I welcome the opportunity to introduce Elite Suits to my fellow Styleforum members. By becoming an official Styleforum affiliate it allows us to promote our services to a wider audience while assisting Styleforum to continue to publish this valuable website at no cost to their members.

Elite Suits is no stranger to either North America and Europe. Over a third of our production already goes to North America, split almost equally between USA & Canada, with another 20% going to Europe mostly to the UK and the Scandinavian countries. Most surprisingly, almost 10% of our production is now being sold to Asian based customers which, when you consider most Asian cities have a tailor shop on every corner, attests to the quality of our garments as our Asian based customers seek a better made suit at a value for money price.

We have just celebrated the 2nd anniversary of the establishment of Elite Suits and in that short time we are well on our way to being able to survive purely on repeat business. We have established a base of a more discerning suit buyer wanting to purchase high quality suiting at great prices. We have customers onto their 4th or 5th suits who have their individual pattern customised so finely that all they need do now is send me their fabric choice and in a few weeks we send them a perfectly fitting suit.

There are still some great true bespoke tailors who make their own suits with multiple fittings (including the first at "baste" stage) and turn out absolutely sublime suits at a world class level. Buying a true bespoke suit is more than just a purchase it's an experience in itself and if you have never had a bespoke suit made for you it's something I strongly recommend that you put on your list of things you want to achieve in life.

However, there are many tailors today offering a bespoke service but outsourcing their actual tailoring to suit factories, mostly in Asia but also less commonly to Europe. Unfortunately a lot of these suit factories only mass produce cheap machine made half canvas (or even fused canvas) suits which the local "tailor" then passes off to their unsuspecting customer as their "bespoke" suit at a massive markup. If your tailor claims to be making you a bespoke suit but there is no baste stage fitting and the only fitting is with the completed suit then it is not a bespoke suit. It is only their version of made to measure and you can almost guarantee they have outsourced the actual tailoring.

Naturally, we believe our suits to be better and we explain in detail HERE. It's a long article (brevity in writing is not my strong point as you will discover). For those that don't wish to wade through the article allow me to summarise here.

• We use real tailors - Many "tailors" today outsource to suit factories. Nearly all of our online competitors are nothing more than fronts for Asian suit factories that churn out cheap machine made fused suits. While we also offer a budget range of factory made suits (although one of the better ones where the suits are made by seamstresses rather than machine) the majority of our suits are made by actual tailors. Mostly one or two man operations in their own workshops. We have 11 different tailors on our roster all over Asia making suits to various standards which allow the customer to choose how they want their suit to be constructed

• We source our own fabrics - Again most of our online competitors use the fabric supplied by the suit factory. By sourcing our own fabrics it allows us to control the quality and accordingly, we believe allows us to offer higher standard fabrics than you buy elsewhere at similar prices. We have alliances with a number of Asian fabric merchants as well as one based in Huddersfield UK which is the traditional home of fine suiting fabric who supplies us with fabrics purchased directly from the actual mill. This allows us to be able to bespoke quality fabrics such as Clissolds and Holland & Sherry at amazingly low prices

• We offer full canvas suits - Unlike most suits today which are either fused or if you're lucky half canvas, most of our suits come standard as full canvas or offer a full canvas as an option

• We offer a No Worries Guarantee - Our fully tailored suits are guaranteed to fit. If they don't you have our comprehensive No Worries Guarantee to rely on. There is no $50 limit and we don't only offer reimbursement by way of store credit (although we will on request). If your suit obviously doesn't fit we will either pay the full cost of alterations in cash or arrange a replacement suit it's as simple as that. Yes there are some conditions mostly to stop those 0.01% of people who will abuse any system and ruin it for others but they are not onerous and if it's your first Elite Suit I'm as keen as you are to get the fit right so you are confident in ordering off us again. However, we do not pretend to be a bespoke tailoring company and accordingly do not pretend to offer a bespoke fit. You can read more on what the guarantee is designed to cover and what it doesn't cover (and the very good reasons why) HERE

