Leather jackets are intriguing to me, but I’ve never come close to taking the plunge of getting one. I’ve always been unsure if I could “pull it off” – I often see them looking great on others, but haven’t felt ready myself. After all, I’ve heard leather jackets compared to tattoos – either go all in and get something nice and totally own it, or don’t do it at all. With that said, my thoughts on leather jackets (and my interest in owning one) has begun to evolve when Stoffa launched their outerwear collection last year.
Stoffa is the brainchild of Agyesh Madan, who previously did product development for Italian powerhouse Isaia. His passion for textiles led him to start his own brand, where he could focus on a small collection of well though-out pieces. Stoffa’s abbreviated and focused collection covers several product categories, but the suede jackets have garnered the most attention (at least from me). Other categories include scarves, fur hats, made-to-measure trousers, leather goods, and more – the selection may seem random, but everything plays surprisingly well together (if you don’t believe me, just check out Stoffa’s Instagram account). It’s clear that a lot of thought went into each item and how it would sit next to the others in the collection.
One of the aspects that makes Stoffa unique is their approach to made-to-measure clothing. Unlike many made-to-measure houses that tout their seemingly limitless combinations of fabrics and style details, Stoffa offers only a small collection of patterns and textiles. Although this approach may seem limiting to some, I much prefer it. By keeping the design options focused and abbreviated, I think it’s easier to create a better product. After all, Agyesh clearly knows what he’s doing and has put a good amount of thought into these products, so to me it makes quite a bit of sense to have him provide guidance by selecting the products and materials that will work best.
My personal favorite from the collection is the flight jacket, especially in dark brown suede. I think it has a great balance of coolness and wearability; the shorter length and large, shapely collar give it some attitude, while the more subtle material and classic styling keep it grounded and not too far in the “statement piece” direction. This is something I could see wearing with denim, chinos, and perhaps even with slim gray trousers if I really felt like getting wild.
The asymmetric jacket is awesome as well, although it requires a couple more cool points to pull off and is probably less suited to my lifestyle. It has some cinches at the side as well as a couple zippers and a hidden button so that it can be worn in many different ways. Again, the collar has a ton of panache and gives the jacket some great presence. It looked great in all the suede colors that I saw but looked especially badass in navy.
There’s also an field jacket in the collection that I quite like, although I just have too many similar things in my own collection to consider it for myself. For those that have yet to try field jackets, I think it’s a great option. It fits a bit roomier so that it can be worn over a sportcoat (of course, since everything is MTM it can be made to your size specifications). In my opinion, the field jacket is probably the simplest piece to wear.
The fourth silhouette is a longer overcoat. While I think having it made up in suede is a bit too “badass”, it works wonderfully in wool or cotton. The subtle darts and button placement makes for a very pared down and handsome piece.
As I alluded to above, I should note that there are several other ranges of material for outerwear outside of suedes, some being much cheaper. For instance, there are some waterproof cotton fabrics that look great as a field jacket or trench. All are held to the same high standards as the suedes and are available in a similarly limited selection of colors.
For pricing, your best bet is to email Agyesh directly if you have something specific in mind. With that said, the asymmetric jacket in suede starts around $1300 and the flight jacket is $1500 (significantly less if you choose a cotton fabric instead of leather). The trunaround time is quite fast, usually around 3-4 weeks. All Stoffa products are made in Italy.
Currently, Agyesh frequently travels to San Francisco, Los Angeles, New York, London, and Stockholm (a grueling travel circuit, with more cities to be added). Made-to-measure products can only be purchased at these shows, so the brand will be less accessible to those not near these areas. Agyesh knows that he’s isolating some potential clients with this approach, but thinks that it’s critical that he interact with all the MTM customers in order to create the best result. I tend to agree – I find that the quality of a MTM product is almost completely contingent on the skill of the person conducting the fitting. With Agyesh’s method, you’re guaranteed to have the best experience.
Thanks to Agyesh for chatting with me about his brand and for supplying some photos!
