Digital tools and advanced logistics have opened up new markets to retailers like Hutchinson Scofield, which has connections in Detroit, Los Angeles, Peru, and Scotland.
The company, launched last March, offers custom shirts — with details like French cuffs, shell buttons, and hand-embroidered monograms — online. In 2014, Hutchinson will offer its shirts, priced from $125 to $175, around the world.
“The shirts are handmade in Peru, we fly them into Los Angeles, and then we process them for final delivery in the United States,” says Lians Jadan, a partner and creative director of Hutchinson Scofield. “We’ll offer custom polo shirts and short-sleeve shirts down the road, plus we’ll white-label for other retailers.”
Jadan, a fashion photographer, says the biggest challenge in building the company’s website was figuring an easy way for customers to enter their personal measurements (a video tutorial will be offered in 2014). The company also plans to set up partnerships with tailors for customers who desire personal assistance.
Jadan’s partners include Vinton Bacon, a former vice president with Bank of America, and Steven G. Pitsillos, principal of Roundtable 6, a multifaceted marketing firm in Royal Oak. The name for Hutchinson Scofield came from the maiden names of Bacon’s Scottish grandmothers.
“The other benefit is that we offer free shipping,” Jadan says. “It’s a business we literally built from scratch.” db — R.J. King
