These days exacting adventurers can specify the camber on a pair of Wagner wood skis, select hull materials on a , or put pumpkin seeds and cranberries in a for about the same price as the premium off-the-rack version of each of those items.
Made-to-order gear is nothing new, of course. and have offered pick-your-color-scheme kicks for years, and boutique outfits like and the custom-boot company have been crafting bespoke outerwear for even longer. What鈥檚 starting to change is everything in between. Due to a shifting global economy and technological advances, small-to-midsize companies are beginning to realize that letting customers put their stamp on the gear they buy is smart business.
For starters, the availability of interactive Web tools has made the customization process quick and intuitive. In five minutes, you can design your own headlamp or commuter bike (see how we put together our custom ride here). But putting customers in the design seat is also about saving money. With labor costs rising overseas, many companies have brought manufacturing back stateside or ramped up the efficiency of their factories. (San Francisco messenger-bag producer put its sewing machines on wheels so seamstresses can roll between bins of precut fabric.) Fashioning products closer to home also allows for smaller batches, which makes it easier to manage inventory and quickly adapt to changing customer tastes.
鈥淚t minimizes our risk,鈥 says Ed Schmults, CEO of , an outerwear company in New Hampshire. In just five months, Wild Things鈥 made-to-order line grew to a third of its online business and is rapidly expanding. 鈥淚n the next decade, every technical-apparel brand will be making gear this way,鈥 Schmults says. 鈥淚t鈥檚 cheaper for the company and better for the customer.鈥 Now that鈥檚 what we like to hear.