Indochino is going into the women’s business.
The Vancouver-based men’s made-to-measure brand will launch its first women’s collection next year. Although women have gone to Indochino to be fitted for their custom clothing, they have been used to patterns created for men. But now, they’ll be have patterns created just for them.
“We know that many women are looking for well-tailored custom clothing that doesn’t cost a fortune and there simply isn’t a custom women’s wear brand comparable to Indochino on the market,” said Drew Green, president and chief executive officer. “We’ve been looking to fulfill this need for years but wanted to make sure that the timing was right, we could do it right, and the brand was ready, so I’m delighted to share the news that we will be introducing our first women’s wear collection next year.”
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Green said the company’s female “style guides,” employees who work with customers to get the proper fit and details, have long been wearing custom Indochino suits. “That said, it often takes women more time to find their desired fit using our men’s pattern, which is why we wanted to create a women’s base pattern,” he continued. “Those who prefer a more masculine-inspired or androgynous style can still choose a men’s pattern on the blazer, pants or both. Our success as the market leader has been all about offering choice and allowing our customers to become the designer.”
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He said there will be one base pattern for women — there are three for men — that can be used to “accomodate diverse body shapes and styles for women through our made-to-measure experience.” Women will be afforded the same shopping experience as men in terms of fabric choices, details, etc. Right now, garments are shipped in around three weeks, a time frame he hopes to “significantly reduce in 2022, both for men and women,” Green said.
He continued: “We’re still firming up our rollout strategy for launch, but that said, our end goal is to make Indochino as accessible to women as we are to men, and perhaps even have flagship women’s made-to-measure locations.”
In October, Knot Standard, another made-to-measure men’s brand, expanded into women’s wear, offering a range of pieces for business, leisure and events. Knot Standard also works with Nordstrom, but its products are higher in price than Indochino’s. Indochino suits retail starting at $429 while shirts and chinos start at $79. Knot Standard’s suits start at $845 and go up to $2,495, depending upon fabric. Its shirts are $175 to $295.
Indochino will continue to expand its retail footprint and is on track to exceed 100 locations next year. Right now, the brand operates 58 stand-alone showrooms in the U.S. and Canada where customers can come in, be fitted, choose their fabric, buttons, lapels, linings and other details. It also operates shops in 21 Nordstrom locations.
The stand-alone retail locations will include new markets such as New Mexico, Kentucky and Alabama, as well as increased presence in existing markets such as New York and California. Green said the company is “still firming up the ratio of Nordstrom locations and standalone showrooms, but we will be expanding both” next year.
Another growth area for the brand will be the wedding apparel space. With so many weddings rescheduled for this year and next, appointments for fittings are 79 percent higher than in the company’s best year in 2019. In November alone, the company said, wedding appointments increased 141 percent over 2019, signaling that 2022 will be the biggest year for weddings since 1984.
To support this market, Indochino will introduce more fabrics and product features for grooms and groomsmen. Sales of tuxedos increased by 93 percent in 2021 compared to 2019 and, starting next year, customers will have the ability to use any suit fabric to create a tuxedo.
Indochino was founded as an online brand in 2007. It has raised more than $100 million in funding from investors including Highland Capital Partners, Dayang Group, Madrona Venture Capital and Postmedia. In 2018, it entered into a partnership with Mitsui & Co. for an undisclosed amount to help the company expand and invest in its global operations and supply chain, and in 2019, it expanded internationally to Australia where it doesn’t operate showrooms but offers duty-free shipping of products that are paid for in local currency.
Green said because of the pandemic and the ongoing restrictions on travel and border closures, Indochino has decided to focus on expansion and growth in North America rather than other international countries right now.