ISO custom-makers of Inverness capes

[KD Burke]

Sir, I believe your expectations are too grand for your budget. Producing an Inverness cape requires several hours of skilled labor plus materials. No artisan worthy of the name will work for less than their time is worth.

The least expensive woolen Inverness cape I am aware of is in the neighborhood of $200. It is mass produced, imported, NOT customizable, and available in only gray tweed.

[Todd Bradshaw]

At some point, I think you have to get real, and no amount of bold, capitalized or italic text changes that fact. The vast majority of those who make custom, one-off products are small businesses. I spent thirty five years building fancy custom sails for boats as such a business and there is unfortunately no way I could have done it without being promptly paid in full when the job was done and the goods were delivered. I have to pay my suppliers for the materials I use, in full and within about 30 days. If I'm lucky, I can get the project done, delivered and paid for within that window. Otherwise, that money comes straight out of my bank account until the customer gets around to paying for the product. When I go to the grocery store, I have to pay on the spot for the food I am buying, so prompt payment for the work that I have done is a priority.

In some cases, this might also require a fairly substantial pre-production deposit to make sure that the customer was actually serious about the job before any materials were purchased or any work begun. This is how you protect yourself as much as you can when you are in a custom shop, bespoke goods situation, like it or not. The fact that you want a custom-built garment is great, but asking the tailor to finance the project is in most cases likely to be a deal-breaker and something that a small custom shop just can't afford to do.

Paying with a credit card might be one way to handle the financial part, where the garment maker gets prompt payment for his or her work and you can make payments as you see fit to the credit card company. Another option would be to make payments to yourself, saving the money until you have enough to order and pay for the cape, but asking the tailor to build a custom garment and finance it until you can pay for it is not very realistic.

[Steve Ashton]

As a maker of custom/bespoke clothing perhaps I can attempt to add some hard reality to this topic.

Sir, may I suggest that you inquire with some fabric stores in your area on the per yard cost of the fabrics that are similar to what you wish your inverness design to be made from.

Then multiply that per yard cost by the amount needed to construct an inverness. (almost 10 yards)
Add the cost of the thread to stitch the seams and whatever fasteners you like.

I am fairly confidant that the cost of the materials alone will exceed your stated budget.

Then inquire with any garment shops in your area of their hourly wage.
Or if you prefer use your own hourly wage?

Then multiply that hourly wage by the number of hours needed to complete a project like this. (20-30 man-hours)

Again, I am fairly certain that you will have exceeded your stated budget - in labor cost alone.

To give you some real world numbers - for the last inverness made in my shop, the cost in just materials and labor was $1285.00. To that, a retail shop would have to add a percentage of their overhead for machine maintenance, insurance, keeping the lights on and the water running.

At a minimum, for one-off, custom design and sewing, most shops would ask for an up-front deposit equal to the cost of the materials with payment in full on delivery. This is not an unreasonable standard in the industry.

Perhaps you would be able to get a recommendation for a home-based amateur with a love of sewing through your local High School, Community College or Trade School with a fashion design curriculum. Perhaps a young person, who is talented, but still trying to establish their name in the fashion design industry.

Perhaps you could widen your search to include websites and social media on general sewing/dressmaking. There are thousands, if not hundreds of thousands, of amateur sewers who may be able and willing to meet your requirements.

[Highland Logan]

The desired pricing for the Inverness cape sought is relatively modest--not higher in United States dollars (USD$) than three hundred (300) in all.
This can then be paid by hire-and-purchase installments.
PRIMARY consideration is here being given to those whose incomes are fixed, as is that of this user.

Being as what you want a non-regulation regulation, you need to remember, this isn't like building a Colonial blaster.

Frank

[Pleater]

If anyone were to offer to do the work, I'd view them with some suspicion, as the normal response would be something like 'champagne tastes at lemonade prices'.

It is not unusual for custom made garments to be undervalued by those who would like to own one. I was offered all of 20pounds for an English smock I made which would not have bought the (handmade) buttons.

For this commission, to buy the materials, generate a custom sized pattern in the style required, cut and construct the garment, post it off, and then be paid in instalments - no professional person could work like that, even if the price was realistic.

Anne the Pleater

[Parker Gabriel]

Out of both line and turn.
Hereby apologizing for all of this.
Will most likely have to search privately, that is all.

[Steve Ashton]

Perhaps the problem is that this may be nothing more than simply the wrong venue for your inquiry. That is why myself and others have tried to assist you and have pointed you to alternate venues.

X Marks is the world's oldest, largest, and most active on-line community dedicated to the kilt.

As laid out in our mission statement - "This is a Kilt Forum. Our members come here to learn about, discuss and share a love for the kilt. This is not a general Scottish culture forum nor is it a general highland wear forum, just as it is not an alternative men's fashion forum. We keep our focus on the kilt. It is what brings us here and what makes this forum unique in the world."

While Inverness capes are sometimes, worn by some, with the kilt, they are a totally different garment.

If you had inquired after an amateur kilt maker, to sew you a custom kilt, on time payments, for the same amount of money, you would probably have been met with a totally different response.

As it is, there seems to be no one here who is an amateur with a sewing machine, and an interest in making the inverness you ask about, under the conditions you stated, at the price you quoted.

It is, to my mind, about the same as if you posted to a integrated circuit board design forum asking for someone to come wire your garden shed. Yes they are both subjects that deal with electricity. But totally different skill sets and interests.

[Parker Gabriel]

I am very sorry. This post has been removed.

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