How popular is it to outfit groomsmen with custom suits?
I did 17 weddings this year. That’s a lot of weddings. Nobody wants to rent a tuxedo that’s been worn by thousands of people, that doesn’t fit right, and has a poor selection of colors and sizes. Who wants to pay $300 to give something back, especially on the most important day of your life?
What styles have you seen?
We’ve been doing a lot of tuxedos in unusual colors. We’ve been doing colorful suits, and suits for different seasons. We’ve been doing flannels, linen, seersucker and wool. For me to go through all of the things we’ve been doing, it would take a day or two.
What are the benefits of custom clothiers?
There are unlimited options that a guy has. We’re style experts. We’re here to define what someone is trying to build even when they don’t know it. There are a lot of decisions that we help clients make. We’re able to build a suit from scratch. We’ve done [customized] monograms with initials and the wedding date. We’re really able to personalize that garment.
How long does the process take?
I need a good hour to do a proper fitting and talk styling and what they want to do. It really takes as long as the client’s decision-making. One hour to two hours is usually the period of time [for a fitting]. We have the system in place to really make a beautiful suit in two weeks.
What’s the cost to outfit a party?
We’ll do a suit for [wedding groups of five or more] for $595 [each]. We want to bridge the gap between you buying an off-the-rack suit or renting a tuxedo to you being able to make one. The thing that separates us from any other clothing store is price point. The suit that we sell for $600 – that’s a $1,200 suit any day.
