Tailored jeans are a challenge. Martijn Viskaal, owner of Jo Jansen Herenmode and co-founder of the Custom Made Jeans Company, has been in this field since 2015. Seven years later, he’s ready to take the next step and venture into tailored jeans for women. FashionUnited asked him the secret of his jeans in a video call.
“The secret is that our idea was born on the sales floor,” begins Viskaal. When he took over his parents’ suit business, the focus shifted from classic ready-to-wear to tailoring suits. He soon found that customers were excited about a tailored suit. “We sold more tailored suits and stock of regular suits remained. Customers could choose what they wanted and the size they were looking for was made for them. The only thing missing was a pair of jeans. Everyone has one in their closet. But the perfect fit was missing. Nowadays we go to work more and more casually dressed. Sending a person to another shop for a pair of jeans that just don’t fit should be a thing of the past in the future.” That’s how Viskaal started to develop his idea and the Custom Made Jeans company was born.
Viskaal: “Men quickly find suitable trousers, but it’s different for women”.
The process of making jeans to measure is as follows: customers try on one or two models and it is checked which one fits best. The retailer then takes measurements on eleven different parts of the customer’s body. The various design options are then individually selected: “You can customize the color of the jeans, the patch, the seams, the buttons and the back pockets until you are satisfied with it,” says Viskaal. Once personalised, it is up to the retailer to enter the data into the software system, after which an order is placed at the atelier. The denim fabric is cut and sewn together. In addition, the denim is dyed as desired and then subjected to quality control. “The whole process takes about four weeks, and the price for the customized jeans is around 300 euros per piece,” says Viskaal.
There is a big difference between women’s and men’s trousers, which Viskaal points out: “Men wear trousers because they like them and that’s all. A woman wants a different model every season. One minute she wants flared jeans, the next she wants bootcut jeans, and in the summer she wants cropped jeans.” That too was considered. Viskaal has designed several standard models. Based on the fit created after a measurement, different pants models for women can be made. Retailers can easily order different pants models from the original measure for their customers. “There’s a lot more to women than fabric and stitching choices,” says Viskaal. A new challenge that is very promising.
Custom Made Jeans currently works with multi-brand stores and bespoke specialists in around 25 countries. Viskaal hopes to grow even further and focuses on the US market. “In June 2022 we were at a trade fair for tailored jeans in New York. It turned out that we had a competitor. However, he stopped supplying retailers, causing them difficulties. We were in the right place at the right time. Now, with the launch of women’s trousers, we hope to expand further and attract many key retailers,” concludes Viskaal.
This translated and edited post previously appeared on FashionUnited.nl.