somehow I think men have a harder time sourcing wonderful and different things from smaller brands. almost all of the European brands have websites and can special order and send.
Here are two that cater to men and women
Duret.com for custom bags, belts. DH has two beautiful Duret belts and before the world was locked down, we hoped to travel to Paris and commission a bag for me and shirts for him (charvet).
duret-paris.com
thomas reimer for handmade gloves for men and women.
Handgefertigte Handschuhe | Handgefertigte Ledertaschen | Die besten Leder die es gibt | Handschuhmacher in zweiter Generation | Kostenloser Versand für alle Bestellungen weltweit
www.tr-handschuhe.at
DH and I love John Locke hats. The women’s hats, years ago, were less frou frou and more architectural.
Lock & Co. London: Luxury men's & women's hats for every occasion. Beautifully packaged & sent from the oldest hat shop in the World.
www.lockhatters.com
there are two John Lobb shoes. one is owned by Hermes, the other is a small, prestigious custom shoe maker. The one with the on line website is the Hermes affiliate. The small John Lobb did a small job for DH, He wrote them a thank you note. and, they wrote him a thank you for the note.
DH also loves some bigger brands like ALange & Sohne watches (though a Richmont company), Edward Greene shoes (202 last), Turnbull custom shirts (less fussy than charges as to number of fittings, though charvet MtM is easier), zimmerli underpinnings and pantherElla socks. I do think they are a bit less common than the usual luxury brands in the US, but that’s JMO. Although it’s not our aesthetic, grand seiko handmade and its luxury top end Credor (through Watches of Switzerland)
brunello cuchinelli also has a Mtm and custom bespoke line as well as fine jewelry (Aurum), all of which seems less known than its RTW.
For althetic performance wear, Arc’teryx running gear and ON happiness (Swiss) for shoes and socks
In NY, you used to be able to go to trunk shows at Leffot or the Armoury to see new things ( combine custom sartorial from around the world). And, all over the US, there used to be smaller (than department store) women’s boutiques that would cater to their clientele. . . Ultimo in Chicago, Linda Dresner and Charivari in NY, Wilkes Bashford in San Francisco, and others.
I just discovered Suzanne Belperron jewelry this year. Her archive and designs are owned by Verdura. I think of Belperron as Verdura’s younger, more bohemian sister in style, if not in price. Her chalcedony cuffs (far out of my price range) are gorgeous with eye popping prices, but and carved with a lapidary skill no longer easily found in this day and age.
www.belperron.com
and, for those of us that love older things there is deadstock in almost every label.
