How Your Varsity Forge Jacket Is Made
When you order from Varsity Forge, you're not buying a jacket that's already sitting on a shelf. Every piece is made-to-order — cut, stitched, and assembled specifically for you after you place your order. This is the difference between mass-stock retail and factory-direct craftsmanship: nothing ships until it's built to your specification and checked by hand. That extra care takes a little more time upfront, but it's what allows us to control quality at every stage instead of shipping whatever happens to be in a warehouse.
Every Varsity Forge jacket begins as raw material only after you place your order — built, inspected, and photographed for your approval before it ever leaves our workshop.
The Order Process, Step by Step
- Order Confirmation. Once your order is placed, you'll receive an email confirmation with your order number and a summary of your jacket specs (size, materials, customization details). This locks in your production slot.
- Production Begins. Your jacket enters our production queue. Wool and leather panels are cut to your size specification, and any customization (chenille patches, embroidery, lettering) is prepped separately before assembly.
- Construction. Body panels, sleeves, and ribbing are stitched together in sequence. Embroidery and chenille work is applied at this stage, followed by lining installation and snap or zipper hardware.
- Quality Control Checkpoint. Every jacket is inspected for stitch integrity, symmetry, hardware function, and finish quality before it's approved to move to final packaging. Jackets that don't meet spec are corrected or rebuilt at this stage — not after they've shipped.
- Pre-Dispatch Photo Approval. Before your jacket is packaged, we photograph the finished piece and send it to you for a final look. This is your last checkpoint before shipping.
- Shipping. Once you approve the photos, your jacket is packaged and handed off to our shipping carrier, and you'll receive tracking information by email.
- Delivery. Your jacket arrives at your door, built to the spec you approved at every prior stage.
Realistic Timeline Expectations
Because each jacket is built individually rather than pulled from stock, processing time depends on how customized your jacket is. Standard jackets take 5–7 business days to process, from order confirmation to pre-dispatch photo approval. Custom and personalized jackets — including multi-panel chenille, custom lettering, and personalized embroidery — take 10–12 business days to process, since these pieces require additional prep and assembly work before construction begins. Once your photos are approved, shipping typically adds 5–9 business days, depending on your location. Full delivery details are outlined in our Shipping Policy.
Why We Photograph Every Jacket Before It Ships
The pre-dispatch photo approval step exists because a made-to-order jacket should never be a surprise. Before your jacket leaves our workshop, we send you real photos of the finished product — not a stock image, not a mockup. You confirm the color, sizing, embroidery placement, and overall finish before it's packaged. This is a built-in checkpoint most retailers skip entirely, and it's part of how we keep quality control tied directly to the customer, not just internal inspection.
Have Questions or Need to Make Changes?
If you need to adjust sizing, customization details, or shipping information, contact us as soon as possible after placing your order — changes are easiest before production begins. Once your jacket enters construction, some changes (especially sizing) may no longer be possible without restarting production. You can reach our team any time to check your order status, and full policy details are available in our Returns Policy.
Ready to start your own made-to-order jacket? Browse the full Varsity Forge collection and find your build.
