Australian bespoke tailor expands to the UK

Australian online tailor, InStitchu, which offers bespoke suits, is expanding into the UK market with a new office opening in South London. The brand allows men to design a bespoke shirt or suit online and get their tailored garment home delivered, in half the time it would take an

ordinary high street tailor. The site offers a simple three step process – measure, design and delivered, and features a wide range of customised options from wool and cotton fabrics to colours, and styles.

Prices

for the bespoke service start from 199 pounds, and come with a “perfect fit” guarantee, which ensures that any costs for minor alterations are paid for and all orders are delivered in under a month.

InStitchu was co-founded by Robin McGowan and made inroads into the Australian tailored suit last year, with more than 65,000 designs being custom-made using the websites online tailoring tool and the brand is hoping that British men will take to their service.

“British men are known for their sartorial style, so we’re confident that are made-to-measure only tailor business will be extremely well received in the UK,” McGowan said. “We’ve seen over 65,000 designs come out of our online customisation tool here in Australia, with many requests for climate-specific suits, like three-quarter linings. So we’re looking forward to seeing what our English customers will be keen on.”

InStitchu launches in the UK

The business in the UK will be managed by British entrepreneurs Elliot Suiter and Matthew Hinkley, who first noticed the ease of purchasing a quality, tailored suit on a trip to Asia.

Suiter added: “I wanted to see the same affordable options in the UK so began researching ways to make this happen. I soon discovered this clever Australian business, which had developed a tool to design, create and purchase a fully tailored suit entirely online.

“There were a few companies out there who offered similar options, but InStitchu really stood out. I found it much easier than others to use their design tools. They also offered more measurement methods, far better pricing and great customer service.”

The website is already accepting orders and Suiter hopes to total more than 3,000 over the next three years, and has even suggested that the brand might branch out to open pop-up shops or even a fully-fledge store.

InStitchu launched in Australia in early 2013 and in October it raised an undisclosed amount from Disruptive Capital, the technology focussed arm of Aura Capital Group, which led to the brand acquiring custom dress-shoemaker Mantorii, a year-old start-up.