Tailor Goes Beyond Bespoke
After more than 20 years making bespoke suits for A-listers, veteran tailor David August Heil gave himself a proverbial look in the mirror and thought, “If I could do this business again, what would I do different?”
The answer was shirting.
“Men are not wearing suits in the volume they used to,” August said. “But everyone has to wear a shirt.” In October, he will debut Koi by David August, an entry-level shirting line for David August, his Costa Mesa, Calif.–based company, which has made bespoke suits, or luxury suits from scratch, for a long list of newsmakers such as Sylvester Stallone, Robert Downey Jr. and Seattle Seahawks head coach Pete Carroll.
Heil reasons that if men are buying only one suit at a time, they are buying multiple shirts and things that go with the shirt. However, he is also gambling that men will be intrigued by Koi’s mix of detailed bespoke quality and his company’s version of American convenience.
The Koi shirting will be constructed in Italy. But a Koi representative will take the customer’s measurements so the shirt will fit perfectly. Then the customer will be presented with myriad of choices that come with making a custom-made shirt. There’s the color of the shirt to consider. Does the client want permanent collar stays on the shirt? Longer shirting tails? Pleating on the back? Epaulets? Perhaps French cuffs? If the shirt is casual, does the client want safari pockets?
For the line’s debut, retail and wholesaling will not be part of Koi’s business plan. Rather, a group of Heil’s representatives, forecasted to be a total of 100 persons by 2014, will visit clients at offices or homes and take measurements for Koi shirts at those places.
Measurements can also be taken at Heil’s Costa Mesa studio, which is filled with mementos from high-profile clients, such as USC football helmets from the Pete Carroll era. However, Heil is betting that people would prefer a salesperson to visit them instead of going to a store.
“We want to give them a convenience factor at an entry-level price point for a high-end line,” Heil said.
He did not reject the possibility that eventually he would build a Koi store or wholesale the line.
Retail price points for Koi shirting will range from $220 to $495. Koi also will offer ties, pocket squares, cufflinks and belts. Retail price points will range from $85 to $125 for ties, $125 to $295 for cufflinks and $125 to $395 for belts.
Entry-level shirts for the higher-level David August line start at $395. Heil said the less expensive price point will help the brand last for a long time. —Andrew Asch
