I’m going to call this a Situational F.A.Q post. Some of these questions are always present, I just can’t respond to every question at this point. So here goes, I’ll start with the Big Ones…
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Q. How long will it take to receive my jacket?
At this point, I can’t begin to answer this question. I will update it when things settle down, but at this very moment, I have sent out about 50 order forms. Since then I have received 900 emails. That’s since Thursday. Nine Hundred.
I’m doing my best to answer them, but I am also trying to catch up on the orders I had before releasing the Kenway, as well as getting ready for NYCC. So it will take me some time.
I have also hired 4 sewists, who are all now in training, which could take 6 weeks, and most won’t be able to be full time. And I am hiring a dedicated fabric cutter, who also needs to be trained. My method for estimating production time was based on my own capacity. I have no idea what my new capacity will be with 5 workers. I have no way of guessing how long production time will be. And I have no idea how many of these new emails will become orders. But, to give you an idea, last time I posted something that people were excited about, I received 50 emails in as much time. I am currently facing a rush 10 times more intense than anything I have faced so far.
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Q. I sent you a request for an order form, why haven’t I received an answer yet?
See the above answer. I will get to you. I am not going to ignore any of the emails I have received, I will answer them as soon as I can. I assure you, I have already received more orders than I can ship before Oct 30th. But the Kenway jacket will look good without having to be associated with the game.
I provided info@volantedesign.us on the original post for Kenway. I will not send order forms to anyone who contacts my other email addresses or through Facebook. I need to keep myself organized.
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Q. What colors does it come in?
There are two types of jackets that I make, sweatshirts, and non-sweatshirts. At this point, the sweatshirts are limited to ANY combination of white, red, black, and grey. On the other hand, Jackets like the Kenway, and the Modern Armor, are available in any combination of any color. I buy fabric specific to what has been ordered. If I ever have any difficulty finding that which has been requested, I will open a dialogue directly with the customer, and work out an alternative.
I have seen many questions regarding the Kenway jacket and what colors are available. My suggestion would be, if you are going to order it, pick a color scheme that you like. One that you will wear, long after the game has lost popularity. Think about what you normally wear, what your favorite colors are, and customize it in that direction. If you never wear white, don’t order it in white. I make these jackets as sturdy as I can, and I want to make sure the purchase you make is one you will love, even when the next game comes out, and the costume is completely different.
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Q. Do you ship to the UK/Brazil/Singapore/Mars, etc.?
Yes. I will gladly ship anywhere. Cost varies, but largely it does not cost more than 45USD on the high end. Usually it is closer to 25/35USD, or 15 to Canada/Mexico. If you do in fact live on Mars, I will ship out your order with the next Rover they send out. Delivery time: TBD.
If you fill out the order form, and are unable to find your country when paying, send me and email, and I will add it to the options.
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Q. Your stuff is awesome, will you do custom designs based on my favorite series/Mass Effect?
The short: yes. To be more clear though, I love to do custom work. It is the reason I started this business. That said, custom orders are currently closed. I have a few that I took on over the summer, that I will be chipping away at, once I have a good system for producing my current order quantity. But until then I can’t take on more custom work.
As for Mass Effect. Yes, it is awesome. Yes, I could really get some good inspiration out of it, and even do the designs justice, because it is right down my alley—which is currently under construction to become a 4-lane highway. And yes, someday I will act on it. Right now, I’ve got hordes of Assassins banging at my door, and once I’ve placated them, I’ve got slightly more patient mutants and superheroes waiting who have been endlessly patient with me.
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Q. Can you add pockets to the original designs?
I would be willing to add internal pockets to the designs, but since my jackets are tailored and fitted, there isn’t a whole lot of room for tons of them. And because of the time it takes to cut fabric, iron interfacing, and make the pocket, I have to charge $20 per pocket. Part of that fee being compensation for pushing back the next order.
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Q. What about other adjustments to the original design?
For other adjustments, the concept is the same, but more limited. I will consider anything that is requested, but it will cost extra, or it may not be possible. Often an adjustment that seems simple becomes a significant change to the pattern design, and practically makes it a different pattern.
For example: Making the Kenway tails longer. It seems easy enough, just add fabric, right? Actually, because the tails can be turned back and buttoned up, or let free to hang, the design required some engineering. It needs to fold back, and line up with the split in the tail, so that it will fold right. Which means the angle of the bottom needs to be measured and adjusted to be exactly twice the angle it will need to be when folded, otherwise it will look terrible. It took several iterations to get the tails right on the prototype, and messing with that balance, runs the risk of the whole thing not working.
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Q. I can’t afford to buy one of your jackets, would you be willing to send/sell me the pattern so I can make one for myself?
No. I’m sorry, I understand the plight of being a college student, or having just graduated, or being unemployed. I was on unemployment until I started this business. I cannot sell you my patterns. Even if I were willing to sell my pattern, it would be far more expensive than the actual piece, because I would have to cover myself in case of theft. The only entity I would be even remotely interested in selling to would be Ubisoft itself, but that’s another story.
I know you want to promise only to use it to make one, for yourself, and never again. But unfortunately, I can’t afford to trust that. Sorry.
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Q. Can the Kenway jacket be ordered in leather? How much?
I looked into it. Material costs for leather would be approximately $300, perhaps more. Add that to labor, and you’ve got at least a $700 jacket. That is assuming I was an experienced leather worker. Unfortunately I am not. I have no experience working with leather, nor do I not have the equipment to do it right. I’m sorry, but at this point, I can not make anything out of leather.
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Q. How long will [product] be available for order?
All of my products have an unlimited life-span. As long as I am making clothing, anything I have designed will be available for order. Barring extenuating circumstances. But for now, don’t worry about it.
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Q. Does it come in black?
This was answered above but, yes. I will make anything in black. If you want it to be black, I’ll make it black, with black accents and black thread. Black lining. Black zippers. I will make you into the night.
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Q. After a jacket is bought, considering it is tailored to the purchaser, could you later retailor the jacket in case I start working out/lose weight?
I will gladly retailor for a price. It is harder to add fabric, but if you are open to modifications, it is manageable.
If I make you something that doesn’t fit right, and it is a fault of my own work, I will make adjustments free of charge.
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Q. Is the Kenway available with buttons instead of zippers?
I want to say no, because without a $5k buttonhole machine, buttons are expensive, and buttonholes take forever to make. But instead, like the other design adjustments, it is possible at an as yet undetermined additional price.
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That should cover most of the questions for now. More will come up, I am certain of it, and I will add them to this post, which will be made into it’s own page shortly.
