Men’s custom suiting hasn’t always been an accessible market. For many, tailoring in itself is expensive—costing as much as $40 per item—let alone the suit’s original price and customizable features like buttons and jacket lining. Indochino makes these features and fit a priority and possibility, including tailoring in the full cost of their $399 suits. This practice has finally arrived to Northern Virginia with the franchise’s new Tysons Galleria location, which opened last month.
Indochino first launched as an online business in 2007, and the first brick-and-mortar location followed when they opened in Vancouver in 2014. “People wanted the service before, but it was too expensive, and now anybody can have that experience,” says Randy Binning, Indochino’s vice president of retail operations.
“Before this, guys didn’t really have options,” adds BJ McCahill, Indochino’s East Coast district manager. “Guys wanted a specific type of vent or number of buttons, and that’s hard to find. We were able to deliver that at a great price point. It’s close enough to what they’d buy off the rack but much higher quality and just the way they want.”
Much of Indochino’s success can be credited to its thorough fit process, and the in-store shopping experience offers customers added guidance to ensure they leave with the right suit.
At the minimalist showrooms—which boast modern tables and lounges punctuated by soft lighting, coffee table books and rows of suit fabric swatches—style guides take a customer’s body measurements and match them to one of the three silhouettes offered: Newbury, Yaletown and Soho. Customers can then customize suit features—lapels, linings, pockets and even 40-character monogramming—to their preferences.
“[In-store fittings] give guys a visual representation of how it’ll turn out,” says McCahill. “A lot of our shoppers are really visual, so just telling someone they want a slimmer calf or ankle doesn’t do it justice. Showing them is more effective, and it allows the suit to come back perfectly tailored to the client.”
Customers value the Indochino style guides’ expertise on fit and fabrics.
“Clients … really look for advice from our style guides,” says McCahill. “Online, you’re relying on your own styling, which a lot of people are comfortable with, but some are not, so they come in looking for that expertise.”
And it’s not just a 50-50 split between buying online or buying in-store. “[The store] ties closely with e-commerce, so people can match their order online and come in for measurements,” says McCahill. “There are a lot of different ways you can order.”
And according to McCahill, the D.C. area was the next logical Indochino location, as there was already an eager customer base. “We see a lot of people travel to our Philadelphia showroom from here, so we know that they’re hungry for the brand,” he says.
