The interior of the New York flagship store (Photo: Evan Joseph Images)
Often guys who can’t afford designer or made-to-measure suits get what they pay for — an ill-fitted, boxy silhouette. But now you don’t have to get a second mortgage to look like a captain of industry.
Since it was founded by Fokke de Jong in 2000, Suitsupply has been a European sensation, with 44 stores spanning the continent selling affordable egalitarian suits (prices range from $399 to $998). What sets the Amsterdam-based Suitsupply apart from the rest of the moderate-priced industry is their designer-like fit and construction, and the far-from-“fast fashion” shopping experience. They use sumptuous Italian fabrics and feature hand-sewn lapels. Customers can get their purchases tailored while they wait or in a maximum turnaround of three days, depending on the extent of alterations. The brand is opening their second Manhattan branch, a spacious, 8,000-square-foot Madison Avenue flagship, next month. (The original New York store is on Broome Street in Soho.) The new mega-store will feature a private shopping room and will even send tailors to your home or office to take your measurements.
In 2011, Suitsupply made its US debut. Outlets have spread to Chicago, Washington, DC, Atlanta and Philadelphia, with plans to open in Toronto, Seattle, Denver, Scottsdale, Houston and a post at the Venetian Palazzo in Las Vegas next year.
The company was launched in the States by Nishantha de Gruiter, who partnered with de Jong. De Gruiter became a fan of Suitsupply while he was visual merchandiser of Italian luxe brand Brunello Cucinelli. “Working at Brunello Cucinelli,” de Gruiter says, “I learned that everybody wants to look like that, but the air is very thin up there for people who can afford it. My friends asked me, ‘Where can I buy similar clothing? I want to look like that, but I can’t afford it.’ ” He realized the market was lacking.
“There is a niche here and I want to fill that gap,” he says.
The suits might be affordable, but the concepts are certainly lofty. Suitsupply debuted their Spring/Summer 2014 collection in Amsterdam’s Rijksmuseum. The chic earth-tone suits were shown against a backdrop of paintings by Dutch masters such as Rembrandt and Vermeer.