Kushitani Custom Leathers
Kushitani Custom Leathers
CW EVALUATION
Worth the wait?
HAVE IT YOUR WAY? SOUNDS SUSPI-cious to us. But that's what Japanese leather-maker Kushitani is promising with its new custom ordering program.
To test the validity of the Internetbased setup, we had a one-piece suit made for Assistant Editor Mark Cernicky. One week after his measurements were taken and relayed back to a Kushitani representative in Japan, Mark had a sample suit to try on for size. He then noted what changes he would like to see made and returned that information with the demo suit.
Kushitani’s website gives buyers 13 designs from which to choose. Mark selected the Mobil Power Suit, because he liked the pattern and its flowing lines. From there, he mouse-clicked on one of the 21 different colors, and then on the part of the suit on which he wanted that color to appear. Bang! There it was, all of the coloring within the lines, too! Say goodbye to messy Crayola or Marks-A-Lot renditions. Using this system, Mark created four suits that he liked. Narrowing those down to one proved to be the most difficult part.
DETAILS U.S. Kushitani 3870 Del Amo Blvd. #507 Torrance, CA 90503 800/741-1725 www.kushitani.com Price $1950
Ups A Fit and finish second to none A So comfortable, can be worn all day
Downs ▼ Almost died from 6 months of anticipation ▼ Pricey
Four months later, the suit arrived. When Mark opened the box, the aroma of Japanese Holstein leather wafted into the air. Pulled from its smart carrying cover, the suit looked spectacular. And it fit perfectly,
too. “I’ve used the phrase, ‘fits like a glove’ too loosely in the past,” Mark declared. “Now, I know what it really means.” With previous custom suits from other makers, the sleeves never ended where Mark specified, and the elbow and kneepads never quite fit as they should or stayed where they belonged. There were no such concerns with the Kushitani suit.
The only problem was that Kushitani left off the C W logos we desired from the chest and back, plus Mark’s last name was sewn across his shoulders instead of on his lower back, as he’d specified. We sent back the suit, and an apologetic representative righted the wrongs, though it took an additional two months.
A half-year from start to finish? Too much, but it just goes to show that good things really do come to those who wait.
