J.Hilburn Newsroom

Author: Erin Murphy

  • Understanding Factory Production Tolerances

    Production Tolerances are set by a manufacturer in order to determine whether a product meets a specified quality standard. Tolerances are decided upon by manufacturers based on multiple factors. A quick google search on Production Tolerances explains the type of things that are considered when a factory decides upon their tolerance standards:

    “Production tolerances are typically a function of a number of variables, including the type of dimension (mass, length, position, etc.), the magnitude of the dimension, the material used, the manufacturing process, and the equipment used in that process (as well as the skill and expertise of the provider of the process).”

    Manufacturers use these variables to develop reasonable tolerance ranges for each point of measure in which they must check in the Quality Control (QC) Process. For example, let’s say that our tolerance that our manufacturers use for custom woven dress shirt cuff size is 1/8”. This means that a cuff can be produced up to 1/8” larger or smaller than the ordered cuff size and fall within an acceptable range and meets our Quality Control (QC) standards. The shirt has then passes inspection and is ready for the next step in the manufacturing process.

    Should tolerances be considered for custom products?

    Every manufactured product in the world requires a set of tolerances. Good manufacturers strive to provide consistent high-quality garments by producing within reasonable tolerances. Great manufacturers are always working to innovate their processes to raise the industry bar for QC standards, including tolerance ranges. At J.Hilburn, we seek to strive for high quality control standards and workmanship from our carefully selected garment manufacturers.

    For more information about our factory production tolerances, please reach out to the Fit Advice team.

  • Digital & Virtual Appointments: Get to know J.Hilburn.com

    Use this checklist to prepare for your digital and virtual appointments

    1. Log in to the Greenroom and find your Client’s profile.
    2. At the top right, you will see the following icon which will bring you to your Client’s personal URL on J.Hilburn.com to start the shopping process:

    Since you’ve created an account through the Green Room for your Client, you’ll need to send him a link to “reset” his password to become Active

    1. Complete the steps above under “Logging in as your Client on .com”
    2. Click on the icon in top right corner of .com, then click 
    3. Click “Forgot Your Password?” so that the Client will be emailed a password reset email to the email address that you used when creating his Green Room account.
    4. Once the Client creates or resets his password, he will then become Active, which links his J.Hilburn.com and Green Room account.

    Key Looks can be found under Shop on the J.Hilburn.com home page

    If a Client likes a Key Look, you can click on the image, which will take you to a new window with a breakdown of each outfit.

    From here, you can shop all items in the outfit by clicking on each to customize and add to your Client’s Cart.

    If an item is customized with styling options, make sure to add to your Client’s Cart so that all styling and personalization options will be saved. Adding an item as a Favorite will not save any styling or personalization options. 

    If your digital appointment is with a new Client, make sure he has gone through TAPE so that he has Product Profiles and so that you can style and personalize each item.

    Note: You can do this with existing Client’s closets or with a fake Client ID to practice by making a fake account in your Green Room with a fake email address

    To view styling and personalization options for each product category, go to Style Guides from the J.Hilburn home page.

    Each page is interactive, so you can select each styling or personalization component to view the available options.

    • Put together a sportcoat and shirt combination and add it to the Client’s closet.
    • Put together a sportcoat and shirt and select the styling options. Add it to the Client’s basket and “send to Stylist”.
    • Find the full list of styling options for each product category.
    • Open multiple products in different tabs on your web browser and practice navigating between multiple tabs.
    • Practice navigating between different product categories.
    • Practice virtual appointments with a member of your team or with someone in your household.
    • Send a Style Board with product suggestions to your Clients.
    • Add a few items to your Client’s closet.
    • Create fake Client Profiles by using a fake email address. (Stylist Care/Fit Advice can help you delete these accounts afterward.)
    • Practice going through TAPE virtually.
    • Practice with Stylist Care and Fit Advice! We are here to help answer any questions and to practice with you. The more you practice, the more confident you will become with virtual appointments.

  • How To: Submit an Alteration Reimbursement Request

    We are THRILLED to announce the launch of our new Alteration Reimbursement Process, now LIVE in the Green Room!