   

• We are constantly striving to further improve the quality of our suits - We don't rest on our laurels. I'm of to Asia once again next month and the main goal of the trip is to source suppliers of things such as trimmings to further improve the already high quality of our mid priced suits. We have also sourced a range of high quality fabrics for a new range of business suits we hope to launch this year. We believe the high quality of the fabrics offered at the prices we will be selling at will cause quite a stir and make Elite Suits the place to go if you wear a suit to work

• Finally (and most importantly) you get to choose the quality of the suit you want - We believe the Elite Suits concept to be unique. Unlike most of our online competitors, who offer one basic suit in a single range of fabrics, you get to choose the quality of your fabric and the standard of tailoring used in the construction of your suit. The final outcome is determined only by your budget and we believe that at any pricepoint we offer a superior suit or "more bang for your buck" as we like to say.

OK let's talk about the website. Please allow me to assure you that there is nothing negative you can say about the website that I'm not aware of. I fully understand every last one of it's shortcomings and I will only respond to any comment with THIS LINK.

However, I beg of you, please do not let this thread degenerate to a discussion about the website instead let's talk about great suits. We are working on an upgrade but we are finding it to be highly problematical. We offer an extensive range of fabrics and five different levels of tailoring. To many average suit buyers it's going to be highly confusing. We also want to be able to give as much information about the suits as we can so each Elite Suits customer is able to make an informed decision on the suit they are about to purchase. The problem we have been working on for months is how to do this in the simplest way possible without compromising the overall business plan and to date we have yet to arrive at a satisfactory solution. We will get there eventually but it's never going to be a simple point and click site. If you're looking for somewhere with lot's of pretty pictures and that simply says "Blue suit - $399" then unfortunately Elite Suits will never be the website for you. That's OK, we're not really trying to compete in that market nor are we looking to take over the suiting world. We're seeking the more discerning customer who wants a better quality suit at a better price. So yes I am aware of everything that's wrong with the website and we will eventually come up with a way to fix it especially the currently clunky ordering system.

However, in the meantime the current system does work. Our growing sales every month are proof of that. While it may be at first confusing, it may not be as hard as you may think when you remember one simple rule. Suits are priced according to the quality of the fabics and the standard of the tailoring. It is really that simple. The more expensive the suit the higher the quality of the fabric or the higher standard of tailoring or a combination of the two. Purchasing a good suit is a decision not to be made lightly and many customers return up to half a dozen times before finally making a purchase. If you take the time to read the site and associated blog you will be in a position to make an much more informed purchase decision even if you decide to buy elsewhere.

The ordering system, while clunky, isn't as complicated as it may first appear. Many customers download everything they need from HERE (this page also has links at the bottom of the page to some good tips on how to measure and alternative measuring methods) and complete the order form before finalising their purchase.

Finally, and I apologise for the length of this missive (but I did warn that brevity isn't my forte), I do understand that many people don't have great faith in the Made to Measure system. That's fine and we are happy to deliver you our superior quality suits in a standard off the rack size. These standard size measurements were kindly given to us by one of Asia's biggest off the rack suit makers who ship all over the world. All we ask is that you give us your chest and pants waist measurements and we will send you a standard size suit made to fit those measurements.

We at Elite Suits look forward to many years of interaction with our fellow Styleforum members.

A Review of an Elite Suit.

The longer you're around the more people notice. Ziprage, the American online lifestyle magazine, reviewed one of our suits recently.

You can read it here - Ziprage Review

Quote:

Originally Posted by Quadcammer 

that review reads an awful lot like an advertisement.
Did you pay for it?

I can assure you that if it was a paid advertisement we would have insisted on a far better picture than just having the suit hung so poorly on a dummy.

We supplied the suit but there were no conditions attached. I was more interested in an a fair and independent review. That's why I made the author go through the full ordering process just like every other customer.

