Armor is the one thing you cannot buy a size up in and hope for the best. A suit that is slightly too large slides at the shoulders and swings at the skirt; one that is slightly too small will not close at the cords. This page explains what we build to, how to check whether a standard set will fit you, and what to send us if it will not.
The short version
Our standard sets fit wearers between 170 cm and 184 cm tall. If you fall inside that range, order the standard size and nothing further is required.
If you fall outside it, we build to your measurements. There is no surcharge for custom sizing. It adds roughly four weeks to the schedule.
For comparison, the Japanese armories most people look at first fit up to 175 cm and charge up to 20% extra beyond that. A great many Western buyers discover this only at checkout.
What we need, and how to measure it
Have someone else take these if you can. Measuring your own chest and arm length accurately is harder than it sounds. Use a soft tailor's tape, wear a single thin layer, and stand normally — do not hold your breath or square your shoulders.
1. Height
Barefoot, back to a wall, heels together. This determines the overall proportion of the suit and the length of the skirt panels.
2. Chest
Around the fullest part of the chest, tape level all the way round and under the arms. Breathe out normally. This is the single most important number — the cuirass closes with cords under tension, and a chest measurement that is off by more than a few centimetres will show.
3. Waist
At the natural waist, above the hip bone and roughly level with the navel. The skirt panels hang from here.
4. Head circumference
Around the widest part of the skull, tape passing just above the ears and about a finger's width above the eyebrows. Helmets are lined, so allow the tape to sit snug rather than tight.
5. Neck
Around the base of the neck where a collar would sit. This sets the fit of the throat guard and the face mask cords.
6. Arm length
From the point of the shoulder, down the outside of a slightly bent arm, to the wrist bone. Do not measure with the arm straight — armor is worn with the elbows soft, and a straight-arm measurement produces sleeves that bind.
7. Upper arm
Around the fullest part of the bicep, arm relaxed at your side.
8. Thigh
Around the fullest part of the thigh, standing.
9. Calf
Around the fullest part of the calf, standing.
10. Lower leg length
From just below the kneecap to the ankle bone. This sets the shin guards.
How to send them
Order first. After your order is placed we email a short form with these ten fields; fill it in and send it back and production begins. If you would rather check before ordering — which we encourage on the higher-priced sets — write to us with your height and chest measurement and we will tell you plainly whether a standard set will work for you.
Send measurements in centimetres if you can. If you work in inches, send inches and say so; do not convert them yourself, because rounding errors compound across ten fields.
Fitting a suit you are not going to wear
A good proportion of our customers never put the armor on. If yours is going on a stand in a room, sizing matters less — but it does not stop mattering. A standard set on a display stand occupies roughly 70 cm across, 60 cm deep and 170 cm tall in its seated posture. Measure the space before you order. This is the most common surprise we hear about after delivery, and it is entirely avoidable.
What we cannot fit
We are honest about this rather than taking the order and disappointing you later. Chest measurements beyond about 135 cm, or heights below about 155 cm, fall outside what these forms can be adapted to without redesigning the armor itself. If you are near those limits, write to us before ordering and we will tell you what is realistic.
If it arrives and the fit is wrong
Standard-size sets can be returned within 30 days; return shipping is at your expense. Custom-sized sets cannot be returned unless they do not match the measurements you supplied — which is why we ask you to check twice and to write to us if anything is uncertain. Lacing can be adjusted at home to take up a small amount of slack; we include instructions, and we will walk you through it over email if you would rather not guess.
Questions about fit are the ones we most like receiving. Nobody at this end benefits from selling you the wrong size.