The field is getting more crowded with one-stop web sites that allow you to create your own “custom” clothing.
One of the first large retailers to test the custom order waters was Lands’ End, and they are still doing individual orders under Lands’ End Custom. However, Lands’ End has been slow to add selection, and has an ordering system based more on guesses than on actual measurements. The upside to Lands’ End is their reputation and customer service.
Now, the U.S. is seeing companies based in Hong Kong and China offering items made to order via the Internet. Some have been around for a while and even send salesmen to the States and Europe to do the actual measurements.
Today say hello to UrbanTailor.com. Another newcomer from Asia, this one has a fairly robust web site and seems to be headed in the right direction.
There are several drawbacks, most notably the selection only being limited to jackets for the time being. Their web site promises more selection by the end of this year.
UrbanTailor’s Bandana Jacket:
Despite talk of a recession in America, sales of custom apparel products are up. This site will hopefully catch the wave and ride it to more selection – and profits.
Category Uncategorized | 2 Comments »
April 4th, 2008 at 6:54 pm
You mention that sales of custom apparel products are up. What are you basing this on? Do you have any hard market revenue numbers, or are you looking more anecdotally at the recent emergence of more custom clothing websites? I’d be very interested to better understand the size of the online – custom apparel market.
April 4th, 2008 at 9:14 pm
Good to hear from you Seph.
A survey of about 50 men’s specialty stores found that sales of men’s custom and made-to-measure suits jumped by 17% in 2007 over the previous year, according to MR Magazine, a trade publication for the men’s fashion industry.
This is in stark contrast to struggling off-the-rack suit sales, which saw a 5% decline in 2007, according to the NPD group.
Luxury apparel sales slid even further in February [2008], dropping 2.2% to $3.5 billion, according to MasterCard. Source: Blacks Retail Analysis