Custom Orders

Looking for Something Custom?

We can do that!

The custom queue is open for the month of March,  or until we have orders for 100 items, whichever comes first.

Each client can order up to three items. (So if you want a Regal belt and a matching Ruff Top, that’s two items.) 

This limitation is in place to help us stay on track with our production estimates and protect a balance between custom work, and the demands of our in-person show season. 

 

Below is an EXTENSIVE FAQ about the process; enjoy!

How This All Works

You may have noticed that online commerce is currently engineered to help you buy as much as possible, as quickly as possible, with as little thought as possible. Our custom work doesn’t translate well to that model, so we’re doing something different. 

Instead of spending months building an intricate purchase flow, so you can have all of the options and no guidance, we’d rather invest in a design consult based process that prioritizes actual connection between client and creator. 

The first step to placing a custom order with us will be booking a half hour consult with Molly to discuss what you have in mind. There is a $50 fee for the consultation, which is then applicable towards any purchase made in the following three months. (So I’m not charging for my time, but I am protecting it.) 

Once you book the consultation, you’ll get a link to the custom order scratch pad where you can share your ideas about what you’d like, what textures and colors of leather you’d like to include or avoid, and give us info about the overall look and vibe you’re going for. 

Based on your scratchpad responses, I’ll then pull some leathers from our library, get some ideas going, etc. 

Then we’ll video chat for half an hour to figure out the details and get the order started. 

What Can I Get?

Basically anything we make in any color or size. Right now, that includes:

Regal Belts - our signature utility belt

Bat Belts - this style is on sabbatical but available for custom orders

Ranger Holsters - our signature pocket holster

Ranger Holster Components - Want a new set of pockets for your current holster or a new set of shoulders? Custom is currently the only way to order these, but we’re happy to make them. 

Thigh Bags- includes bags made to match an existing belt

Sporrans- Sword or Shield style

Ruff tops- Any length, any strap measurement, and LOTS of color options

Wallets, mug frogs, keychains, skirt hikes etc.- yep, you can get these too

 

What Can’t I Get?

The broadest answer to this is “stuff we don’t already make,” but it’s worth stating explicitly that that includes copies of other makers’ designs (yes, we’ve been asked) and anything for a gun, real or otherwise. We don’t have the proper materials or skills, plenty of other folks are already making great products, and honestly, we’re not interested.  It’s not a political statement, we’re just fortunate to be successful enough as makers that we can focus all of our attention on projects that interest us. 

I’ll also state here that we don’t currently make any ::clears throat:: specifically spicy items but that those designs may be coming in the future ;)

How Custom is Custom?

If we’re getting really particular about our phrasing, what we’re offering is more of a made-to-order model with some customization options than truly custom couture fashion. 

This means that you can choose the leathers, the thread colors, the hardware, and the size of anything we make, but we won’t be taking commissions for entirely new products. Now there’s a lot of available add-ons for what we make that have already been designed and priced because we’ve been doing this a while, so there’s a lot more variety available than would show up as available for off the rack. 

Examples of Included Customizations: 

• I want these pockets in these colors

• I want this hardware color (or multiple colors!)

• I want two big pocket sides for my Ranger Holster rather than the standard one large, two small 

• I want a hybrid or non-standard size

• I want the pocket sides on my Regal Belt swapped so the big pocket is on the right

Examples of Optional Add-Ons: 

• I want a chest strap for my Ranger Holster (+$30)

• I want to add a credit card pocket to my Ruff Top (+$20)

• I want to add a patch pocket to my Regal Belt (+$20)

How Much Do Customs Cost?

We don’t charge more for custom orders; the extra cost is your patience. (More on that below.) 

All custom orders will be priced as if they already existed and were available for you to purchase off-the-rack, and in most cases, shipping is a flat $20.

