So I started a clothing company...

[bdavro23]

@bdavro23 What's up?

Well this is embarrassing...

You nudged me back in the summer and I promised a longer update, and then I didnt. Sorry...

The truth is, there isnt anything big happening and its mostly a grind. I dont mean that in a bad way, just that its work. I really enjoy having my company and making things for people, and I'm having a lot of fun. But make no mistake, its work.

I also have a full time job thats been pretty busy of late. And more importantly, I have a wife and daughter that I love spending time with. Oh, and we're doing a pretty big home renovation. I realized pretty quickly that at the moment, I'm just not willing to commit the time necessary to grow beyond where I am right now. And I'm ok with that.

Thats not to say that some cool stuff hasnt been happening. I've made some interesting things, including my first double breasted suit, a couple of overcoats in big, **** you checks, and I did my first corporate sale which was fun. I'm moving forward, little by little. Some referrals are coming in too, so thats nice.

And thats pretty much what's up...

 

[patliean1]

@bdavro23

Question - I'm in the infant stages of my MTM business (super low key...selling mostly to family and friends). My factory does good work but they aren't interested in sourcing anything but their own in-house fabrics. I've contacted a couple of British and Italian mills to which I was told "Have your tailor contact us. We do not sell to the public/customers."

What business credentials or verbiage do I need provide in order to prove I am the MTM "tailor" in the generic sense? My apologies if this has already been answered but I just discovered this thread 10 mins ago lol. Thanks in advance

 

[Caustic Man]

Btw, if you need any more guilt in order to keep this thread going: this is the only thread I currently subscribe to and I look at it every time I get a notification. Super interesting, small business insider, stuff going on in here.

 

[bdavro23]

@bdavro23

Question - I'm in the infant stages of my MTM business (super low key...selling mostly to family and friends). My factory does good work but they aren't interested in sourcing anything but their own in-house fabrics. I've contacted a couple of British and Italian mills to which I was told "Have your tailor contact us. We do not sell to the public/customers."

What business credentials or verbiage do I need provide in order to prove I am the MTM "tailor" in the generic sense? My apologies if this has already been answered but I just discovered this thread 10 mins ago lol. Thanks in advance

PM sent

 

[bdavro23]

Btw, if you need any more guilt in order to keep this thread going: this is the only thread I currently subscribe to and I look at it every time I get a notification. Super interesting, small business insider, stuff going on in here.

UGH...

Guilt achieved. I promise to post an update this weekend and I really do appreciate the interest. I had intended to be a lot more proactive in this thread, so sorry to be a deadbeat...

 

[bdavro23]

As promised, my much overdue update. Unfortunately, the wait has not allowed for a blockbuster, so my apologies to those who were looking forward to big news...

I mentioned previously that I have family commitments I'm unwilling to compromise on, as well as a somewhat demanding job. Nothing has changed in that regard, and so my clothing company is still a side gig. I'm happy with that for the moment, and maybe forever. I started this business because its my passion and I wanted something that was mine. I get to pick the shapes, do the fittings, create the brand and all of the little things that go along with this adventure. I also get to do the taxes, plan the operational side of the business, do the scheduling, find a hanger supplier, find garment bags that arent **** (still working on this one). It's fun and challenging and about as much as I can handle for the moment.

There are a few updates I can share, I suppose: I actually am making progress and gaining some new customers. In fact, I have an order that should be arriving today for the managing director of the wealth management groups at a large bank here. If things go well, there are a couple of guys waiting in the wings to place orders, so no pressure...

I also feel like I am getting really comfortable in my MTM fitting system. This was a bit of a surprise for me, since I've been doing fittings with people for years at someone else's shop. That was also a tailoring shop, where the expectation was that most things would need final alterations when they came in, sometimes significant work. I dont want to alter anything. ANYTHING!!! Alterations cost money, which I try to avoid paying if I can. The cloth often causes little variances in fit. but for the most part I feel like I can get really close just using my fit garments, and I've only needed to alter a couple of items. Second orders have been really good thus far and I havent had to alter anything.

