RETURN OF THE SAMURAI Ready for your next sartorial ‘hai!’? We’ve refined our ‘Made in Japan’ Custom suits proposition, offering a wider selection of premium fabrics and launched a new, quicker made-to-measure ‘Classics Custom’ service.
Nestled amongst the lush, green foothills of Mount Murone in the Iwate prefecture of Japan is M.J. Bale’s Custom suit-making workshop. Here, under the leadership of Master Tailor, Kaneko, are a passionate group of experienced Japanese tailors making hand-finished Custom suits for our more discerning customers. “We take pride in seeing customers happy with our product and appreciative of the quality of the materials and construction,” explains Kaneko, adding all M.J. Bale Custom suits feature hand-sewn arm holes and collars. “We could use a machine to finish these details, but we choose to hand finish the garments, because when the customer wears them, they can feel the difference.” Every M.J. Bale Custom suit is the result of at least 50 hours of workmanship here in Iwate, built to the customer’s exact measurements and specifications. ‘Samurai Suiting’ aficionados have the possibility to choose between thousands of premium, exclusive fabrics woven at the world’s top heritage weaving mills, including the centuries-old flannel fabric specialists, Fox Brothers, located in Somerset, England. 28
Customers can also select a wide variety of their own personalised details, including buttons, lapel widths, lining, canvasses and monogrammed initials. “Our hard work continues our very important tradition and technique of which we are proud,” says Kaneko. “I think this is the Japanese spirit.” For those customers wanting similar personalised sartorial options but at a more accessible price point, we have relaunched our made-tomeasure Classics Custom suiting. Classics Custom now boasts a swifter tailoring service (4 weeks minimum) and luxurious fabrics on offer from Italian weaving legends, Loro Piana and Vitale Barberis Canonico. In addition, we have re-launched our M.J. Bale made-to-measure Classics Custom shirt service with elegant cotton fabrics from Thomas Mason in Bergamo, Italy. Classics Custom shirts are supremely constructed and feature regular, slim, super-slim and samurai fits. Is it time to say ‘hai!’ to M.J. Bale Custom? We think so.