He actually emailed me the day the suit arrived to tell me he was very impressed with the quality at the price and he is far from the first customer to do that.

Seriously though I ask what's not to like? While I'm never going to pretend it's the world's greatest ever suit, it is extraordinary value.

The fabric is a very good quality generic suiting wool. Milled in Italy and dyed in China. This gets back to my point above about how we source our own fabrics completely independent of the tailor which allows us to control the quality.

Rather than the cheaper and poorer quality fusing the suit has a full canvas.

Instead of being machine made in one of the Asian suit factories the suit is hand made by two trained and experienced tailors. One make trousers and that's all he does and the other specialises in making full canvas jackets (and the occasional vest when required).

All that for only $398 including shipping (or $478 with a vest as this suit did). When you compare what's on offer elsewhere I think you have to agree is extremely good value for a fully tailored suit

Quote:

Originally Posted by MZhammer 

 

That's quite the review...

 

I would personally suggest you have a SF elite member review it (maybe JefferyD or Despos). They'd be able to speak to the construction much more and give a fair and balanced review of the actual quality it represents.

 

I seem to recall something where Astor & Black spoke about how they use canvassing too but when it came down to it they only had a few stitches holding in the canvass so while it had canvassing the quality of the job negated most real benefits over fusing.

 

If that isn't the case here I'm sure a positive SF review would really help avoid skepticism and will turn up high in any search engine result!

I'm certainly prepared to do that. I read JefferyD's review of his Indochino experience and I thought it was quite fair.

However, I don't really need another review of one of the lesser priced suits. I have the one above and I would hope that over the coming months at least a few Styleforum members will take the plunge and order a suit and post about their experience both good and bad.

On that note, in the few emails I get from customers who have issues with their suit the most common is that the suit isn't quite as "slim fit" as they would like. This is an issue common with all online MTM companies and gets down to the amount the tailors allow for body movement. Normally they allow around 4"-5" at the chest and around 3"-4" at the waist. They're hesitant to cut slimmer on the basis that it's easier and far cheaper to have the suit altered to be smaller post delivery while if it's cut too slim trying to make it bigger can be difficult and expensive and in some extreme cases impossible.

If the measurements supplied are spot on then the suit will fit well and despite what some people claim getting fairly close body measurements isn't exactly rocket science although we strongly recommend that you take the measurement form to your local tailor or an alterations place. Somebody who is used to taking measurements will knock the form over in about five minutes. However, if you slightly overestimate the chest, waist and hips measurements, by the time the tailor adds the body movement allowance the fit may not be as slim fit as you want.

While we do offer a No Worries Guarantee with our suits it's designed for those instances when a suit arrives and it simply doesn't fit i.e. it hangs off you like a chaff bag or is so tight that it's impossible to wear. In that case we will pay to have the suit altered or make a new one and it doesn't matter if the measurements were wrong. However. we do not pretend to be a bespoke tailoring company or pretend to offer a bespoke fit so we don't pay for any post delivery tweaks. We explain what we do cover and what we don't and the very sensible reasons why HERE.

Well over 80% of our customers wear their suit as it is delivered. Some do take it to be tweaked to get that slightly better fit. So do you really want me to add an amount to the price of every suit simply so I can give it back to you just in case you want your suit tweaked? If I did that not only will you pay the extra on your first suit but again and again for every suit you order when it's a rare event indeed for a customer to have a problem with their second suit. Basically you end up paying for other people to have their suit altered. I'd rather sell you a cheaper suit and let you decide if it needs a tweak.

That said, if it's your first Elite Suit we're as keen to get the fit right as you are for the purely selfish reason that we want you to order another suit. So if you have an issue send me an email and even if it doesn't really qualify under the No Worries Guarantee we may bend the rules a little or perhaps add value to your next order either by a discount or perhaps adding something extra at no cost such as a shirt.

