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Reviewed / Kristine Untalan
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First things first: I have always had a fraught relationship with suits. Blame it on a general disdain for formalwear, a body that’s been constantly fluctuating in size since middle school, or a lack of occasions to don them—I’ve owned some 20-odd suits in adulthood and have thoroughly disliked almost all of them. It’s the reason I’m grateful for services like The Black Tux, that have made it easy to rent trendier suit styles for a day or two at a time.
I’ve gone to great lengths to avoid wearing suits longer than absolutely necessary. That is, until today. Dutch menswear company Suitsupply is changing the game when it comes to beautifully designed menswear essentials that are made to last. Best of all, the brand offers fully custom suits, shirts, outerwear, and more—all with a level of craftsmanship and care that has, until now, been inaccessible to those who cannot afford to spend thousands of dollars on custom clothes.
Suitsupply wanted me to experience their suitmaking process and invited me to design a custom suit for myself, aided by their fantastic and knowledgeable team. Here’s why Suitsupply has made me reconsider my entire relationship with suits.
What is Suitsupply?
Suitsupply makes high-quality menswear, along with an impressive selection of custom-made suits.
Suitsupply was founded in 2000 by Dutch entrepreneur Fokke de Jong. Aiming to disrupt the traditional menswear suiting model that privileged Italian and British haberdasheries, de Jong adopted more of a direct-to-consumer mindset. Suitsupply offers high-end tailoring at prices that are at times a fifth of the cost of other clothiers. By cutting out the middleman, Suitsupply can offer trendy, carefully crafted styles in durable textiles beginning at just $500 (compared to luxury suits that can easily run $3,000 to $5,000, if not more).
In addition to over 190 different suit designs, the brand is a one-stop-shop for menswear staples, offering a full range of styles including casual and formal shirts, chinos and trousers, shorts, and outerwear—as well as an ever-expanding collection of formal eveningwear and wedding suits.
Finally, Suitsupply offers what they refer to as the “most comprehensive tailoring program in the world” with their Custom Made line. This innovative service offers shoppers the chance to design their own custom suits, coats, dress shirts, and more—from Suitsupply’s collection of over 750 fine Italian textiles. Most custom designs are crafted and delivered within three weeks, and the process is easy to complete online at home or in-person at one of the brand’s 118 stores worldwide.
About Suitsupply's Custom Made suiting process
Designing a custom suit is made simple with Suitsupply’s step-by-step process.
Although I’d played around on Suitsupply’s Custom Made online program, I was invited to visit the brand’s New York flagship and go through the custom suit process with Logan, one of the brand’s style leads. The process began simple enough: Logan asked me what sort of suit I was hoping to build. From there, he walked me through binders of textile samples so I could pick out which fabric my suit would be made from, the lining color and patterns that would go inside my jacket and pants, and the colors and materials of the buttons.
After that, we got into the nitty-gritty of the design of the suit itself. I’d always been curious about wearing a peak lapel, having an unstructured shoulder, ticket pockets, and side adjusters on my pants. All of the above is possible at Suitsupply. The options are endless and it’s easy to pack your design with too much novelty, but ever the expert, Logan not only gave gentle suggestions on how to put together a unique and outstanding suit design with just enough personality, he was able to explain the history of some design options.
Ultimately, I selected a green linen suit that featured a medium brown satin lining, with a wide, peak lapel and a cuffed pant hem. Once the design details were figured out, Logan took all of my measurements and I was on my way. Just nineteen days later, I popped back over to the shop to try on my custom suit, which fit—as expected—like a glove.
What I like about Suitsupply
My custom-made Suitsupply suit fit like a glove.
Their clothes are incredibly high quality
I have to admit, I wasn’t sure what to expect when I was told that I could have a custom suit, made to my exact measurements and design specifications, in less than three weeks. There had to have been a catch; maybe the fabric would feel cheap, or perhaps the sewing would be shoddy.
But when I put on my suit for the first time, I was really blown away. The fabric felt substantial and rich, the craftsmanship was impeccable without a single thread out of place, and the design was exactly as promised during my first meeting. They even embroidered my initials along the inside of the lapel, a brilliant touch that made the experience even more special.
The custom suits are more affordable than competitors
After I had made all of my selections, my custom Suitsupply suit rang in at $658. Although it’s not a cheap suit by any stretch of the imagination, finding a similar design off the rack with my preferred colors and configurations would be almost impossible—and designing a custom suit with other bespoke tailors or designers could easily cost upwards of $3,000 to $5,000.
At well under a thousand dollars, Suitsupply offers a level of customization that is almost unheard of in the men’s tailoring industry. Although I wouldn’t categorize their suiting as being “affordable,” I’d certainly say that it’s an accessible option for those who are willing to spend a little bit extra for an outstanding fit and design elements that you wouldn’t find on any other off-the-rack suit.
The options are size-inclusive
One of the reasons I never enjoyed wearing suits is because they never fit just right—not helped by the ubiquitous super-skinny silhouette that was popular for much of my life, in contrast to my body that was anything but super skinny. With Suitsupply’s Custom Made program, I can have a suit that takes today’s modern styles into consideration and is adjusted for my individual proportions.
Moreover, the Custom Made suit jackets range in size from a 30 (XXXS) to 60 (9XL), and trouser waist sizes from 24 to 54 inches, meaning that the brand’s options will fit just about any shopper.
What I don’t like about Suitsupply
They say details make the man, and Suitsupply takes that to heart.
Measuring yourself for custom suiting could be a challenge
I had the privilege of customizing my suit and getting fitted with the help of one of Suitsupply’s brilliant team members, but unless you have easy access to one of Suitsupply’s brick and mortar locations, your only other option when it comes to their Custom Made program would be to take your own measurements.
If you don’t have access to anyone to help with that process, whether that be a trusted friend, partner, or tailor, one would be more likely to take inaccurate measurements and risk having an ill-fitted suit.
A moment that stood out for me during my first meeting was when the Suitsupply associate had me stand upright in front of the mirror and took exact measurements of how I stand, which shoulder was lower, and my posture, adjusting the suit so it would hang perfectly from my frame. It’s those nuances that would be hard to replicate if you were taking your own measurements.
Is Suitsupply worth it?
I’ll absolutely be shopping with Suitsupply again in the future.
Without a doubt, yes!
My chief complaint with Suitsupply is that now I need to find more events to attend so I can wear my incredible custom suit. I haven’t enjoyed wearing a suit in a long time, and the experience was made all the more special with Suitsupply’s Custom Made program and knowledgable team members. The next time I visit Suitsupply, I plan to work with them to design a custom dress shirt—another constant point of contention between me and my wardrobe—and I can’t wait to see the result.
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