It hasnt all been smooth sailing, however. Recently I made some shirts for a first time customer in my office building, that I thought fit pretty well when they came in. I did make a mental note to lengthen the sleeves on his pattern for next time. Interestingly, "Next Time" was about a week later when I saw him in the elevator and he was showing an inch of wrist. the sleeves shrank significantly at the first laundering, so I am remaking his shirts now. I hate remaking things more than altering them, so hopefully this is a freak occurrence.

Finally, I had to put someone on a wait list, which sounds like something of an achievement, but isnt. I have gotten a couple of referrals around the country, so I ship them the fit garments they need, and then do a Skype fitting with them. It isnt as good as being in person, but the results have been good for first items and really good for subsequent orders. I happened to have two guys that needed the same fit garment, so one had to wait and it was fun having a waiting list for a week. Hopefully that happens a lot more in the future.

To the handful of you still reading about this little project of mine, I appreciate your interest and support. Sorry for such an unreasonable delay and I wish everyone a lovely holiday season.

 

[classicalthunde]

been lurking for a while, and have a couple of questions:

- have you discussed what factory/producer you are using overseas?
- how much input did you have on your initial block pattern or did you just go with the standard from the factory?
- did you initially learn how to tweak your own pattern on yourself and then apply to customers, or vice versa?
- what sort of production numbers do you do in a quarter?
- do you have an IG where we can see some items?

 

[patliean1]

- how much input did you have on your initial block pattern or did you just go with the standard from the factory?
- did you initially learn how to tweak your own pattern on yourself and then apply to customers, or vice versa?

I'm eager to hear @bdavro23 response on this...

So I just received my first order (or pattern) from my respective factory. The fit, pattern, and overall aesthetics are exactly what I asked for based on the self-measuring (both body and garment specs) I provided, along with several posture and fit "inspiration" photos. It helps that I own several MTM suits over the years so it was easy to provide images of my overall expectations.

However, I did spend several hours gathering all the details, photos, and measuring multiple times. This is fine for myself but would be a pain in the rear doing this for every single new customer. I'm curious how you navigated through this. Thanks

 

[bdavro23]

been lurking for a while, and have a couple of questions:

- have you discussed what factory/producer you are using overseas?
- how much input did you have on your initial block pattern or did you just go with the standard from the factory?
- did you initially learn how to tweak your own pattern on yourself and then apply to customers, or vice versa?
- what sort of production numbers do you do in a quarter?
- do you have an IG where we can see some items?

In order:

• I have not discussed the factory I am working with, other than that they are predictably in China. Earlier in the thread I discussed how I came to them and some of the research I did to come to the decision. I dont really want to discuss the actual factory as I dont think its that interesting and you never know who else may be using them.
• I started with block patterns and then worked with a pattern maker from the factory to make some tweaks based on what I wanted from my garments. I have to say that had I not had the pattern maker to rely upon to guide me, things could have been disastrous...
• I made a few test garments for myself, but it was actually making things for friends and testing them out that really helped inform me about how to adjust things. Its really easy to do too much and make a mess of things, when the goal should be to adjust things as little as possible to get a good result.
• No idea about quarterly numbers.
• At the moment, no IG. I've posted pictures in this thread, but as I have zero social media, I'm really reluctant to get back in that cesspool. It will probably have to happen at some point if I want to grow.

 

[Caustic Man]

I hope that at some point you will want to be more specific about your business strategies and experiences. Right now you talk in a lot of generalities, and that's understandable, but if you really have no desire to do this full time, or any ambitions of having a million dollar business, then there might be an opportunity to document the startup of a small business within a dramatically changing consumer landscape. Not to get too serious, but there might be some historical value to this in the future and there is certainly value for the curious right now. If you have trade secrets that you want to remain secret, or if there are other circumstances wherein you might not want to mention names, then I totally understand. But at least consider it. No one that I know of is producing the kind of insider information that you could be producing.

 

[bdavro23]

I'm eager to hear @bdavro23 response on this...

So I just received my first order (or pattern) from my respective factory. The fit, pattern, and overall aesthetics are exactly what I asked for based on the self-measuring (both body and garment specs) I provided, along with several posture and fit "inspiration" photos. It helps that I own several MTM suits over the years so it was easy to provide images of my overall expectations.