Sorry, I seemed to have gone off on a tangent there (I do that sometimes, you'll have to forgive me) back to the possible review. As I said I'm not really interested in another full review of say the Beijing suits. However, I do have confidence in the superior quality of our suits and I'm not afraid to submit one to somebody qualified to provide a fair, accurate and independent review.

We become an affiliate on Styleforum because we believe a lot of our fellow members want a better made suit and will see the amazing value we offer not just in our less expensive range but in the over $500 suits as well. So I'd be more interested in submitting one of our suits in the $600 to $1000 range for review.

As I mentioned in the initial post in this thread we are not far away from launching a new range of business suits. We have sourced new fabrics that are extremely high quality and far better than you will find in off the rack suits that sell at the same prices. This will allow us to offer high quality hand tailored full canvas suits at prices incredibly low for suits of such high standard.

If I can get enough feedback from Styleforum members in this thread saying that this is something they would like to see I will be happy to approach JeffreyD and ask him if he would be prepared to do a review if I send him a suit.

So what do you think?

Holland & Sherry "Gold Leaf" Fabric Suits

These are something I've been very keen to share with my fellow Styleforum members. As I said earlier we source on our fabrics independent of the tailors. We have formed an alliance with a fabric merchant based in Huddersfield England. This is considered the world over as the home of fine suiting fabric and allows us access to some of the biggest and oldest cloth makers in the world.

While most of us may be  familiar with Holland & Sherry and aware of just how beautiful all Holland & Sherry fabrics are, this isn't your garden variety H&S cloth. The Gold Leaf label is a made to order range manufactured in their Oldgate Mill in Bradford so it’s a true bespoke cloth in every sense of the word. We are buying the fabric direct from the mill and shipping it to our tailors. This particular range was made for a bespoke tailoring house who unfortunately found the current European economic conditions too difficult and closed down before taking delivery. You can read more about this stunning fabric on OUR BLOG

While unfortunate for them it now allows Elite Suits customers to purchase this fabric at a fraction of the normal price. This is a fantastic S120′s fabric available in 24 different colours and patterns. You can see the range HERE

Normally we would sell these suits at $899 which in itself is an amazingly low price for a suit made from a fabric of such high standard. However, for a limited time we have reduced all three of our tailoring options by $200.

This brings the price down to an incredible $699 for a suit that

• Is hand tailored by not one but two specialists tailors.
• Comes standard with a full canvas
• Is fully customisable so you can style your suit exactly the way you want it. Choose how many buttons, the type of lapel, pockets, vents, trouser pleats or not etc.
• Is available custom made to fit your measurements and body profile or in a standard off the rack size.
• Can come as the standard two piece but you can also add a second pair of trousers, vest or both.

This is Holland & Sherry fabric specially made for a European fashion house that went under before taking delivery. It's a once off order and when it's gone it's gone forever so this is a limited time offer. While there is enough stock that we are not going to run out next week eventually we will exhaust the supply so I suggest that you order as soon as possible. As you can imagine, with suits made from this beautiful fabric at these very attractive prices we are selling quite a lot of them.

Our personal tailoring service makes an extraordinary nice suit and at $699 for suit using cloth of this quality it's no doubt a genuine bargain. However, if you can fit it into your budget I strongly recommend you upgrade to our "Almost Bespoke" package. This is a very high level of tailoring where your suit is made by specialist bespoke tailors who make suit under contract for some of the best tailors in the word. While still strictly classed as made to measure it's where we do blur the lines between MTM and bespoke tailoring. Unlike our MTM Personal Tailor Service where they use a standard pattern to make your suit, our Almost Bespoke service draws a completely new pattern based on your individual measurements and body profile. Then your suit is completely stitched by hand with around 4,000 individual hand made stitches made by one of Asia's best tailors with decades of experience in making bespoke suits and a practised eye that can see how tiny changes in how the suit is stitched can fit your body profile far better.

