Gearing up for spring 2019

Beginning in 2019, Sicilian Reserve will become more of a platform to help connect Sicilian artisans to overseas customers. Our primary role will be assisting tailors and artisans to organize their visits and trunk shows.

This has one main advantage - you can express interest in having a Sicilian tailor or artisan visit your city. Artisans will be able to gauge interest in cities around the world and respond by organizing a trunk show/visit if demand warrants. To make your voice known, join the Sleevehead Forum and show your interest on the tailor's dedicated topic page.

Artisans participating with Sicilian Reserve will most likely have been profiled already in my book Sleevehead’s Guide to Sicilian Tailors (SGST) but this is not a requirement. If you know a tailor not covered in SGST or my blog, feel free to start a discussion topic in the Sleevehead Forum.

To kick things off, I have already selected two well-known Palermitan tailors for a spring 2019 visit to the US and am currently finalizing details with them. An official announcement is coming soon.

By appointment only.

Sicilian Reserve 2.0

It’s been quite a journey since launching Sicilian Reserve a year and a half ago. I am grateful to the launch customers who decided to join us in that journey.

Based on my learnings, Sicilian Reserve will change as we go into the new year. Instead of working exclusively with one tailor, SR will act as launch service to a limited number of Sicilian tailors ready to enter the US market at higher price points.

Last week I visited Sicily to speak with tailors who are interested in this opportunity. My current plan is to help at least one new Sicilian tailor to launch in the US in 2019 with possibly more to follow.

Looking forward to sharing more in the new year here and on my Sleevehead blog.

October update

We enjoyed seeing old and new customers earlier this month in San Francisco and New York. We managed to meet almost everyone who scheduled an appointment. I’m also meeting individually with a few folks who could not make their times due to last minute conflicts.

For 2019, we’re working on bringing to market another Sicilian tailoring option. This should be even closer to the actual experience of flying to Sicily to get your bespoke commissions done. Stay tuned!

Summer musings and doings

We're in the final stretch of summer. It's been a busy couple of months between delivering the latest batch of orders and also taking a close eye on improving all aspects of how we do bespoke. 

We are always looking to improve and have asked our customers what is working and what we can change. While they are enjoying our Sicilian heritage and high degree of flexibility, we've also learned there has been confusion around the fitting process and what could be adjusted post-delivery. Moreover, we missed a few things by loading everything in one fitting. 

To that end, we are now requiring two fittings for all new customers. This is a change from our initial model of delivering a finished garment after just one fitting for new customers.

A single fitting is possible if everything falls into place. But since we cannot guarantee a single fitting will cover all possible variables over the course of several months, we no longer offer this. 

We're also improving our process behind the scenes to ensure we capture all of our customer requests, no matter how small, in time for delivery. 

In the meantime, we'll be back in San Francisco (October 11) and New York (October 13-14) for client appointments and look forward to seeing you there. A la prossima!

Spring 2018 fittings

In launching Sicilian Reserve, we definitely pushed the envelope by setting a goal of a single fitting followed by delivery. 

Anyone experienced in bespoke knows this is rare, especially for new customers ordering for the first time. The normal order of business is two or three fittings. 

But I am glad that we pushed the boundaries and am happy to report that single fittings followed by delivery are possible under the right conditions as seen below. 

For some customers, weight and dimensions can change materially in the months following the initial measurement taking. The key to success is being flexible and observe what has changed and adjust accordingly.

This means likely adding a second fitting, especially with new customers, if we continue to use the traditional fitting process. We are also actively looking at improving the process to allow for greater precision. More news to come soon!

Sicilian Reserve 2.0

Last summer we launched Sicilian Reserve offering heritage tailoring at incredible value. In terms of bespoke product and process, our true peers are tailors in Savile Row and Naples. Yet our pricing is on par with MTM and RTW brands. 

We now have three bespoke lines:

• Simply Bespoke (customer supplied cloth)
• Essential Bespoke (limited selection of cloth sourced by us)
• 360 Bespoke (widest range of cloth sourced by us with the highest level of customization and service). 

Since launching we have been improving the Simply Bespoke line by investing in our visiting tailor process. First, we are now effectively guaranteeing fit by adding a post-delivery fit adjustment. Second, we are also upgrading our fitting process to minimize adjustments during and after fittings. This means the tailor and his apprentice will participate in the April 2018 fittings with a longer term goal of getting closer to a single fitting. 

Our new pricing reflects these enhancements. Effective March 1, our Simply Bespoke line will start at $1,850 for jackets and $2,250 for suits. To our knowledge, this is still the best value in the US market for true heritage bespoke tailoring featuring basted fittings.

Since our Kickstarter launch pricing is something that will not return on a permanent basis, we hope you take advantage of our legacy pricing while it still lasts for the next two weeks.

We look forward to working with you on your next bespoke commission, whether it is your first or just the latest of many over the years.

Introducing 360 Bespoke

Our 360 Bespoke line is limited only by your imagination. We will go to extraordinary lengths to source the perfect cloth for your commission by consulting with leading English and Italian mills and our own sources for rare cloth (e.g. private sellers and collectors). 

Included with all 360 Bespoke orders is a tremendous cloth selection covering 95 percent of the fabric universe for menswear (silks, cottons, linens and wool). Rare vintage or specialty cloths such as cashmere and vicuna are also options (pricing available on request).

Looking beyond the fabric itself, we can personalize the internal lining of your suit with a completely unique look and design using your own artwork, photography or vintage prints (see our 360 Bespoke lining option). Additionally, you will be able to customize the shape of pockets, lapels, patches, etc. and the materials that give life to the details and accents of your jacket including piping, facings, patches and flaps.

For new customers, we will fly and meet you at your home or office anywhere in the continental US (lower 48 states) and Canada for an initial consultation. Fittings occur every spring and fall in New York City and San Francisco. 

The 360 Bespoke suit includes cloth, cloth swatches/samples, design consultations, up to two fittings with our tailor and a complimentary fitting adjustment after delivery. 

(Re)introducing Simply Bespoke

We initially launched with the idea of enabling customers with their own high-quality cloth to work easily and frictionlessly with a superb Sicilian tailor. 

Then last fall we introduced the Essential Bespoke line aimed at first-time bespoke customers. Similar to traditional bespoke, Essential Bespoke includes cloth. The great benefit of this new line is radically simplifying your decision process to just one item - blue or gray. We take care of everything else. 

Now we'd like to give our original idea of working with customer-supplied cloth the clarity of its own name - Simply Bespoke.  We've added a name but the idea remains the same. 

With Simply Bespoke, you enjoy sourcing and selecting your own cloth as well as owning the process of managing how much cloth you need for your commissions.

This more hands-on approach is not for everyone but can be a very satisfying experience for quite a few!