Dou.k
Featuring the Pyjama shirt
I am so happy to introduce to you Marie Douma, one of my very best friends here in New York City. She is not only one of the kindest, most honest, and genuine hearts that I have ever met but also the founder of the custom- made shirting company, Dou.K. Her passion in supporting the human impact on the environment shows throughout her company’s values as all her shirts are made in the most ethical and eco-friendly way possible.
The selection of fabrics used at Dou.K are only made with natural materials such as cotton, wool, linen, and cashmere. Dou.K takes pride in working with notorious mills such as Thomas Masson, Albini, Alumo. Alumo is well known for being one of the finest luxury shirting mills and is certified OEKO TEX 100 and 1000. This accreditation means that Alumo’s fabrics do not use chemicals that could affect workers involved in the production, consumers, and the planet. Alumo does not only spin, twist, dye, and weave their own cotton fibers but also make sure they are ethically soured to respect people and the environment.
It is important to take the time to understand brands and take a deeper look than just the garment appearance itself. Dou.K makes sure that their cottons origin is from the USA, India, and Egypt. Marie makes sure to not work with mills that cannot confirm their origins. The 2 mains reason being that 1. they could be from Uzbekistan where people are forced to harvest cotton. Or 2. The cotton could be from the Turkish/Syrian border where it is stolen and re-bought by ISIS.
The process that goes into making a made to measure shirt is quite the experience. First, Marie took the time to get my measurements. From my arms, to my waist, to the length of my back! She made sure to not miss any part of my upper body-making sure to have that the perfect fit. Then, Marie will ask you what kind of style you want your shirt to be: boyish fit or feminine fit. For the white shirt in the photo, I choose the feminine fit! It really inhances my waist all without looking to tight. After that, we got to the fabric. Marie was great in listening to what I needed out of my shirt. I informed her of how I wanted a perfect short to go to work. She had great suggestions until we finally picked the classic white fabric. After choosing the fabric, I got to pick out the collar size and type, the wrist length, and the bottons. I always pick the pretty pearlized looking buttons. Lastly, my favorite part! Picking out the color and style of my initials to personalize my shirt. I choose to put my initials in gold on my wrist.
The importance to detail that Marie has throughout the "made to measure" experience really shows how passionate she is for shirt making. I don't think I can go back to premade shirts now, thank you Marie! From the perfect length of my sleeves( I have long arms) to the beautiful gold initials, I am one happy woman.
Let me know if you have any questions; I'll be happy to answer them honestly as always. To learn more about Marie and Dou.K click here. This will bring you right to the website. Wishing you all a wonderful made- to-measure experience!
Bisous,
Léanne