Current Pricing is as follows:

Regal Belts: $350

Ranger Holsters: $400

Ruff Tops: $200-$250 depending on the leathers used

Thigh Bags/Sporrans: $150

Monarch Belts (Regal Belts with Monarch wing applique): $500

Kintsugi Belts (Regal Belts with broken-and-repaired “ceramic” tile motif): $600

(Yes, we can do Monarch and Kinsugi thigh bags and holsters, but I haven’t quite figured out the pricing yet.)

Wallets: $65

Schmancy Mug Frogs: $35

Schmancy Skirt Hikes: $55/pair

*Please note that we are currently working on an examination of our pricing to account for the changes we've made during our first year of owning the business. (Higher quality leathers, more hardware options, equipment investments, things like that…) While we don’t have exact figures yet it is extremely likely that when we begin our event season in April, Regal Belts will be $400 and Ranger Holsters will be $450. Orders placed prior to any pricing changes will not be affected. 

Are There Payment Plans Available?

Yes! 

The initial $50 deposit covers the consult and is non-refundable but can be applied towards the custom or any other order placed within three months of the consult. (This “deadline” can be flexible as long as there’s good communication.) 

If we’re ready to get started, you can pay the remaining balance once the order is finalized and we’ll get it in the queue. 

If you’re ready to finalize the order but need more time to pay, that’s totally fine. A first payment ($50 per piece, separate from the consultation deposit) gets the leather cut and reserved for your order, and then you have six months to pay the remaining balance on whatever schedule you like. (And if life is shenanigans and you need more time, we can generally be pretty flexible as long as you stay in communication.)

But here’s the important thing about the payment plan:

YOU need to keep track of it!!

Our payment plans are basically old school layaways (the kind that department stores used to do before women could have credit cards) so we don’t keep your payment information on file, you don’t get your item before it’s paid off, and there’s no automated system. We offer this option as a courtesy because we’ve all been gig workers and know the hustle of inconsistent income, so we’re happy to give the time, but we can’t take on the additional project of managing your payment schedule.

PLEASE, set whatever reminders on your phone, put sticky notes on mirrors, sharpie it on your arm, whatever method works. You send us what you can, when you can, via Venmo or PayPal (our handle is @krakenwhip on both platforms and the image is our trident logo), keep track of the balance, and give us a ping when it’s paid off. Then we’ll just confirm that everything’s in order, and we’re good to go.

Here are some examples of different situations and payment options: 

• You book a consultation to discuss a belt and ruff combo for a cosplay you’re planning, but not totally sure if you’re ready to order it yet, and want more information about what’s possible. 

– $50 consultation fee, applicable towards purchase for three months.

• You know what you want (or we figure it out through the consult) and you’re ready to go for it, but prefer to pay over time.

– $50 consultation fee, applicable towards purchase for three months, plus any additional payment (minimum $50) which reserves your leathers and gets the order cut.The remaining balance can be paid via Venmo or PayPal over the course of six months, and production will continue when the balance is paid. 

• You know what you want, you’re ready to get it: all systems go! 

- Full balance of your order, minus the $50 deposit that you already paid to book the consultation. Your order enters the custom order queue. 

Heads up that there’s an abandonment clause here! 
If you stop making payments on your order, six months have come and gone, and you don’t respond to any of our Last Call emails or texts, then the order must be considered abandoned. The materials reserved will be put to other uses, and any portion of the balance paid will be retained to compensate for our time and attention.  

How Long Will It Take?

Aye, there’s the rub. 

When Win and I purchased the company in January of 2024, the standard quoted turnaround time for custom orders was six months, and we don’t have much data on how often that expectation was met.  Bright eyed, bushy tailed and full of hubris, we immediately decided to cut that time in half and give a three month estimate for customs. 

We…struggled to hit that target. 

We haven’t had a chance to do a full workup of the numbers, but overall, it looks like very few orders were completed within three months, about a third were completed within four months, the vast majority took roughly five months, and a few outliers, mostly with extenuating circumstances, have taken longer. 

