TORONTO, November 27, 2011:  As a man, I often feel that I have a limited number of retail choices when it comes to men’s fashion.  Not only are the choices limited, but the available styles aren’t always to one’s liking.  I remember complaining to our Fashion Correspondent, Gail McInnes, that there simply aren’t enough choices for men.

Enter indochino, the brainchild of Co-Founders Kyle Vucko and Heikal Gani.  Indochino is an online-only men’s retailer with the mandate of providing high quality custom tailored garments for men. 

While still in university, Heikal, who is also Indochino’s Chief Creative Officer, became frustrated with a fruitless shopping experience for a suit, finding that they were either overpriced or of poor quality.  This was the catalyst behind the creation of Indochino as the duo set out to create a better model for men’s fashion online.

So how does Indochino marry the highly skilled craft of custom fitted garments to the mass scale of the Internet?  Through a well-articulated business model that leverages the strengths of international markets (i.e. the fabrics are sourced in Italy with garment construction taking place in Shanghai, China), and a streamlined online measurement and ordering process that is simple and straightforward.

Indochino provides a detailed step-by-step online measurement wizard for gathering all of the essential measurements required for a high quality custom fitted garment.  Each measurement has an accompanying instructional video to ensure that the measurement is taken with as much accuracy as possible.  The measurement process only has to be done once, as your measurements are stored online as a part of your Indochino profile.

I experienced the entire process first-hand from measurement to delivery, and was very impressed with the high quality of the Tastemaker suit jacket and the Dinner Tuxedo suit jacket that I ordered prior to the start of the 2011 Toronto International Film Festival.  I wore the Tastemaker jacket to the 2011 edition of the TDot TV Lounge in association with CANFAR, where I hosted celebrity guests such as Billy Boyd (Lord of The Rings), Dean McDermott (Tori & Dean show), Robert Lieberman (Director, Mighty Ducks 3), Ksenia Solo (Lost Girl, Black Swan) and others.  To say this suit was the right choice for the occasion would be an understatement.

We all have our own individual personal style, and Indochino allows you to express it to the fullest with a wide array of customizations.  For example, for my jacket lapel I had the choice of a Peak, Notch, Notch Slim, or Shawl lapel.  Not sure which customization to choose?  The website will guide you through each and every customization option available:

“Notch lapels are the most widely used and most versatile. Peak lapels are for a touch of flair. Slim lapels are more fashion forward, noticeably slimmer than the average suit.  Indochino recommends the modern gentleman wear a notch or peak lapel.”

Other customization options included the number of buttons desired on the jacket, the number of jacket vents, the colour of the jacket’s lining, and even the option to have a monogram of your initials on the inside pocket.  Make your jacket say something; literally.

Indochino offers customers not only a quality guarantee on their products, but your garments are guaranteed to arrive within two weeks of your order.   They are able to offer custom fitted garments with high quality, speed, and at a price comparable to most off-the-rack options.  What could be better than that?

Suits alone do not make a man’s wardrobe and Indochino has kept this in mind, with a full complement of men’s accessories including ties, cufflinks, pocket squares, and tie clips.

Having had the pleasure of meeting with Indochino’s Founders in August, I can tell you that this is only the beginning as they have many more exciting product offerings under development.

All in all, Indochino is an innovative online fashion retailer that has brought custom men’s tailoring to the masses with both simplicity and affordability. There is no surprise that this company is a global success, having served more than 16,000 customers in 60 countries.

Suit up with Indochino for the Holidays: www.indochino.com

---------------------------

Justin Edmead is the Founder and CEO of TDot TV