Don’t let the name of this women-led company fool you, SuitShop designs and ships out suits specifically designed for women across the world.
Tell us more about SuitShop.
The Idea for SuitShop came from our cofounder Jeanne’s personal experience planning her wedding in 2013. “We didn’t want the guys in our wedding party to spend a fortune on their tuxes, but renting was the only option we knew of. The day after the wedding I had the honor of returning a couple of the tuxedos for my brothers and that’s when I realized they spent $250 to wear it for one night, not to mention the fit was really baggy and disappointing,” she says. Having worked in the fashion industry as a Technical Designer for 13+ years, it struck her: Why wasn’t there a better option?
Jeanne partnered with her long-time childhood best friend and business expert, Diana Ganz to launch the company in 2016. They started with 5 basic suiting options and one tuxedo that could be retailed for under $200. Men could now OWN a brand new, great fitting suit or tux for LESS than the cost of the average rental.
Soon after launching online, the two started to hear from women who were interested in purchasing the men’s suiting because they could not find anything that fit them. Since TGS offers an extensive size range and two fit options in our mens collection, most women reaching out could find a fit option that they were okay with but, “we knew they could do better” Jeanne recalls, “that’s when we knew we had to develop a women’s collection that women would love and look forward to wearing.”
Why is making suits for women’s bodies important to you?
Being female founders of a menswear start-up, we became very passionate about making a collection of women’s suiting that was interchangeable with our men’s suiting collection and would cater to a wide range of body types and sizes. Weddings are all about feeling great, and fit is a huge part of that. What’s really exciting is that we are seeing women in our suiting standing up next to their lovers, regardless of their gender. Being their authentic selves, celebrating and standing by their people, continuing to push traditional/stereotypical gender norms. We worked on developing the women’s collection for close to 2 years, doing wear testing on a variety of bodies and getting feedback from a few hundred people. It’s really hard to create an option that addresses the majority of size, fit and style expectations customers have.
The SuitShop team is made up of women who live across the country and have different backgrounds, family makeup, sexual preferences, and body types. We love wearing the suits and are so proud to be one of the only wedding brands that offer suiting for women, especially in the quality, size range and fit options in a price point under $200.
How do people purchase suits from you?
While we do have three physical showrooms located in Chicago, Denver, and Philadelphia, the majority of our business is done exclusively online at SuitShop. We offer both domestic and international shipping options and once an order is placed it leaves our fulfillment center within 48 hours.
If someone isn’t sure about sizing, what does that process look like?
Sizing can be one of the most confusing things when shopping for a suit, so we have worked really hard to make it as easy as possible. We offer online size charts, an easy to use fit finder and of course phone, email and chat options to talk with one of our experienced suiting stylists to make a recommendation. We also offer Virtual Fittings so you can chat with a stylist and discuss sizing concerns, how to take measurements, fit options, as well as figure out color and accessories pairings. No matter who we are fitting, everyone wants to look and feel their best. It’s our job to help get you there.
Tell us about the experience of buying a wedding suit online.
The first step in the processing of choosing a suit for a wedding is typically to order our Free Fabric Swatches or, if you live with the US, a Free Home Trial. These are both great ways to see the colors in person and compare them with any bridesmaids dresses, tablecloth options, etc. to narrow down the style for your big day. Once you’ve decided to use us to suit up your group we recommend putting your party members’ names into our Wedding Group Coordinator. Simply enter in their names and email addresses, choose the items you would like them to purchase, and send out an introduction email to your group. We take care of all reminders and make sure everyone has what they need in time for the big day. We want this process to be as stress-free as possible!
