We have a lot of competition in our chicago based custom clothing business. In luxury custom suitings there are a few elements that allow a business to stand out:
- Exceptional clothiers that deliver on clients’ preference and style instead of their own.
- Brick and Mortar w/ luxury ambiance.
- Turn-around time.
- Whether Made-to-Measure or bespoke: Cads based vs. complete custom.
- Quality of garment construction and material.
- Value add amenities and benefits
But….my favorite distinction is: An IN-HOUSE MASTER TAILOR.
Most of our competitors hire their clothiers as entry level sales reps, and they will often call them tailors. Even many of the owners of competitive businesses just picked up the clothier trade as a money making operation and historically have no experience. Working with someone that was trained in a month on how to take measurements, and assess body types and posture in a classroom with no prior experience, or even working with someone that’s started the business with no prior tailoring experience, will yield unsatisfactory results in comparison to a master tailor born into the craft with 30 years of experience. Design and creativity can be left to the professional clothier, but when it comes to fit, a master tailor has worked with every type of client and every type of fabric. A master tailor cuts patterns and operates the machines and their hands that make your clothes, and understands completely how the clothes are constructed and sewn to provide the best fit and comfort possible. A true master tailor understands fabric and drape.
Other custom clothiers tend to outsource their alterations to local cleaners and tailoring shops, after they assess the alterations themselves (we know because we often fix our competitor’s clothing). In this scenario, the tailor never sees the client in the flesh and instead just executes on the clothier’s interpretation of the fit. Custom clothier’s outsourcing their tailoring can lead to a lot of problems, most noticeable adding a lot of time to the process and delivering custom suits that are not perfectly fitted to the client. We pride ourselves on delivering the highest quality fit, which is why having a Master Tailor in-house is essential to the success of our business.
When you choose Gentleman's Cooperative as your trusted Chicago Custom suit maker, you work with a company that understands the power of division of labor. You will work with a custom clothier extremely versed in Style and design to create spectacular wardrobe pieces. With expert assistance, you choose everything from the fabric, melton, buttons, pocket style, lining, and even to the color of the thread that stitches on the buttons. Then our Master Tailor, Mousa, will take 32 measurements and assess your physique, your posture and the fabrics you've selected to ensure a perfect and comfortable fit. At Gents Co-op, we painstakingly work to solve the problems in our industry, and not having an onsite master tailors is one of the many we see other clothiers make. Come to Gents Co-op and experience a master-tailor-fit.