PROFILE: Kevin S.
IG: @babyboyque
By Kevin S.
One of the joys of running FITTED is creating jeans for people who otherwise may not find great fitting denim. Kevin is 6'4", can probably bench press me, and is one of the most knowledgeable guys about fashion and denim you'll ever meet. I had the pleasure of making him a pair of customs in October. Today he's a good friend. Here's his story.
"At an early age, I was an above average sized person. I had to purchase all of my clothing and footwear in adult sizes by 12 years old. This came at a great financial cost to my single mother. The availability for age appropriate clothing was non existent and it was not easy being the big kid in school in the Bronx in the late 80’s. My size garnered unwarranted attention.
In retrospect limited funds, size options, and lack of age appropriate clothing created the perfect storm to develop my architectural outfitting. New York City in the early 90’s brought a phase in urban fashion that I followed lock and step: baggy pants and military jackets with the M-65 and MA-1, and workwear - specifically Carhartt. At that time, clothing availability was plentiful.
As my personal finances grew in my 20’s, so did my quest to be the best dressed. I became a typical fashion victim, and I focused more on name brands than quality. After years of being “one and done” with clothing, I realized the waste of tossing out trendy seasonal clothing when its not hot anymore.
Buying denim in particular has been a daunting task. I am hard to please and, in order to find the specific details I want, I’m usually forced to go the custom route. I was thorough in my search to find the right company to customize my denim desires, so it took a few months.
Searching the bottomless abyss (also known as Instagram Explorer) I happened to find FITTED Underground. I'm a big supporter of local businesses and also value the opportunity to meet a company's founder. After perusing FITTED's website, I decided to contact Customer Service via email. I was shocked when I received a response within a half hour from the owner! Eric and I exchanged emails and decided to meet at his workshop the following week to get fitted.
When I went to FITTED's workshop, I was impressed with the “no frills” decor, bolts of fabric neatly placed on shelves, and the dozen machines used to create the denim masterpieces. I knew immediately I was in the right place with a craftsman who was serious about his work.
Eric pointed me to some ready made examples of his work on display and I decided on the fabric of my choice - the 16oz Nihon Menpu dark indigo selvedge. I expressed to Eric my concerns about being a hard fit, but without any hesitation he said he can made exactly what I wanted. Eric took my measurements with a fit sample, made a few adjustments, saved my measurements and like that the custom denim order was complete.
My first order with Eric felt like visiting an old friend. We had some small talk about products and a brief rundown on why I chose his company. Eric is extremely knowledgeable about all of his products and can defuse the skepticism of a first time venturer who wouldn't normally dive into high end denim. However, I am no neophyte to the selvedge denim world and was joyful to find someone who cares about his customers.
The day that I went to pick up my new jeans, I took two of my children with me. They are 8 and 5 with the energy of a category 5 tornado. I warned Eric about what was about to be unleashed at his workspace, and he was more than excited. He took the time to show them all of his machines and how they worked. My children were so intrigued about his operation, it was amazing! He really has a way with people - even now my children request to visit FITTED Underground.
When Eric unveiled his denim masterpiece, he was just as excited as I was. I went to try them on and, bang, right on the money. Custom jeans with a perfect fit, no adjustments needed. Just like a kid with a new toy, I wore my customs right out of the workshop."
Photo credit: @dyeandfade