When McGregor Madden started his company, Proper Suit, he noticed something that gave him an idea for a new business.
"We had men buying $1,000 suits, yet their dress shirts never fit them," said Madden, who is a tailor by trade. "Dress shirts were a commodity, something you had to purchase, but very few men put thought into how they fit under this expensive suit."
With that experience in mind, Madden and his business partner and fellow tailor Richard Hall co-founded subscription service Hall & Madden.
For $150, men get three dress shirts customized to fit them based on height, weight, and other measurements provided by the customer.
The shirts are as high-quality as those manufactured by Hugo Boss, Burberry, and Gucci, but for about one-third of the price, Madden told us.
"We actually reverse-engineered our shirts based on these designer labels by finding their suppliers and working directly with them," Madden said. "Then we added even more luxury features, like thick mother-of-pearl buttons and handmade single-needle stitching construction, to make the shirt even better."
Madden said the service is "all about the product."
"I'm a tailor by trade, so I tried to be meticulous about the product, how it was made and the fit," Madden said.
Madden is able to offer the shirt at such an affordable price because he doesn't have the overhead costs of store rents or associates, he said.
The service has 1,000 subscribers in just a few months. Hall & Madden's next step is to open an office near Chicago's Merchandise Mart.
Madden said his typical customer is a young man who is just starting out in his career.
"I think that a lot of men graduate business school and have no real idea of how their work clothes should fit, or what they should be wearing," Madden said. "Our goal is to ease that stress and provide a product that works for them."
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