One of a Kind

Truly one-of-a-kind garments are a modern rarity. In the past, people would often sew their own clothes and commission custom work, but now that ready-to-wear garments are so affordable and brand’s collections are available for sale across the globe, having a unique wardrobe takes effort. Effort… and in the case of this deep green Military Motorcycle Jacket, a little bit of luck.

During this client’s initial appointment, I showed a vast array of possibilities, and she chose this deep, rich, pine green suede. When I contacted my supplier to place her order, I was told they had only three skins left and that the shade was discontinued! I knew it would take some work to squeak the entire jacket out of only 40 square feet. When sewing leather, any hole remains, so there was no room for error. I was more than a little nervous as I carefully constructed the jacket, but when the last stitch was sewn, knew it was worth the risk. The result is absolutely beautiful and like nothing else… literally. Since I had never used this colour up to this point and it is discontinued, my client now has a garment unlike any else in the world.

So why does this singularity matter? One reason came to me as I stood in a dressing room line up, wearing essentially the same jean jacket as two of the sales people who were efficiently filing the brand’s devotees into dressing rooms. And that is that we are often grouped by the brands we wear and judged based not only on our personal qualities and style categories, but the values of the companies from which we buy. Described simply it is “She’s like those women who wear that brand of clothing”; an Aritzia woman, a Chanel woman, a Patagonia woman.

I think style categories such as edgy, classic, or bohemian are useful in detecting like minds, but being categorized by our preferred brands can be less helpful, especially when that brand’s values evolve away from ours over time. Often we are draw to certain brands because they emit to others a broader understanding of who we are and offer a sense of belonging. We choose the brands we shop from to convey meaning, but what would it be like to control and self-determine that meaning, much in the way we do when we choose style categories? How empowering would it be to tell your own story, free from the values embedded in our clothes by a group of unknown and out of reach designers and marketers? To define it yourself, in person, with our team? One-of-a-kind garments can give us this freedom of expression that comes from creation and individuality instead of selection and ubiquity because you are a part of the creation process.

Perhaps this isn’t entirely possible even with unbranded custom made clothing, because you are still taking on the values of the individual tailor or the history of the bespoke craft, but it is most definitely a giant leap closer to self definition through style because you are a part of the creation process. What do you think? Do you enjoy the togetherness fashion brands afford, or are you more interested in self determination?

Jacket: Military Motorcycle Jacket, customized with deep green suede, silver hardware, and matching lining and brand label
Makers: Anneke Forbes + Tunde Kolebaba
Photos: Emma Palm