patent-pending system, the brand tailors each jacket to the person who buys it.
Made’s Perfect Fit Formula
“We take your measurements, we put them into our software, we enter your preferred fit, color, and features, and then we send you your jacket,” co-founder Capri Philip said. “Instead of buying a jacket that was sized by averaging the dimensions of thousands of people, you get one built on your body measurements with the features you want it to have.”
Made apparel is based on body measurements, so by default, it’s genderless. If you identify as female and want a chest tuck to accommodate your breasts, that’s an option. So is passing on the chest tuck and opting for a more relaxed-fit end product.
“We want anyone and everyone to feel comfortable in their gear,” said co-founder Cheryl LeBarr. “And your gender has nothing to do with that. Your perfect fit and style choices are what we care about.”
Made: Fully Customizable Jackets
But fit is just the beginning. When Made delivers its first jackets this fall, you’ll be able to get more than custom arm length, hip width, and chest dimensions built into your jacket.
You can also pick the material and choose the location of zippers, pockets, and more. The final product lets you choose 18 different design elements. And buying a jacket will require 17 measurements plus the style of fit you’re looking for.
If that sounds overwhelming — say you have no idea what the difference is between Sympatex and NeoShell — Made’s design consultants can provide advice to help you through the process.
After you take measurements using Made’s detailed instructions, the brand feeds those numbers into its software to scale the patterns for a perfect fit. And a trained pattern-maker double-checks every custom pattern for consistency and accuracy to guarantee the right fit.
“We want you to be psyched about your new gear, not feeling like what you got is just ‘good enough,’” said Dustin Butcher, who rounds out the brand’s three co-founders.
The elephant in the room, of course, becomes turnaround time. With everything made-to-order from almost endless combinations — and no premade inventory — you might expect to see monthslong lead times. But that’s not the case. According to Made, the brand expects a 3-week turnaround time.
It’s not as quick as grabbing gear off the shelf at REI, but it’s pretty reasonable for bespoke technical outerwear.
Environmentally Friendly
Made also wants to tread as lightly on the planet as it can. There’s no inventory or overstock because every piece of Made apparel is individually crafted.
Whenever possible, Made will build jackets out of dead-stock, limited-quantity remnant fabrics that would have ended up in the landfill. Because Made ships your custom apparel to you immediately and directly, it saves resources.
According to Made, “Our radically different supply chain means we only make what we need. Traditional apparel seasonal turnover and the desire for fresh new things means leftover materials and unsold goods make their way to the landfill every year. We don’t make gear that doesn’t already have a home, and the gear we do make is going to be exactly what you want built to last a long time.”
Preorder Your Made Jackets
Made’s first jackets, the Maximalist and the Minimalist, aren’t exorbitantly priced. Made from NeoShell or Sympatex, at $500-650, the cost is in line with other premium offerings. Preorder on Indiegogo for up to a 27% discount.
Made has already met its first fundraising goal of $25,000, and buyers can still claim plenty of early-bird and super-early-bird rewards.
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