Measured for Success: Herman pushes the cutting edge of upscale clothing
by Max Nichols, Journal Record.

    Let's say you are an executive or professional man who wants to buy a special suit made of the best fabric and expertly tailored, but you don't have time to shop.
    Hans Herman Thun III will come to your office or home, give you a choice of fabrics, take your measurements, have the suit made by one of New York's finest tailors, see that the suit is made exactly to specifications and deliver it. He will do that whether you are in Oklahoma City or any other city he can reach by airplane. He already has customers in places such as Tulsa, Austin, Phoenix, Dallas, Houston and New Jersey.
     Beyond that, if you are looking for upscale ready-to-wear sportswear or accessories from shoes to tie, you can easily find Hans Herman's Tailors of Oklahoma City by searching slacks.com on the Internet.
      That's the essence of Han's Herman's Tailors, a remarkable family business operated by Thun out of his home in Oklahoma City. It has been developed over the last 20 years, providing world-famous fabrics and accessories, and Thun has joined the long tradition of innovative entrepreneurs who have started and succeeded in Oklahoma City.
      "There are only about five or six firms in the country exactly like ours," said Thun, "but I believe we are on the cutting edge of providing upscale clothing to men anywhere in the country. Men no longer have to go to New York or Dallas or anywhere else to buy the very best. I can go to them for the order and deliver it to them.
       "It's all based on personal service for the high end of the business, and we are just beginning to expand with accessories on the Internet. Anyone who is searching the Internet and for slacks and hits slacks.com will hit my web site. While that is just starting, we can tell from the number of hits that the potential is growing."
       Why is Thun operating in Oklahoma City rather than in New York, Dallas or Phoenix? The answer goes back to the way Thun came here and to his struggles to overcome an auto crash, business changes, opening and closing shops, and even a fire.
       "Basically, my wife Diana and I like living here, " said Thun. "It's a good place to raise a family. About 40 percent of our business is out of state, but I can go to Dallas, Houston, New Jersey or mot any other place in the morning and return that night."
       Thun's story goes back to his childhood dream of wanting to own broadcast properties. He grew up in Peoria, Ill., and pursued that dream at Southern Illinois University and graduated in 1980. He literally came to Oklahoma City by accident- a tragic car crash that almost ended his life.
        "After graduation, I had an offer to go in to broadcasting in a Southwest city, but I wanted to check out other places. I was on my way when the auto accident happened in Springfield, Mo. The car rolled over on top of me. My pelvic bone was crushed , and I was in traction for two months.
        "That changed my life. Before the accident I was prideful, arrogant and hot-tempered, and my temper often showed when I played hockey. When I came out of the hospital, I had lost the offer for that job."
         Thun figured he would have to start over, but he received a call from Bob Bray, then sales manager at KZUE radio (now KJ103) in Oklahoma City. Bray said he would wait until Thun was well. Thun came here late in the summer of 1980 and started out successfully in selling advertising for the station. His dream was back on track.
         In the fall of 1981, Bray saw an opportunity in high-service clothing for men. Thun joined him later along with Chris Lopez as a third partner. They formed Covenant Bros. and opened shops in Oklahoma City, Phoenix, Dallas, New Jersey, Little Rock and Columbus, Ohio.
        "We started with clothes made in Hong Kong," said Thun, "The suits sold for $395 and plus jackets, slacks and shirts, but the quality varied. We had to have some remade."
        That changed in 1985, when Bray called Martin Greenfield, a New York master tailor who made clothes for Bergdorf Goodman.
        "Greenfield was interested in what we were doing," said Thun. "We would use his patterns, and he would cut the clothes for us. Bray called him to work with the New Jersey shop, but he wound up working for all the shops. We started going for suits at $1,000 and up."
         The three partners struggled to build the business slowly to $1 million a year, mostly by word of mouth, through the 1980s. Thun, who married Diana in 1982, was established well enough to buy the former Catholic Daughters Hall on N. Walker Avenue in 1990.
         "We had finished redecorating and were planning to open our shop when a fire at 2 a.m. destroyed the building," said Thun. "The basement was in eight feet of water, but we managed to recover our files and a historic Bible. We opened a new shop at Park Harvey avenues and started building the business again."
          In 1995, Bray saw an opportunity in another business and left Covenant Bros. Thun, who had developed a strong clientele among doctors, lawyers and executives in several cities, went on his own with Hans Herman's. He opened a shop that year in Bricktown and continued to work with Matt Greenfield.
         "I wanted only the high end of the business," said Thun. "Meanwhile, in 1994, I began to see the potential of the Internet. I closed the Bricktown shop and opened the Han's Herman's Web site in 1997, listing accessories, but I am still developing it."
         Thun now has two employees, including his wife Diana, who handles the deposits, and Jennifer McCrary," who checks in all clothing when it arrives and makes sure it fits specifications before we deliver it."
         "We have noticed a rapid increase in hits on our Web site since Sept. 11," that indicates people are looking for options."
          The Web site includes slacks form $250 and up, sportswear, ties by four world-renowned firms, plus shoes, socks, cufflinks, belts, wallets and other men's upscale furnishings.
All this means Thun has achieved part of his dream by operating his own business, but he still thinks about the broadcast industry.
          "You never know what will happen", he said.
          That's the way it is with entrepreneurs like Hans Herman Thun III. Like thousands of others, he started from scratch and made it happen in Oklahoma City.