You Get What You Pay For: Here’s the truth!

Don't be fooled by designer brand materials 

If it sounds too good to be true, then it probably is. There are many tailors that fly down from Asia and offer bespoke or tailored Designer brand materials for an amazing price - maybe $500.00.

To offer a  handmade suit in a designer material such as Bvlgari, Armani, Versace, Gucci, Zegna, etc., for such a low price while covering expenses such as return airfare for all the workers that fly down, plus accommodation, materials, labour, etc. seems quite impossible.

A westerner would attribute the amazingly low price to the cheap cost of labour in Asia – partially true – they are probably using inexperienced or average tailors to put the suits together. A Master Tailor, even in an Asian country is actually still relatively expensive.

However the major reason the tailor is able to offer such a low price is because the material is not actually what he claims it is. The real designer material alone would cost around $450, on top of which a retailer would add their own margin, plus the cost of paying a Master Tailor even in an Asian country would be enough to drive the price up to a good $800 - $1000.

Well, it's your decision, but don't be surprised if you find some of the buttons falling off or the suit coming apart at the seams – and most likely, the material not being of good quality and probably not even actually being Super 150s pure Cashmere wool. Most often the material will be a polyester-wool blend.

Here's a pictorial comparison between a cheap suit and a good quality suit...
NOTE: The cheap suit is a suit offered in one of those package deals that you see e.g. 1 jacket, 2 trousers, 5 shirts, 2 ties all for USD $350!! Sounds attractive doesn't it? Wait a few months and you'll realise that you flushed $350 down the toilet.


Cheap Suit - poor finishing

No Woolen Felt underlay beneath the lapel for reinforcement - it's just left bare. The centre stitching of the back of the lapel is also out of alignment with the centre stitching of the back of the jacket.

Button falling off after a few months of use as no reinforcement on the back side.

Uneven, unfinished, non-matching white stitching can be seen on the outside of the pocket.

Good Suit - assurance of quality

Woolen Felt underlay beneath the lapel for reinforcement.

Pocket is finished correctly with thread matching the colour of the suit cloth.

Exquisite patterned linings to add extra flair, with superior finishing inside and out.

Not all tailors are made equal...

This brings me to my next point: despite cheap labour and tailor shops being abundant in Asia – not all tailors in Asia are made equal! Yes some have offers where they’re selling 2 suits + 1 Blazer + extra trousers + 2 shirts + 3 silk ties all for USD$350, or some such deal. You will often see these advertisements in the airline magazines when you are on your way to an Asian country. Once again – sounds too good to be true doesn’t it? It probably is and you will get what you pay for.

The majority of “tailors” are just shop fronts or showrooms that stock the rolls of materials and where measurements are taken, a suit is designed, and fittings are conducted. Many of these shopfronts ultimately use the same actual cutters, stitchers and finishers (collectively called tailors) who put the suit together in workshops that are hidden away somewhere offsite. The flashier looking larger shops just charge more, even though they may be using the same backend manufacturing as the tiny shop next door.

So how do you find a good tailor?

Well – there are three ways:

1. Word of mouth - which for a number of reasons can be inaccurate. It may be that the person who is recommending the tailor has a vested interest. It could be that the person doesn’t really know what a good suit is, and may be satisfied with the quality he’s received (for the time being until the suit starts falling apart!). Or it could be that the person has only tried one tailor and that’s the only one he can recommend.
2. The second method is Trial and Error. You will need to go to multiple tailors and invest quite a bit of money to get suits made – then compare the quality, style and fit yourself.
3. The third method – (being a blatant attempt at marketing, I know) is to come to Sydney Custom Suits  where we retail Finestitch & Co suiting. I am confident in blatantly pushing our brand because I guarantee quality and satisfaction - AND you have a point of call as we are based in Sydney. We have gone through all the trial and error. We use real Master Tailors that are vastly experienced who will expertly hand craft your suit. We use real Super 150s Pure Cashmere Wool from Italy. And our prices are not astronomical – we believe that we strike the perfect balance between high quality and reasonable prices starting from $399 for a custom tailored Cashmere Wool suit. Our Contact details are in the link above – so call us now for more pricing details and to book a visit from a Design Consultant.