This Startup Will Send You to Shanghai for a Week to Buy Tailor-Made Suits
I’ve got nothing but respect for Men’s Wearhouse, because I’ve always generally liked the way I’ve looked after visiting their fine strip-mall establishments. (They guaranteed it, after all.) But I’m an adult, and so are you, and sometimes we want to upgrade our wardrobe without a pimple-faced teen trying on his prom tux in the next stall over, you know? Sometimes we want a classier suit-buying experience—hell, maybe even one in a faraway land.
That’s where Tailor Made Shanghai comes in, weirdly satisfying a need you didn’t know you had until now. The Boston-based tour startup, which officially kicked off a few weeks ago, sends you on a unique, one-week guided trip to Shanghai to see the sights, sample delectable local cuisine, sing some karaoke, maybe kindle a Lost in Translation-style foreign kinship, and buy tailor-made clothes straight from the source. Yes, there really is a startup for everything.
One of your first stops on the trip will be your tailor to pick out the fabric for the clothes you want made—including suits, shirts, jackets, blazers, pants, and dresses—get fitted, and customize your designs. Two days later you’ll return to the tailor for alterations, and then you’ll receive your finished threads before your flight back home.
In the meantime, guides will show you everything Shanghai has to offer: the Bund, Yu Garden, the French Concession, the Marriage Market, the Propaganda Poster Art Centre, and maybe that skyscraper Tom Cruise jumped from in Mission: Impossible III? You never know.
Tailor Made Shanghai founder David Soffer, who lived in Shanghai for seven years, says his goal for the company is to “make this the most interesting and unforgettable Shanghai tour possible.”
“This is the ultimate vacation experience,” he says. “Clients won’t just get to have a blast discovering amazing food and nightlife in Shanghai, but they’ll go home with personalized tailor-made clothes that fit them perfectly. It’s a great trip to go on with a bunch of your buddies, or with your girlfriend or wife, since there will be great opportunities for women to shop and have clothes made as well.”
The company is currently offering three trips next year, including one during Shanghai Fashion Week in April, and will schedule additional 2018 tours depending on demand. Intrigued? The tour costs $1,995 per person with a $500 refundable deposit to secure your spot. Book before January and you’ll get two free suits, overcoats or dresses and three free shirts or blouses.
Not bad. And hey, come to think of it, when’s the last time Men’s Wearhouse offered to take you anywhere?
