Do you have trouble fitting into ready-to-wear tailoring? Or have you been let down by inconsistency in fit, quality or some other manufacturing issue with Italian tailoring brands? If so, I’m happy to report that Ring Jacket might solve all of your problems. Read on to learn a bit about the product, including a short interview with Ring Jacket’s director of wholesale for North America and Europe, Kapil Sehgal.
Ring Jacket was founded in 1954 by an insurance salesman who decided to be the change he wanted to see in the ready-to-wear suit industry. Now producing a style that anyone who appreciates the southern Italian aesthetic will appreciate, Jhoichi Fukushima and his son Kunichi (current president) have been making inroads into North America slowly but surely.
I asked Kapil Sehgal, the director of wholesale for the brand in North America and Europe, if I could try on a jacket or two and he very kindly obliged. What I found confirmed my previous experiences with their product: it superbly embodies that easiness Neapolitan tailoring is known for. But of course, it’s made in Japan, so you can count on consistently high standards of quality.
Characterized by a round silhouette featuring rounded quarters, a soft shoulder, and rounded open-patch pockets, it’s a tailored coat that doesn’t feel fussy. Kapil calls it “comfortable elegance. Beautiful clothes should be stress-free for the wearer; our garments are always lightweight, softly constructed, and comfortable.” I couldn’t agree more. The shoulder has a clean and simple, natural expression (natural meaning the seam where the sleeve attaches to the shoulder has been pressed open). To my surprise, the size 54R measured nearly 20 inches point-to-point at the shoulder, yet it didn’t appear too wide or droopy on my frame (I’d expect somewhere around 18.5-19 inches). Perhaps this is why Kapil says it fits so well: “We are renowned for our fit. Many customers who have trouble finding a RTW garment that fits them properly are always surprised when they try one of our jackets on. If you haven’t had a chance to try one on, I highly recommend it.”
I followed up to see if there’s some “special sauce” going on that makes the jacket shoulders seem to fit a wider array of men. “There is a technical answer as to the way that our shoulder is constructed which makes it feel so comfortable and why it fits so well. I can’t divulge how we do it, but you can mention that while most jackets are cut with straight shoulders, the shoulders on our jackets have a forward pitch and are a bit sloped. Most guys naturally tend to stand like that / have that posture, so this is why it fits better compared to straight shoulders. Japanese men in particular have that kind of posture, so that is how they perfected it.”
Sizing and Fit
In Western countries there are two places you can buy Ring Jacket: The Armoury, and everywhere else. The Armoury, who was one of (if not the) first retailers to carry RJ here in the States still sells Ring Jacket products under their own house-label tailoring line in a variety of models. The patterns are entirely The Armoury’s own, designed in conjunction with Ring Jacket from scratch (not simply tweaked versions of already-existing RJ garments).
Take your normal tagged size from The Armoury in any of their fits. Their most popular and ubiquitous model is the Model 3, a quasi-Neapolitan-inspired jacket with a 3-roll-2 front, soft shoulders and soft full-canvas construction with a classic length and comfortable fit. Their DB model is called the Model 6. In 2022 they launched the Model 15, a Florentine-inspired cut with extended shoulders and no front dart, which is great for patterns. Check out The Armoury’s YouTube channel for more info on their model 3 and 6 jackets.
Everywhere else as of 2020 and since then sells a jacket fit called the TAJ. The old model 25x (253 for a suit, 254 for a jacket, 256 for a double breasted jacket) might still be floating around as new-old-stock or preowned, but now you’ll find the TAJ.
Compared to the old models, the TAJ fits slightly larger than the Japanese-fit 254, but smaller than the Model 3 from The Armoury. I still recommend to size up one in a TAJ jacket or suit. I bought my normal size of a TAJ jacket at deep discount and while it wasn’t hilariously too small on me, it was snug in the armholes, and the front length was a little short for my liking. I wrote a post about it here: The Importance of a Jacket’s Front Length. I later tried on the next size up and it fit me perfectly. So my suggestion buying Ring Jacket from anyone except The Armoury is to take one size up from your normal size.