However, I did spend several hours gathering all the details, photos, and measuring multiple times. This is fine for myself but would be a pain in the rear doing this for every single new customer. I'm curious how you navigated through this. Thanks

I would never do this without fit garments. If you are unfamiliar, fit garments are suits in each size of your pattern that you eventually adjust to your customer. Find the garment that fits best, then adjust. These garments are the fixed points for you to reference with your factory, so when you say you you need to adjust the posture/ balance, or shoulder position, or whatever, there is an understanding of what that means. Obviously you will need to invest the money in the fit garments, but I feel like I've already saved double the cost in alterations I havent had to do.

There is a lot of subjectivity when it comes to fitting, especially with MTM. In bespoke, there are multiple fittings and the cutter can build things into the pattern. Using a fit garment is sort of like a basted fitting in that you get to see what needs to be corrected. Learning how to correct things is what takes trial and error.

Getting things right and doing a good job for people is really important to me. I have made a fair number of garments at this point but I still get anxiety about my orders. I spend probably too long thinking about each order, checking and rechecking my measurements and adjustments, before actually placing the order. First appointments usually take 1.5-2 hours between the fitting and talking about cloth, details, etc. I could do things faster, but I dont want to rush the fitting and I dont want to customer to feel rushed over making choices. I've gotten orders doen in just under an hour and just over 3, but that was a fair amount of bullshitting and shop talk. There was wine too...

I hope this helps and I wish you luck as you get started! Post some pictures when you have them, I'd love to see them.

 

[patliean1]

Spoiler

I would never do this without fit garments. If you are unfamiliar, fit garments are suits in each size of your pattern that you eventually adjust to your customer. Find the garment that fits best, then adjust. These garments are the fixed points for you to reference with your factory, so when you say you you need to adjust the posture/ balance, or shoulder position, or whatever, there is an understanding of what that means. Obviously you will need to invest the money in the fit garments, but I feel like I've already saved double the cost in alterations I havent had to do.

There is a lot of subjectivity when it comes to fitting, especially with MTM. In bespoke, there are multiple fittings and the cutter can build things into the pattern. Using a fit garment is sort of like a basted fitting in that you get to see what needs to be corrected. Learning how to correct things is what takes trial and error.

Getting things right and doing a good job for people is really important to me. I have made a fair number of garments at this point but I still get anxiety about my orders. I spend probably too long thinking about each order, checking and rechecking my measurements and adjustments, before actually placing the order. First appointments usually take 1.5-2 hours between the fitting and talking about cloth, details, etc. I could do things faster, but I dont want to rush the fitting and I dont want to customer to feel rushed over making choices. I've gotten orders doen in just under an hour and just over 3, but that was a fair amount of bullshitting and shop talk. There was wine too...

I hope this helps and I wish you luck as you get started! Post some pictures when you have them, I'd love to see them.

Thanks Robert! I hope you don't mind from me occasionally contributing my own experiences through this MTM journey. This thread has been a godsend and really pushing me to be extremely cautious every step of the way. In fact I'm going to request a quote from my factory regarding a full run of half-canvas trial suits.

Speaking of which...I'm actually very familiar with trail garments. For the last 5 years up until this point I've been going to a local MTM shop for my suits who also uses fitting garments. While my goal is to only be a resource of local family and friends, it's perhaps in very poor taste to ask him for any startup advice. In certain respects I agree with @Caustic Man as there seems to be an intangible "gate keeper" of sorts in menswear. The good news is I'm only looking supplemental income so those hurdles aren't really as important as is refining my patterns with my factory.

 

[Despos]

See a reality TV show for you guys starting MTM clothing businesses

 

[norMD]

See a reality TV show for you guys starting MTM clothing businesses

I can be the annoying and loud customer who demands a full remake after my internet friends drew lines on a picture and pointed out all the mistakes.

 

[Despos]

I can be the annoying and loud customer who demands a full remake after my internet friends drew lines on a picture and pointed out all the mistakes.

Thats's every show in season two or a mini series unto itself

To be fair that scenario is more common when ordering online direct from maker. That is full of pitfalls and speculative. Working with a fitter and getting a read of fit issues using a garment made on the same pattern resolves a lot of the issues that can occur.