PROFILE: John S
IG: @newenglandmenswear

By John S.

It's fun working with someone who knows exactly what they want. When one of my earliest customers introduced us, I knew John was one of those people. He was clear about his choice in fits and fabrics, and that clarity shows in his classic cool New England style. Every time I see him rocking his J13 Dark Matter's, I feel joy, which is how your clothes should make you feel when it all comes together.

More about his experience from the man himself...

"I had been wearing raw denim for a few years, and jeans for my entire life, yet I’d never owned a pair of black denim. As a result, when a friend put me in contact with Eric from FITTED Underground, I jumped at the chance to get the denim and exact fit that I wanted.

I told Eric I was hoping for a double black denim. He had just the thing; a 13oz Japanese red-line double black selvedge denim made from Zimbabwean cotton.

With the denim selected, there was only one thing that stood in our way; the fact that I was living 3100 miles away from Brooklyn in Oregon. However, I flew home for the holidays and on my last day on the East Coast – literally hours before I was flying out - I stopped by his workshop to get fitted.

That's when I met Eric in person for the first time. Apart from making a fantastic pair of jeans, he's an extremely good dude that was easy to talk to and hang out with. Those qualities make the fitting experience relaxed and comfortable, which in turn allows you to really get what you’re looking for.

Eric gave me a tour of his shop: I was able to check out the machines that make a pair of jeans; I saw rolls upon rolls of different fabrics, threads for stitching, pocket bag materials, rivets, buttons, and leather patches. I was particularly impressed by the indigo-dipped leather patches that Eric had just developed.

The fact that the founder was showing me around and going through each detail made a huge difference. It’s said that there isn’t a better salesman than the maker of a product, and that’s completely true.  Eric is so in-tune with the details that go into making a pair of his jeans that it’s impossible to not get swept up in appreciating all the minutiae; from the Brooklyn-Bridge arcuate design to the tonal stitching.

After checking out the full workshop and going over the details, it was time to get fitted. We got the waist locked in by trying two samples and comparing which fit  better.  With the waist size picked, I was able to consider a range of front and back rise options. We settled on a mid-high rise, with a slightly higher back rise than normal.  

After that, we examined what type of leg I was looking for. I was able to check out straight, tapered and slim legs. The beauty of the fitting process was that I was actually able to take a top block fit that I enjoyed, and mix it with a lower-half fit that Eric and I customized just for me.  

I knew that I wanted a pair of black denim with a slightly aggressive taper, but definitely didn’t want anything that strangled my calves or knees. In order to make that happen, we decided on a fit that tapered gently to the knee, but more pronounced after the calf. The result was a leg fit that follows my silhouette from top to bottom. It's a slimmer fit that is so desirable with black denim, but without it looking like spray-on leggings.

After the fitting, I flew home and waited for Eric to assemble and send out the jeans. I was a little nervous; I had never had a pair of pants actually made-to-measure and didn’t know how they’d actually turn out.  Once I got the jeans showed up (in an insanely respectable timeframe), those fears were totally allayed. These are, without a doubt, the best fitting denim I have ever gotten.  The construction is beautiful, the fit is exactly what I was hoping for, and the weight makes these wearable year-round, which is exactly what I plan to do.

The experience I had with Eric and FITTED Underground was spectacular.  Being able to dial in every detail of a pair of denim exactly how you want is something that needs to be experienced to truly appreciate.  I can’t recommend going in and getting fitted enough. The only issue now is trying to select what the next pair will be!"