    Now these alterations can be recorded in the Client’s profile for reference on future orders. Please follow this easy step-by-step guide to learn how to submit an Alteration Reimbursement.

    Click here to view our Alteration Reimbursement Policy.

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  • Alteration Reimbursement Policy

    Looking to have a Client’s order altered by a tailor?

     A few things to keep in mind: 

    1. We are able to reimburse up to our maximum amount per product category (shown below) with a valid receipt within 90 days of the ship date. 

    2. If you think that an item in your Client’s order may have been produced incorrectly, please reach out to Fit Advice before altering. We will not be able to to reimburse for alterations above our maximums unless confirmed as being produced incorrectly by Fit Advice. 

    3. Each Client has a Maximum Total Reimbursement amount per clothing category, per Client Lifetime. Here are the maximums:

    • Shirt: $50
    • Trouser: $75
    • Jacket: $100
    • Polo: $50
    • Casual Bottom: $75
    • Outerwear: $100
    • Denim: $20 per item

    Below is a list of alterations that we can match at the factory on a future order. We highly encourage you to only alter within the below options in order to ensure that you can order an item that fits the same way on a future order.

    Custom Sportcoats

    • Waist/hip alteration of 1” or 2” total
    • Lengthening or shortening the sleeves in 0.25” increments
    • Neck roll reduced by 0.25”
    • Shortening the Sportcoat length 1″

    Custom Trousers & Casual Bottoms

    • Increasing or decreasing the waist in 1” increments
    • Increasing or decreasing the hip in 1” increments
    • Hemming the outseam in increments of 0.5”
    • Taper the knee-to-leg opening 1” or 2”

    Custom Shirting

    While we can replicate the majority of alterations, here is a list of adjustments we cannot offer at the factory level at this time: 

    • Adding a snap button to the collar
    • Pocket placement other than our factory specification
    • Monogram added at locally

    Custom Outerwear

    • Waist/hip alteration of 1” or 2” total
    • Lengthening or shortening the sleeves in 0.25” increments for Top and Car coats

    Custom Knits

    • Shortening the Length of the MTM
    • Shortening the Sleeve Inseam within the range offered for the MTM chest size

    RTW Denim

    • Because our denim is Ready-To-Wear, we are only able to reimburse for altering the hem. 

    We want to ensure that the changes you are making can be re-created for your Client’s future orders. Some Clients will require further alterations that we cannot offer at the factories.  We strive to provide the best experience with clothing while maintaining our affordable price points. If you ever have any questions regarding alterations, please reach out to fitadvice@jhilburn.com!

    *Updated 8/13/2018

  • Garment Care | Custom Shirting

    Here at J.Hilburn, we want your Clients to love our garments as much as we do. Part of that love and appreciation starts with how you care for your clothing. Below are some tips that we strongly recommend following in order to increase the life span and wearability of our Custom Shirting.

    #1: WASH BEFORE WEAR

    Upon receiving his first shirting order, we recommend that your Client wash the garment prior to confirming fit and ordering more Custom Shirts. There may be some slight changes to the fit for the first 3-5 washes.

    #2: KEEP IT COOL

    Wash shirts in cold water and hang to dry, rather than taking them to the cleaners. We suggest this for all of our shirting. Since most of our shirt fabrics are 100% cotton, we allot for some shrinking that is most commonly seen in the collar and cuffs over the course of several launderings. Cleaning shirts with high heat can cause additional shrinkage and will decrease the life of the product.

    #3: HOLD THE STARCH

    Starch and the harsh chemicals used during the dry cleaning process break down fabric fibers over time. If your Client does choose to take his shirts to the dry cleaner, we suggest requesting that they be laundered in cold water (rather than hot) and hand-pressed (rather than machine-pressed). These options will help retain the fit, fabric life, and design aspects of your Client’s Custom Shirts.

    What about Non-Iron Shirts?

    We suggest following the same laundering instructions for our Non-Iron Shirting. Hang dry or tumble dry low. While low heat in the dryer is not needed to activate Non-Iron performance, the low heat can remove initial wrinkles and leave a Non-Iron Shirt looking crisp and ready to wear.

    Click here to view our Custom Shirting & MTM Suiting Garment Care PDF>>