I Bought a Custom Suit Here’s My Review, 5 Years Later

getting a custom suit is definitely exciting, but just how long can you enjoy the garment you’ve invested a good deal of time and money into? Today, we’ll be taking a look at one of the very first custom suits that I ever had made, how well it’s aged over the years, what I still like about it, and what I would change if I had it to do over again.

As a fun fact: today’s post is shaped by our viewers. During our previous live streams, we’ve received a lot of questions and requests to show off a lot of our very first pieces of custom-made clothing, and we also thought it was a great idea. Comment down below if you want to see Raphael, Preston, or Nathan do the same in the future!

What Kind of “Custom” Suit Are We Looking At?
The one we’ll be reviewing today is a made-to-order suit from Indochino. Why is it important for us to clarify that? Well, as Preston discussed in a previous post, the word “custom” is a pretty large umbrella term, where no two items labeled as custom are going to be of the same quality.

So, I want to be completely clear with you guys. This is not a fully bespoke suit from a Savile Row tailor but, at the same time, it’s not a readily available off-the-rack suit either.

For most of us with an interest in classic tailoring or clothing, made-to-order is the first big leap or upgrade; sort of the next step in terms of suiting from having only purchased ready-to-wear, off-the-rack clothing. It certainly was for me too. And if you’re on that journey as well, I hope you get some helpful tips today.

I also wanted to let you know that this isn’t my actual very first custom suit. That suit was actually a solid navy blue from Brooks Brothers. But, as it completely does not fit anymore, it didn’t feel like the best fit to talk about here. Because while I could talk about the details from that suit, I stopped wearing it a very long time ago and that wouldn’t make for an accurate assessment.

A Bit of Background: Indochino
First up, let’s take a quick look at the brand that made my suit. Indochino was founded in 2007 by Heikal Gani and Kyle Vucko with Drew Green replacing Kyle Vucko after he stepped down in 2015.

Originally, the company was online-only, specializing in made-to-measure and made-to-order clothing, focusing on affordability as one of the first companies to do so with its level of success. And now, this is still the case today, as Indochino has opened around 50 brick-and-mortar stores in the US and Canada including Vancouver, where their headquarters are based.

As of 2021, Indochina has also partnered with the department store Nordstrom, where over 20 locations now bear an in-store Indochino. So, as much as we live in a generally casual world, it’s pretty great news that people still want access to tailored clothing.

Since the company launched, they’ve been a big point of conversation in the menswear world; with some people raving about how good their products are and, others, somewhat skeptical about the whole operation.

Because of their overall affordability marketing, they certainly are a great place for us menswear enthusiasts to take a look. But, not everyone is convinced that Indochino can offer great quality at a low cost.