By Don Logay
Photography by Steve Patchin
There is a revolution taking place in men’s fashion. It is new, it is dynamic and it is reshaping how men view their clothes. More specifically, it is about creating a unique one-of-a-kind “brand” where there is only one customer and only one objective. It is about developing personal style, a perfect fit and a look that is yours and yours alone.
Jimmy K owns Klein, Epstein & Parker located in the luxurious Forum Shops at Caesars Palace in Las Vegas. It is a tribute name (more commonly known as KEP), and his new establishment is fittingly positioned among the most famous and recognizable designer names that exclusively cater to luxurious lifestyles.
The term “fashion forward” doesn’t really suit Jimmy K. Instead, his make-sense clothing concept is designed to suit you with a new way of thinking that is fashion forward.
Sizing Up the Market
Jimmy K and KEP have brought a new option in men’s fashion to Las Vegas. One that is perfectly positioned between off the rack ready-to-wear apparel and traditional hand-tailored, individually made, bespoke custom attire.
“I came out of a background where I’ve had to wear suits ever since I got out of college,” he notes, “I came to Las Vegas in 2002 for a job in the gaming industry and I started like everyone else, buying entry level suits. Over the span of my career, as I did better, I also started upgrading and buying better clothes.”
Along the way, Jimmy K also made a few discoveries that changed his thinking for all time and that paved the way for today’s KEP.
A few year’s back, he purchased his first custom shirt. “It was the best shirt I ever owned,” he recalls. “It was made just for me… and every time I put it on it was perfect and it completely changed my mind on custom made.”
About the same time, and with this new awareness, he also realized there was no consistency in the sizes of clothing. No one is virtually a perfect 42 Regular right off the rack. He also purchased two identical high-end expensive shirts in the same size and found they too were not the same with different dimensions for sleeves, collars and lengths of tails. Only the price was the same.
“Women have an even rougher time size-wise,” he notes. “I was ready for change.”
Discovering Made-to-Measure
“Last year I was introduced to an intriguing new type of clothing business that was just getting underway in California,” Jimmy states.
Klein, Epstein & Parker specialized in creating innovative fashion that was not limited to off-the-rack, but instead offered personalized “made-to-measure” clothing that rivaled the look and feel of expensive, bespoke, hand-tailored clothing but at affordable prices.
“Within a matter of months, I found a location in the prestigious Forum Shops at Caesars Palace,” he says, “and brought KEP to Las Vegas at the first of the year.”
The moment you walk through his door, there’s a one-on-one connection that few clothiers can replicate. Jimmy K makes you feel comfortable and clearly makes it known that this is strictly about you and the image you desire.
The business is also structured to suit a wide range of customers, from those who are just discovering the attributes of made-to-measure clothing to the ultra-sophisticated devotee who seeks only the best in a highly personalized custom-created wardrobe.
Jimmy states, “Each client’s body measurements are taken and entered into our proprietary state-of-the-art CAD (Computer Aided Design) System for accuracy in styling. Once the measurements are done,” he adds, “the fun begins.”
Your Made-to-Measure Creation
Jimmy K’s client’s first select from the finest luxurious woven fabrics imported from Italy and Savile Row in London. Then begins one’s styling preferences. Single- or double-breasted design, with or without a vest and on to adding personalized details ranging from lining selection, choosing the type of collar and cuffs to vents, pockets, buttons and stitching… all of which are only but a few of the many choices and combinations for individual styling.
The customer measurements and style preferences are then sent to Europe where the luxury fabrics are laser-cut to a perfect pattern as measured, and then sent off to the Netherlands where a third generation family-owned business of expertly trained tailors construct each custom garment with an artful hand.
“It is interesting to note,” Jimmy adds, “that we are one of the only clothiers in the world that can perfectly match the pin stripes on a suit from front to back. Start paying attention and you’ll see that they rarely meet.”
Suit Yourself
In his free time, Jimmy K dons his other premium suit – a KLIM® Badlands jacket and pants – puts on his Arai XD4 helmet and hits the open road on his sleek and powerful BMW R1200 GS Adventure motorcycle.
“Speeding along miles of highway or rough riding off-road over challenging terrain, I often think about how times are constantly changing,” he observes. “People are rethinking how they buy and are using technology more and more to customize, to express themselves and to get precisely what they want, and tailoring their lives to suit themselves.”
“At KEP, we are right there, with made-to-measure fashion, aided by technology, producing high-quality, well crafted, custom pieces at a fair price that looks like a million bucks.”
Whether conservative or contemporary, traditional or stylistically out there, there is no right or wrong… no good or bad… it is just all about you and how you want to look and feel. And KEP makes it happen.
“When someone says ‘You look great, love your suit’, it’s great to be able to say ‘Thank you. I designed it myself’.”
“Clothes make the individual,” states Jimmy K, “and I’m your made-to-measure man.”
Klein, Epstein & Parker The Forum Shops at Caesars Palace
3500 Las Vegas Blvd South, Las Vegas, NV 89109
kleinepsteinparker.com/lasvegasforumshops
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