My most prized sweater has earned that title not because it’s made of the softest black cashmere (although that bit is fantastic). I adore this crewneck because of two small white lowercase letters embroidered on the front left, EH, my initials. I get compliments every time I wear it or post a picture of me in it. It sits neatly folded atop the stack of knits in my closet, an easy grab for keeping it in heavy rotation. I intend to wear it until it unravels entirely.

I’m not alone in treasuring something with a signature touch. Although monogramming has been around since the Greco-Roman era, today the craze for personalized merch has hit a fever pitch. One study by the consulting agency Deloitte reported that roughly one in five adults has bought personalized clothing and one in seven has purchased personalized accessories. We’re hunting for something different, something more representative of our lives, something more special. And we’ve grown accustomed to personal treatment—companies tailor every email or recommendation to our every desire (I’m looking at you, Netflix recommendations).

Interestingly, shoppers don’t seem to want to start from scratch and play designer. It’s too daunting for even the most stylish among us, says Candice Fragis, buying and merchandising director for the luxury e-commerce site Farfetch. They’re more interested in taking a style from a brand they know and adding their own spin—it’s a way to be unique but still part of a club. At Farfetch, for example, the Fendi Kan I F bag comes in five leather colors, two hardware finishes, and six logo shades. At Lingua Franca, shoppers can customize cashmere sweaters; Connie Britton wore one that read “Poverty Is Sexist” to the 2018 Golden Globes, and Tessa Thompson requested “Ava, Greta, Patty & Dee,” although it’s tough to beat the “Tired ass honkey ho” Candice Bergen ordered. Words aren’t your thing? Rebecca Minkoff’s line of So Connected hard-shell suitcases can be dressed up with “statement stickers,” emoji-­like symbols that include a lightning bolt and a pair of lips.

Technology advances have made this easy for ­consumers. Real-time rendering lets you see whether you prefer amethyst satin or pony stripes for your Sergio Rossi loafer, and whether the plate across the toes looks better in crystal or rose gold. However, personalization is no small feat on the manufacturing end. Picking a leather color on, say, a bag, necessitates a custom thread color too. “Little things people don’t even think about mean more time in the production cycle,” says Neal J. Fox, president and CEO of Mark Cross, which can now produce customized handbags in about six weeks.

Fortunately for brands bravely offering up all these options, most shoppers don’t expect a custom Nicholas Kirkwood mule to arrive in 24 hours, says Fragis. In fact, the anticipation of getting a special delivery, she notes, “is part of the fun.”

Elizabeth Holmes, formerly a style reporter for The Wall Street Journal, has also written for The New York Times, InStyle, and Elle.

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