I’d like to estimate four months for the coming year, but please remember that that is an *estimate* and not a guarantee. Over the past year we’ve made dramatic improvements to our workflow, invested in equipment that reduces errors and fatigue, and have even implemented project management software to help us stay on track for production estimates, but I’m just not equipped to predict the future. 

Remember earlier when I said that the extra cost of a custom order is your patience? We’re still a small business with a 12 person crew (including us!) that do everything by hand, in house. I can answer emails and cut customs in the same day, but not at the same time. Win can put the snaps on a ruff top in about four minutes flat (seriously, it’s impressive) but not if he’s building our booth at Faire. Life happens, of course. Folks get sick, sewing machines break, sometimes a batch of leather comes in bad and we have to reorder, and sometimes everyone’s phone goes off at the same time with a TSUNAMI WARNING and we all pile into our cars to sit on a hilltop and contemplate the fragility of our precious mortal lives. (Yes, that actually happened this year!) 

I can’t promise that we’ll be able to complete every custom order we take within four months, but I *can* assure you that we are consistently doing our best. We don’t take custom orders for the profit margin (which is practically impossible at an individual scale anyway) we do them because we genuinely like doing them. It’s fun to get to know our clients individually and make things that we know to be beautiful, useful, and loved. Custom orders feed our creativity and give us chances to try new things and learn new skills. 

We offer them at the same price as off the rack to keep them financially accessible, but when we say “the extra cost is your patience,” it’s not just a cute quip. It’s actually an acknowledgement of the emotional exchange that takes place between a maker and a client. When we take on a custom order, we’re committing our talents, creativity, attention, and care while the balance is paid in your patience and grace for our humanity. 

But What if I Need it for a Special Occasion?

If you’re planning on a piece from us as a key element to a look for a special occasion, I *highly* recommend purchasing a reservation on our production calendar. We cannot agree to a turnaround time shorter than a month without direct contact (i.e. you gotta email us!) but we can make sure that your order is complete by a specific date between a month and four months from your order for a reservation fee of $50 per piece. 

Will My Custom Be One of a Kind?

Yes, and no. 

Due to the handmade nature of our work, and the variations inherent to our materials, no two pieces are *exactly* the same, but ultimately, there won’t be much difference between an all black Regal with antique brass hardware available online versus one that was ordered individually as a custom. 

Some color combos we make regularly, though there’s often small variations like zipper colors, gusset choice etc. between batches, so even if you order a colorway we already make a version of, it’s still pretty likely that yours would have some distinguishing features. 

Now if you happen to want something that we were already planning on making, or I think your custom is a good inspiration for an entire collection, I’ll make sure that yours is still distinct from anything made ready-to-purchase. 

A good example: Last spring when we made the first monarch belts, which were orange and black, someone reached out via Instagram to order the “blue morpho” version for their garb. When we discussed the order, I let them know that I’d already been planning on making a run of blue morpho inspired monarchs with the same leathers we’d just chosen. To keep the custom unique, we decided to stitch their belt in purple and do purple edge painting on the wings while the blue morpho belts I’m working on for the booth will have blue stitching and edge paint. 

Can I See All The Leathers?

No, sorry. I’m an absolute magpie when it comes to leathers, and there are literally thousands of options. I have neither the time to properly document and index the hoard, nor the budget to outsource the task. (And digitizing it is a whole other matter.) 

Suffice to say that if it exists as a leather, we probably have it or can get it. If not and if the design of your dreams necessitates a hoard expanding side-quest, well, lucky me, now I have an excuse to get something new!

So let your imagination off leash when you fill out the scratch pad, and I’ll do my best to make it happen. 

Someday, when we have the big, beautiful, well-lit, studio of our dreams, there will be an impeccably cataloged leather library, complete with a custom Win-built rolling ladder just for singing, but until then, you’ll have to trust me to be your leather sommelier. 

How Do We Get Started?

All this sounds good? Fantastic! Click here to book, and we'll get started.