I also bought a double breasted blazer in the DB version of the TAJ. For the jacket I bought, specifically, I sized up 2 sizes to get the length I wanted, which meant it was looser in the sleeves, armholes and chest. I wrote about that here. But, after alterations, it looks great and is quite comfortable. My sizing advice for the DB TAJ is to stick with one size up to start, and see how the length works, then make your decision.
Fabrics
Ring Jacket develops a lot of their own fabrics, and one you’ll see a lot of is what they call their “balloon” fabric (it comes in many patterns and weights). It’s so called because they wanted to get jersey-like stretch, but without the fabric losing its shape (like how a balloon stretches when blown up, but reduces back to its original shape). Their standard year-round navy Balloon fabric, which is what they sent to me, is a fairly medium-light weight but open weave. Made up with no lining save for the sleeves, it makes for a cool-wearing garment in the summer. However, it can be see-through. The heavier weight, seasonal versions of the Balloon fabric do not suffer from that the same way. Kapil says it’s their best selling fabric. “It’s our #1 seller globally and is usually the entry point to the brand for most people, meaning it’s their first purchase or the thing they’ve heard about the most. Even if they own other blue blazers, they don’t own one like this. For warmer climates, it’s a year-round jacket. For a place like New York, I would say it’s a 3-season cloth. In the dead of winter, I would opt for something heavier.”
Ring Jacket no longer sells directly via their own e-commerce website, but does list some of the stockists of their products on their Japanese-language site here. Not listed on that page is Baltzar.
I wholeheartedly recommend Ring Jacket’s tailoring, whether you buy it at The Armoury or somewhere else. The default style of the TAJ or the Armoury’s Model 3, 6 or 15 have that soft, versatile make and style that make them easy to dress up in a full tailored outfit, or down with jeans and boots, and look great in either mode. They’re designed as a classic style that won’t quickly look dated (trend-proof, you might say).
Interview with director of wholesale in Europe and North America Kapil Sehgal
Kapil generously answered a few questions I had about the company and their products, which you can read in full below.
Menswear Musings: What is Ring Jacket’s raison d’etre?
Kapil Sehgal: To create the best RTW tailored clothing garments in the world on par with custom-made clothing. The brand was born in 1954 out of a passion for clothing and a commitment to quality and those are the same values we stand for today.
Also, “Ring Jacket” has dual meanings.
- We thrive off of the harmony and relationships with all of the people involved in the process from the president to the gentleman sweeping the factory floors to the retailers we partner with. Our business would not exist without the support of our partners and customers. We recognize the importance of each person who contributes to the end result.
- “Ring” is meant to symbolize eternity. We hope to create timeless products and a brand that lasts the test of time.
MM: How would you describe the style of Ring’s garment?
KS: 1. Classic tailored clothing re-interpreted in a modern way.
- Comfortable elegance – beautiful clothes should be stress-free for the wearer; our garments are always lightweight, softly constructed, and comfortable
- Japanese quality and precision mixed with Italian flavor
MM: Who do you think of as your customer and how do you meet his needs and wants?
KS: We think of our customer as anyone who appreciates tailored clothing, style, quality, and value. We believe our customer is a guy who is looking for something unique. He’s looking for something that no one else has. He doesn’t want the same suit or jacket as the next guy. He appreciates tailored clothing and knows how to wear it to the office, but he also is someone who is interested in wearing tailored clothing in a more versatile way that can be dressed down / casually.
Our customers range in age from their 20s up to 70s and across all kinds of careers from traditional roles such as finance and law to more creative roles such as advertising, design, etc.
Customers in their 20’s and 30’s tend to be guys who are building the foundations of their wardrobe. They are looking for modern tailored clothing for both work and the weekends. They are young and fit and our price point, while not inexpensive, is something they can afford compared to other luxury brands who might charge 2x or 3x more for a garment of similar or even lesser quality.
We also have an older customer in their 60s and 70s who gets a sense of nostalgia when they see our garment and try it on. The soft shoulder construction, the wider lapels, the nipped waist, etc. It harkens back to a time when they were in college and those are the type of garments they used to wear. Also, the fabrics tend to be more gutsy, with texture and surface interest, and tend to be inspired by vintage cloth although we make them in a modern way., which is very different in comparison to a lot of other brands who use flatter piece goods.
We meet the needs and wants of our customers by trying to offer products that are classic yet modern and relevant for today’s gentleman and his lifestyle. We are fans of classic elegance without being stuffy or pretentious about it. We pay attention to what is happening in the market and the trends, but we do not let it dictate our product.
