SPIER & MACKAY - Official Affiliate Thread

[fieldofdreams]

Careful, weather is going to change soon for us.

I returned a navy suit last month. I wrote about how the process went.


I successfully returned a suit. Here's how it went.

I returned it on September 9th from Southern California, shipping to Ontario, Canada. I used UPS, which was $25 (S&M recommends using USPS, but UPS was $15 cheaper, initially). I told UPS that I would be responsible for all custom fees/duties and gave them my credit card info. I was charged $5 for custom fees. S&M received it my package on September 16th and I got email confirmation from S&M that it received my package. On September 21, I received my 15 CAD store credit and on September 22, I received my full refund via Paypal. This was a refund, not store credit.

UPS was roughly $10 cheaper than USPS.

It's not that easy of a process returning because of all the paperwork you have to fill out at UPS (I'm sure USPS would require the same amount of paperwork). Also, shipping back was a total of $30 though I did get 15 CAD store credit.

It was worth it though because I know what size I am in S&M suits these suits are cheaper and have the same quality as its competitor

I'll be honest, this sounds like more work than I'm willing to do at the present moment. At least for that suit. If there was a suit I was certain that I would like the fabric on I would pull the trigger. I fit slim size 40 pretty well in most brands, so I'm not too worried about if it will fit.

 

[emidyl]

hey Rick, you back?

Did the belts ever arrive?
cheers

 

[spiermackay]

Question for you gentlemen out there interested in the Full Canvas OTR program.

If we go with an established Italian cloth like Reda, VBC, Guabello (In a super 110's) - the best price we are looking at is $750 CAD ($560 USD).

If we make it with a top end Asian Mill cloth, like Dino Filarte or Ruyi, we can bring it in for $650 CAD ($490 USD). Having spoken with a tonne of cloth merchants over the past few days the concensus is that the top Asian mills have pretty much caught up to the Italians for the most part, except for a few super premium Mills like Zegna and Loro Piana and in the super fine count yarns of 150's+.

I just met with the folks over at Ruyi a couple of days ago at their Shanghai office and saw the cloth firsthand and was really, really impressed. Both drape and handfeel are exceptional.

My feeling is if we can offer a Sub $500 USD Full Canvas, that is truly high quality and delivers on all points, we will be offering something unheard of.

Question is, as a customer, is the branded Mill really worth the premium?

Cheers,
Rick

 

[spiermackay]

hey Rick, you back?

Did the belts ever arrive?
cheers

Back on Monday. Belts are in the shop. Online by Tuesday.

 

[Burzan]

Back on Monday. Belts are in the shop. Online by Tuesday.

Really looking forward to these and fingers are crossed that a future release might be a dark burgundy that can work with burgundy shell cordovan.

 

[mister_nostyle]



Question is, as a customer, is the branded Mill really worth the premium?

Firstly let me say that I'm not at the level where I want a full canvas suit yet, however, I suggest you go to the Asian mill. For OTR products, Spier Mackay targets the value-seeking segment of the market, and going with the Italian mill is not consistent with your identity as a company nor with your other product lines.

The persons looking for the Italian wool will be shopping at more expensive places and so you'll end up with a lot of overstock.

 

[fieldofdreams]

Firstly let me say that I'm not at the level where I want a full canvas suit yet, however, I suggest you go to the Asian mill. For OTR products, Spier Mackay targets the value-seeking segment of the market, and going with the Italian mill is not consistent with your identity as a company nor with your other product lines.

The persons looking for the Italian wool will be shopping at more expensive places and so you'll end up with a lot of overstock.

I'll play devil's advocate and say that people are going to Suitsupply for inexpensive suits with Italian fabrics. If you can offer a better product (full canvas) with similar fabric at a better price they may sell like, as we say in America, hot cakes.

 

[yanagi]



I'll play devil's advocate and say that people are going to Suitsupply for inexpensive suits with Italian fabrics.  If you can offer a better product (full canvas) with similar fabric at a better price they may sell like, as we say in America, hot cakes.

IMO SuitSupply's attraction comes from their price and their cut. Half-canvassed with a fitted, non-boxy silhouette and classic lapel width for $399 works. Again IMO, I'm glad to go from $399 to ~$490 and trade VBC wool for full canvassing.

 

[fieldofdreams]

IMO SuitSupply's attraction comes from their price and their cut. Half-canvassed with a fitted, non-boxy silhouette and classic lapel width for $399 works. Again IMO, I'm glad to go from $399 to ~$490 and trade VBC wool for full canvassing.

I've never purchased one of their $399 suits. I've purchased several that are in the $500+ range. It would be nice to have similar fabrics and full canvassing for less, IMHO.

 

[nickrut]

Why's there no 48L? Lol

 

[spiermackay]



Why's there no 48L? Lol

We're still pretty small. We don't even sell that many 46. That said they are now planned in the next production run.

 

[nickrut]

We're still pretty small. We don't even sell that many 46. That said they are now planned in the next production run.

Thumbs up to that. I'll give you guys a try once they come out. Always looking for affordable suit options. Especially if that fully canvassed line can come in around 500...

 

[losrockets]

I'm open to trying the Asian mill. Do you have swatches you can share/we can order? Would love to know how it wears vs. the Italian ones but it's not like the entry-level VBCs and whatnot have phenomenal wear either.

 

[spiermackay]



I'm open to trying the Asian mill. Do you have swatches you can share/we can order? Would love to know how it wears vs. the Italian ones but it's not like the entry-level VBCs and whatnot have phenomenal wear either.

Not just yet. But once we place the fabric order I will be able to arrange swatches.

FWIW. I was at a textile show here in Shanghai this week and pretty much all the major Italian mills were here as well. I was speaking to a former VBC representative who now runs his own textile trading company and I was asking him how SS was able to get such a low price on the VBC cloth. He advised that the cloth was designed specifically for them to meet their price. I think that can be read into that it really isn't standard quality VBC that you are getting with the Blue Line.

 

[doodledoc]

I would be interested in either. But to me, it makes sense to go with the Italian mill (I'd prefer the Asian mill). People here in the US hear "Italian mill" and full canvas, they're interested. I think you'll likely sell more 750 CAD Reda/VBC full canvas suits than 650 CAD Ruyi full canvas suits.

Do a run on an Italian mill for 2016 and see how it sells. You can probably try a Ruyi line down the road.