Hi lovelies,
The online and in-store shopping experience is constantly changing and evolving. New to scene and changing the shopping game is Trumaker, a new type of menswear brand that bridges retail and e-commerce.
In their words: “Trumaker’s individually tailored fit and carefully crafted design gives an alternative to traditional menswear and bring an entirely new service to the everyday man.
Utilizing its mobile app, Trumaker sends experienced Outfitters to customers’ homes or offices for 30-minute fittings where they take measurements, gather style preferences and provide tailored wardrobe consultations. Gone are the days where men need to spend hours at the store scouring for the right size or discovering the right fit; the Trumaker experience starts at the beginning, eliminating the dreaded process of shopping that men avoid.
Trumaker is launching sweaters, leather goods and belts. Its current portfolio includes shirts for both work and play,as well as a complete ready-to-wear line of luxury tees, cashmere sweaters and accessories.”
Check out my exclusive interview with their CEO Mark Lovas:
Candy Washington: Hi Mark, what was the inspiration behind Trumaker?
Mark Lovas: After developing the Guideshops for Bonobos, I spent a lot of time evaluating the menswear landscape. I discovered that custom clothes for men are all commoditized and that they targeted a very narrow slice of the market -- Wall Street types who were looking for a convenient alternative to their local tailors. I saw a big opportunity to serve a much larger market by creating an upgrade brand via Outfitters who would go to customers' homes and give them personalized style consultations.
I wanted to create something for men that they may not have had access to before: bespoke tailoring at their doorstep and access to an individualized experience that they can only get at a tailor, but now made more accessible because we come to them. Everything we make as a result of a fitting is built to fit every man's specific body.
CW: What are some of the ways Trumaker is revolutionizing the shopping experience?
ML: Trumaker is revolutionizing shopping through its business, product and experience.
Business - Many made-to-measure brands are commoditized, using custom to make the brand seem more "complex" but not actually providing much personalization. We are bringing to our customers a truly individualized experience and taking built-to-fit a step further -- eliminating the dreaded process of shopping for men.
Product - High-quality and carefully designed apparel are our number one priority. Our customized pieces are meticulously constructed in San Francisco with custom fabrics and finishes -- ensuring a perfect fit -- down to the thread.
Experience - Most men don't know how to shop, don't have time to shop or don't care to shop in general. We utilize our mobile app to send local experienced Outfitters to customers’ homes or offices for 30-minute fittings where they take measurements, gather style preferences and provide tailored wardrobe consultations. The Trumaker experience starts from the beginning; once we have your measurements, everything you buy comes built or sized for you, so you have the benefits of online without worrying about size.
CW: What are some of the menswear brands that participate in Trumaker?
ML: No menswear brands participate in Trumaker. We are an independent company that strives to provide the everyday man with carefully crafted, classic but still unique and perfectly fitted shirts. Some have said we are "J. Crew cut for you." Our shirts that may be similarly priced as J. Crew's, but we are an upgrade because we save men the trouble of discovering the right fit or taking a shirt in to get tailored.
CW: Can you tell us more about the mobile app?
ML: Our outfitters use the mobile app to take orders. Technology is #1 for our Outfitters; there is a lot of technology involved in building a shopping platform that can take precise measurements and translate those numbers into a tangible product. What contributes to our company's uniqueness is that we are powered by mobile technology to streamline a process that should be innately simple for the customer -- getting a great fitting shirt.
CW: Anything else you want to share with my readers?
ML: Trumaker's business is going very well. We currently have Outfitters in 10 cities nationwide (San Francisco, Los Angeles, Chicago, Denver, Seattle, Philadelphia, Washington, D.C., Atlanta, Nashville and New York) and the company is on track to quadruple its sales from last year, growing 20% month over month. We currently offer built-to-fit shirts for both work and play and just recently launched blazers, as well as a complete ready-to-wear line of luxury tees, cashmere sweaters and accessories. We plan to own a greater share of a customer’s closet over time, using our measurement and sizing data to build a smart assortment of ready-to-wear items to complement our built-to-fit offerings.
