The Process of Making a Custom Order - Bespoke Passport Holder

I often get asked: how is the process of ordering a custom leather good like? So here it goes.

In this post, we will be taking a look at the process one of my clients and I went through in order to design the custom product of his dreams.

A few weeks ago, a client from Nicaragua approached me with a Bespoke Product inquiry and a Custom Painting as well.

The client knew he wanted a passport holder, with two extra pockets for cards and perhaps an extra cash pocket. He also wanted his family’s emblem painted on the passport holder.

He sent me this picture as for the painting he wanted.

After exchanging a few messages, I realized how difficult describing an idea and making sure the person at the other end understands it is. Thus, I decided to sketch all the design information that I had so far. Luckily, he liked it at first sight which eased the process. This is not supposed to be a professional sketch but it is honest enough to give the client a strong understanding of where the project is going.

From the various inquiries that I have had so far, I found out that the more visual the material in the conversation was, the faster the understanding and the convergence of ideas. Thus, every time a client approaches me with the will to make a custom product, I send pictures of the leathers, draw sketches... 

The design was decided, so now we needed to choose the skins and colors. It was already clear the client wanted some orange/yellow leather since these were her favorite colors. So we settled on a Bubble Michigan for the exterior of the product.

Now we had to determine which skin and color to put in the inside of the Passport Holder. I sent these pictures of the Bubble Michigan next to other skins in order for the client to grasp the tonal contrast and choose his preference.

The client chose the marine blue interior. 

Once I had all this information, I was able to start crafting the project. 

This client in particular trusted me with choosing some small details like the thread color, the pricking iron width, edge paint color and so on. But other clients are much involved in all the tiny details and they enjoy the process of making their very own bespoke product. After crafting the custom passport holder, I started the painting of the family’s emblem.

Here are some close-up pictures of the finished product.

All in all, I think that making a customized product for a client is a unique experience where both the client and the artisan have to be at ease and help each other. It is a very enjoyable and exciting adventure for both parties. I have noticed that some clients particularly enjoy having several updates and receive pictures of their in-the-making creation.

I hope you found this article interesting!

If you would like to discuss about a potential custom project, please feel free to contact me.

Make sure to check out our Instagram for more bespoke projects ideas, videos and much more.

Yours stitchfully

Nicolas Grinda