SPONSORED PROFILE: ASTON LEATHER’S CUSTOM-MADE SHEARLINGS ARE A RETAILER’S DREAM

With customization being all the rage in all categories of menswear, we are delighted to have discovered some gorgeous custom-made shearling, leather and goat suede outerwear from Aston Leather. In business since 1989, Aston’s top-quality skins are from France, Spain and the U.S. but all pattern making, cutting and sewing is done in their Brooklyn-based workshop by their 35 talented artisans.

Sales manager Greg Provenzano explains how it works: Aston ships sample garments to your store in sizes 40-48, with several alternate swatches for each model. They also train your store’s sales associates to take four to five measurements so your clients can customize five different shearling and goat suede coat models, ranging from bombers and blazers to parkas and full-length styles. Wholesale prices range from $300-$725 for the finest skins; the finished coat is shipped in a week, satisfaction guaranteed. And at the end of the season, samples can be returned to Aston or sold at a price.

The beauty of this process? Big-ticket sales with no inventory; beautiful product with impeccable customer service. Says Robert Harrison from Puritan on Cape Cod (this year celebrating 100 years in business), “The Aston program enabled us to be in the shearling business with an excellent product and virtually no inventory. They make great coats and stand behind their product: we had a couple of pieces that needed size adjustments and they followed through perfectly.”

And from retailer Nick Hilton in Princeton, New Jersey, “We sold about 15 Aston coats this season, our first season trying the product. That’s a lot of leather coats for a store our size, and without the inventory load or any markdowns whatsoever! Truly a retailer’s dream. Three of their models sold especially well for us: a full shearling, a goat suede blazer, and a shortish blouson. Their service, delivery time and responsiveness were great. We also sold a couple of women’s coats which our salesman, Greg Provenzano, showed customers at our trunk show. All in all, dealing with Aston was a totally positive experience, one we expect to repeat as often as possible.”

Says Britt Fulmer at Gentry Limited in Wichita, Kansas, “The Aston custom program was a very pleasant surprise. Actually, it was a no-lose proposition since they sent in the samples free of charge. By having our customer try on a size or two and then taking several measurements, we were able to order coats that fit our clients perfectly. I was also impressed with the turnaround time: normally within a couple of weeks. It’s a great quality product at a very competitive price, a winner that we’ll definitely continue for fall ’19.”

And from Bruce Levitt at Mur-Lee’s on Long Island, New York, “We’ve run Aston’s custom program for a few years, and I must say the quality is excellent, and the turnaround time is lightning quick. Aston’s president Adam Metin is extremely helpful with fit issues: he is an expert at what he does and always ensures a perfect fit.”