Your Suit, Value for Money?

Today I was in the SuitSupply store in Rotterdam, the Netherlands, to pick up a great light grey linen/wool suit. I overheard a conversation between one of the friendly and professional sales clerks and his client. His client was a middle aged man with an office job who needed a new suit because his old ones were worn out. It was his first time in a SuitSupply store and he was amazed by the quality he got for a €300,- super 100 slim fit suit with kissing buttons on the sleeves that could be opened, a floating canvas and naturally rolling lapels. His wife said; “WOW, your Hugo Boss suits look great, because it’s Hugo Boss of course. But this suit looks much better and it’s not even an expensive brand.”

On the left you have SuitSupply for a great price, on the right you will find the typical “A-brand’ suit that are often more expensive and not necesarliy better crafted accoring to the suit etiquette.

The ‘A-brand’ suit and the SuitSupply suit are probably crafted in the same ‘factory’ somewhere in the world where the quality and price are currently the best. Both suits are made from a super 100-150 fabric, the difference you may find in the ‘cut’ or style, the way they put the suit together (either with a fused or floating canvas). SuitSupply suits have floating canvasses while certain ‘A-brand’ suits have fused canvasses which in general are cheaper and often uncomfortable for the wearer. The ‘A-brand’ suit is priced at approximately €700,- and the SuitSupply suit at €300,- while this suit is commonly better crafted and has more luxurious details such as a breast pocket that is curved instead of straight. It really is amazing how the international big brands trick people into buying expensive suits that are not necessarily better. In fact, SuitSupply is relatively small compared to the Ralph Lauren’s of this world. Fokke de Jong is the ambitious mastermind behind SuitSupply and has started to conquer the suit industry and is already represented on Savile Row. Where are you opening the next store Fokke? NYC, Paris, Milano, Tokyo? They need you, educate them!

Surely, brands like Etro and Tom Ford typically use even more luxurious materials are craft finer suits. But these brands you cannot compare to SuitSupply, their prices start around €1200,-. Still, if you have €1200,- and decide to buy a fine SuitSupply suit for €300,- you can still go to Hawaii for a week….  Personally, I would get 4 SuitSupply suits.