The fashion and luxury industries have always valued old-world techniques and heritage to an almost irrational extent. The claim, brands assert, is that these are the factors that guarantee a higher level of quality and differentiate them from mass market companies that can turn around new products and entire collections in no time.
While these are beautiful sentiments, anyone who’s remotely aware of what happens under the facade knows that while designer items may be arguably better made, they are not lovingly sewn for 40 days and 40 nights by near-blind artisans in some convent in the French countryside. They’re manufactured in computer-aided factories, pretty much like the any other product you can buy. I am a lover of luxury, but if things are done for the sake of doing them, and not to ensure quality and craftsmanship, then there really is no point. Besides, technology and luxury were never meant to be mutually exclusive.
Now why am I going on and on about this? Well, I’ve had suits and shirts made to my own measurements and those took a minimum of four to six weeks to get completed. I’d do it more often, but the amount of time it takes to finish an entire suit, which by the way is industry standard, is a major obstacle for me especially when I need it urgently for an important event that just randomly pops up with hardly any notice. I appreciate that they take time in order to get things right, but it would be so much better if someone could give me the same level of quality with a much faster turnaround time, without compromising on the third element in the iron triangle – cost. So my search began.
I’ve discovered a new bespoke tailoring concept in the city called The Custom Shop, which promises to deliver orders not within weeks, but within days. The region’s first contemporary bricks-&-clicks tailor revolutionizes the bespoke tailoring experience by using its proprietary body scan technology to eliminate manual errors and time-consuming aspects of the process, thereby drastically reducing the amount of time needed to deliver precisely measured clothes for men. The technology, estimated to be 76 percent more accurate than manual measurement, is the key to speeding up the entire process, which takes a maximum of just 10 days. While The Custom Shop has shops scattered around the UAE, only their Beach Center store in Jumeirah offers this innovation, at least for now.
I set up an appointment with The Custom Shop to see the tech for myself and I must say, it was a unique experience. First of all, the shop does not look like what you would expect a tailor would. Most of these stores try to offer an air of old-world luxury and exclusivity, while TCS paints a completely different picture. The interior is contemporary and more like a boys’ den, with a dart board, a motorcycle, and a saxophone among other completely random things. This concept, I was told, aims to better communicate with a younger target market – those who wouldn’t normally think of getting custom-made anything.
After meeting with the owner and getting briefed on how the technology improves on traditional measurement, I walked into the fitting room where the body scanner was. It didn’t really look like anything, maybe like an upright Xbox Kinect sensor. In front of it was a turntable, which I got on after changing into compression clothes when it was time to get measured. It lasted just a little over a minute and afterwards, I saw a virtual mold of myself – lumps and rolls included – on the screen.
Some manual measurements are still taken, however, because the tailors need to know how you wear your clothes and how you like them to fit. I like my waist low, trouser hems tapered, and the jacket tight and cropped, so these were also taken into account before a single stitch was sewn. Next came the fabric and cut selection, where I got to decide on various elements of the suit – lapels, vents, buttons, lining, buttonhole orientation, collar trim, the list goes on. I even got to have my signature – not monogram – embroidered on the inside breast pocket!
The first session concluded with a fitness report, which came with the body scan, including important details such as BMI, body fat percentage, ideal weight and the time it would take to achieve it following a recommended calorie deficit. This is a neat feature that tells you if you need to work towards a fitness goal or are healthy enough to just maintain your build. But us #fitfam are never satisfied, so I guess just maintaining is out of the question.
A week later, I was called back for a fitting to make final alterations and ensure everything was to spec. A few more days later, my suit was delivered; the garment bag and hanger it came in were not very luxurious, but I wasn’t going to wear them, so it didn’t matter much. To say I’m happy with the quality and fit would be an understatement. I love how it all turned out and how little time it took to create it. The best part is, if and when I want a new suit made, I can just log on to their e-commerce site (launching very soon!) with my details and place my order since they already have my measurements and preferences. They provide free alterations too, in case there’s something not quite right with my order, which is a great offering.
Check the pics below to see how I styled it. Special thanks go out to the wonderful people at APCO Worldwide for arranging everything!
Disclosure: The author received product and/or monetary compensation to support this story.
This post is a StepFeed Community post, written by a guest contributor. Jim Joquico originally published it on his blog, Fashion Chameleon . If you’re interested in contributing to the StepFeed Community, please contact [email protected].