Why custom-made casuals are the order of the day

The suit’s demise has been announced and reannounced over and over again, and yet it persists. However, in this era of hybrid work, slackening dress codes and mass-casualisation, a new type of formal dress has emerged – and, in its wake, a made-to-measure culture has taken hold, too.

‘Over the past few years we’ve seen a clear shift in attitude toward custom-made casual clothing,’ says Adam Cameron, co-founder of British clothing brand The Workers Club. ‘Clients increasingly want pieces that feel personal and genuinely useful, rather than clothes that impose a lifestyle on them.’

The Workers Club is one of a clutch of brands offering tailored knitwear, T-shirts, coats and denim, and the market is growing. There are big, direct-to-consumer players, including Copenhagen-based Son of a Tailor and New York’s Proper Cloth, smaller brands such as Casual Fitters, and even well-established tailoring houses, such as Thom Sweeney, offer a wider ‘wardrobe’ service beyond their mainstay of tailoring – they can get a custom-fitted merino sweater or pair of Japanese denim jeans to you in just five weeks. But the pitch is the same: why settle for ill-fitting, off-the-rack clothing, when you can commission pieces that make your everyday wardrobe feel more special?

Cameron says his clients are especially open to buying into ‘investment pieces’ such as knitwear and outerwear. The TWC customer, he explains, is interested in design and fabric, and is happy to wait for something that feels unique and long-lasting. And, unlike a bespoke suit, the focus is more on quality and comfort than outward impression. ‘The man who orders made-to-measure from us is usually thoughtful rather than showy,’ adds Cameron.

At Son of a Tailor, the client is more business-focused. ‘Our customers span a fairly broad age range, typically from 25 to 60,’ explains Jess Fleischer, co-founder and CEO. ‘They tend to live in or around larger cities, have an international mindset, and many of them are entrepreneurial in some form.’

The Danish brand’s bestseller is a simple, custom-fitted crew-neck T-shirt, a garment that seems to represent the gateway into custom casual wear. British heritage brand Sunspel recently launched a bespoke T-shirt service to great fanfare.

Beyond fit and convenience, both Cameron and Fleischer note an ethical benefit to commissioning custom clothing. ‘Our model avoids a lot of the waste built into traditional fashion,’ says Fleischer, noting that the wider apparel industry typically operates with around 25 percent overproduction. ‘We only produce what is ordered,’ he adds.

And then there’s the romance of made-to-measure: the process, the sense of authorship, the old-school timeframe. ‘There’s something quietly rebellious about shopping at a slower speed,’ affirms Cameron. ‘It brings back a sense of humanity that’s often missing from modern menswear.’