The three tailoring options are explained in more detail HERE where you can also read about the other fabric option available for this suit. While Clissold may not be as familiar to many as Holland & Sherry it's also a beautiful cloth eagerly sought after by bespoke tailors all over the world.

This is a limited opportunity to buy a suit any man would be proud to own at a stunningly low price. A world standard famous name bespoke quality cloth and suit fully hand stitched by a tailor that does nothing else but make suits to a bespoke standard. Ask yourself did you ever think you would be able to afford a suit of this outstanding quality? Now you can own one for around a grand which is a price affordable to the average suit buyer. One more example of the value that Elite Suits is becoming renowned for providing.

We believe that our fellow Styleforum members want a better suit for their money. To be able to bring you suits of this obviously high quality at extreme value for money prices is the main reason we became an official Styleforum affiliate. You can see the various options in these world class suits HERE.

Should you have any questions please feel free to send me a PM or go to the Contact Us page on the website 

Quote:

Originally Posted by MZhammer 

I'd love to see Jeffreyd, Despos, or a tailor dive into a review (I didn't mean to volunteer Jeffreyd directly). Whether it's the Beijing model or a different one I know they would approach it with a critical yet fair eye.

 

If any of them are willing to donate their time I would certainly be interested in reading the review.

Well that's one.

Let's see if we can find a few more.

Now what about those Holland & Sherry suits? Are they a bargain or what?

Quote:

Originally Posted by davesmith 

A quote from the review. There is no way this is true.

I think I have to agree the author used a far bit of poetic licence there. They are great suit for the money but...

I would like to personally thank everyone who has taken the time to respond and to assure you I understand every criticism and point made is valid and we will take all of them into account as we progress to the new website. We are well on the way with new logos and a new colour scheme (a light blue and white) and moving a lot of the content off the main site and onto the blog where those who do want more detailed information can find it. It's just that staying true to the Elite Suits concepts is presenting us with some highly difficult obstacles that are taking us time to properly sort out.

There is an old marketing maxim that says "sell the sizzle and not the steak" and it's something that's hard to disagree with. However, may I suggest that in concentrating on the lack of sizzle here you may be missing out on some really good steak. One of the reasons the website has been delayed is that I have spent the last two years putting the extensive range of connections together required to offer a range of superior suits. Finding proper tailors capable of delivering the quality we require on a consistent basis (and I could take days telling you how hard that is and how many absolutely terrible suits we received) , building alliances with fabric merchants across the globe so we can offer better quality wool for our suits and developing a close working relationship with our local wool marketing company.

If you take the time to look at our suits I think you will find that we offer superior value at every pricepoint. In the many years I have had working relationships with the clothing industry I have seen the standard of suits being offered by both tailors and stores and in recent years online retailers take a serious decline although there are some notable exceptions. The rise of the Asian suit factories had led almost everyone down the path of making cheaper suits in order to survive with almost all the suits currently available at retail level now being machine made and mass produced around a fused or at best, a half canvas.

Here at Elite Suits the plan is to reverse that decline. Those that want a better suit can now have their suits made by real tailors using a full canvas and select the quality of wool they want for their suit. While I accept the criticism here is entirely valid, you would be surprised on how many emails I receive saying how much they love the site and the ability to put together exactly the suit they want and have it made to the standard they desire. The traffic and sales for the quarter just ended are both up by over 50% compared to the same time last year over a not exactly insubstantial base. We are a successful company and sell a significant number of suits every month, not as many as the big operators of course but still many more than a lot of other similar websites in a market that is becoming very crowded.

As for pictures I ask that you be patient. This thread is only 4 days old and pictures will come. I have a few that I will be putting up over the weekend. Although what I'm hoping for more is that people will post their own pictures here and relate their experience with the process. Since the thread started three of our fellow Styleforum members have taken the plunge and ordered suits and I'm sure at least one of them will share their opinions of their new suit.

So once again a big thank you to everyone. If you drop in on the site every now and then I'm sure you will eventually find that we have taken your comments and advice very seriously.