We strive to excel in both fit and comfort. The stigma of tailored clothing being heavy and uncomfortable is no longer relevant. Ring Jacket produces garments that are always softly constructed, lightweight, and comfortable, so you can wear them all day every day. Also, we design and develop our own fabric in Japan always with performance properties (lightweight, breathable, wrinkle resistance, and natural stretch) which adds to the comfort of our clothing.
MM: What kind of quality does Ring produce? And what sets it apart?
KS: The price/value relationship. The customer is getting tremendous value for the price they are paying for our garments (full canvas construction, meticulous workmanship including handwork, exclusive fabric designed and developed by Ring Jacket, etc.)
Our competitors’ prices are significantly higher despite equal or even lesser quality.
What sets us apart is that we are a brand of “discovery” compared to other brands in the tailored clothing market whose products you can find in every store, big and small, around the world. We offer a product to a customer with discerning taste who is looking for something unique and special that not everyone else has.
We are a 2nd generation family owned and operated company rather than a big corporate brand. And although we are new to most of the world, it is important to note that we are a brand with a rich history that dates back more than 60+ years
We are the only real, true Japanese tailored clothing brand in the luxury market
Being a Japanese company, the customer can take pride in knowing they are wearing a garment made with soul and integrity. A garment that was made to be timeless and to live in your closet for a lifetime rather than fast-fashion
MM: Are there any other special things about your clothing you want to say?
KS: It’s all about our shoulder expression. We’ve got one of the best in the world. And as you know, the shoulder is the soul of a jacket. You’ve got to see it to believe it.
Also, we are renowned for our fit. Many customers who have trouble finding a RTW garment that fits them properly are always surprised when they try one of our jackets on. If you haven’t had a chance to try one on, I highly recommend it.
Many thanks to Ring Jacket and Kapil for taking the time to talk, and for sending me a couple jackets on loan for a few days.
This is a post in a series about tailoring brands I love and recommend for anybody looking for contemporary and trend-proof clothes to wear dressed up or dressed down. Find my other tailoring reviews here. This article was originally published Nov. 4, 2018, but has been continuously updated with new information as Ring Jacket and The Armoury has released new models.
Below, photos of the old 254 models.
My body details at the time of this shoot: 6′ tall. 185lbs. 42″ chest. 35″ waist. Inseam 30″. Sleeve length 35.5″. Age: 30. The brown jacket was the old 254 Japanese in size 54. The navy was the 254 American fit in size 52.
Below, the TAJ model jacket I got in my normal size, which I felt was too small on me and I sold.
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Shop my clothing from this post and every other post on the Shop My Closet page. If you’re just getting into tailored menswear and want a single helpful guide to building a trend-proof wardrobe, buy my eBook. It doesn’t cost that much and covers wardrobe essentials for any guy who wants to look cool, feel cool and make a good impression. Formatted for your phone or computer/iPad so it’s not annoying to read, and it’s full of pretty pictures, not just boring prose. Buy it here.
Below, some robo-poses and other photos of the Armoury Model 15
Mitch, this comes at a perfect time for me, as I recently started transitioning my wardrobe from the slim fits of Susu to something more mature. I was initially shocked by the fullness of Ring and asked my wife repeatedly (and to her annoyance) whether it looked too large. As you say, the shoulder measurements seem extraordinarily big, but once you put it on, the shoulders are, miraculously, not too wide. I am still wondering whether to try my usual size (Ring recommended I size up). I’d say that sizing up looks almost too full but taking the regular Japanese size seems almost too fitted, though both are good. I would argue that there is an added dynamism of being on the edge (a literal “edginess”).
So glad to hear it, Christopher. Depending on your build, I’m thinking a size up in Japanese fit is almost a necessity for most American guys (assuming you’re American). For me, even the size up was snug in the armholes.
Let me know how it turns out!
Nice article. I own several of their garments and find your insight as to sizing completely in line with my experience. Unfortunately for me I discovered them just as my local shop carrying them. Emailing them directly has proven fruitful however. They happened to have one fall weight navy Balloon blazer in the US fit in my size when I emailed and now it’s my most used F/W jacket.