derek guy Profile picture
Aug 25, 2023 17 tweets 5 min read Read on X
WHY ARE SUITS SO EXPENSIVE?

Whenever I post a link to a suit or sport coat, many people respond in shock bc of the price. Let's break down why tailored clothing costs so much money. 🧵 Image
For this, I'm going to assume that the suit was made in the United States, largely because I'm relying on information given to me by a friend who works at a high level in the US suit manufacturing industry. These are simplified numbers but are generally reflective of reality.
The first thing to understand is that suits and sport coats are not made like casualwear. They are built up from many layers of haircloth, canvassing, and padding, which are carefully sewn together using either specialized machines or human hands (needle and thread) Image
Let's break down the cost of making a suit.

A garment worker at a US suit factory makes about $15/hr. The total number of minutes spent on making that suit (in terms of actual operations) will be about 260 mins. Image
The factory also has to pay for worker benefits, which, spread across the total production, adds about $23 per suit. And then there's the cost of overhead (e.g., warehousing, administration, etc.). That adds an additional $26 per suit.

So now we have spent $114.
There is also the cost of materials. A factory may spend about $30/meter for fabric. They need 3.5 meters to make a suit, which brings the price per suit to $105. Now add $30 worth of trims (haircloth, padding, canvas, buttons, and such).

So now we have a total cost of $249. Image
$249 is how much it costs the factory to make a suit. To make a profit, they do a gross margin markup of 40%. That means they sell it to a brand for $415. The brand has to pay for a bunch of other expenses (e.g., marketing, administration, etc). Image
The brand also has to make a profit. So they sell the suit to a store at a gross margin markup of 60%. (This store, too, has its own expenses, such as sales staff, warehousing, marketing, etc.).

Now, we have a retail price of $1,037. Image
The above is a rough sketch of what it would cost to make a fully machine-made, fully canvassed suit in the United States. The price could go up on a host of factors. The factory could spend more on nicer fabric. Or they can include some hand-tailoring details. Image
Alternatively, the price can go down. The suit could be made in China, where the avg garment worker in a suit factory makes just under $4/hr. They could buy cheaper fabric. Or they can do a fully fused or half-canvassed construction, which may be less durable or not hang as well.
One of the ways to cut costs is in the patternmaking stage. Remember, a suit is made from many layers of material. Each of these layers has to be cut according to a pattern, which is a term for the architectural blueprint for the garment.
Image
Image
If a factory is taking the time and care to make a good suit, they will draft the pattern a little larger than what they need, then lay those internal pieces—haircloth, canvas, padding—on and carefully stitch. Then, they trim away the excess material—trim, adjust, trim, adjust. Image
However, if they're trying to cut costs, the components of the suit are cut exactly as they're supposed to be, laid on top of each other, and just sewn. There is no trimming or basting, you just sew everything together and hope for the best.
The problem is, cloth moves and linings shift. So things, sometimes, these lower-end garments don't come out quite right. Everyone along the stage is trying to maximize money, so the garment goes out to the sales floor as-is, and you hope a customer doesn't notice.
However, even at the lowest level—garment made in China, cheaper fabrics (but still natural fibers), fully fused or half-canvassed construction, no trimming or adjusting during the manufacturing process, etc.—you are looking at a retail price of about $500.
So, the answer to the original question: Why are suits expensive? They are more complicated to make than casualwear. They often require more expensive fabrics. If they are made in the UK, Italy, or the US, there are wage and labor laws.
There are many ways to look good; you don't have to buy tailored clothing. But tailoring is a beautiful thing, and the price paid goes towards supporting workers who are skilled in a special area of manufacturing. You can also end up with a garment you love and look good in. Image

• • •

Missing some Tweet in this thread? You can try to force a refresh
 

Keep Current with derek guy

derek guy Profile picture

Stay in touch and get notified when new unrolls are available from this author!

Read all threads

This Thread may be Removed Anytime!

PDF

Twitter may remove this content at anytime! Save it as PDF for later use!

Try unrolling a thread yourself!

how to unroll video
  1. Follow @ThreadReaderApp to mention us!

  2. From a Twitter thread mention us with a keyword "unroll"
@threadreaderapp unroll

Practice here first or read more on our help page!

More from @dieworkwear

Oct 8
Have you ever noticed that old clothes online sometimes look better than old clothes in your closet?

Why is that? 🧵 Image
It's often said that clothes were better made in the past. This is true to some degree, although the discussion is often narrowly focused on durability.

In this thread, I'll focus on something else: how clothes age, which affects how long you enjoy wearing them. Image
Image
I'll give you some examples.

A hundred years ago, denim was mostly woven on slow shuttle looms, which produced a narrow-width fabric that was finished with a self-edge (selvedge). This fabric was taken straight off the loom and given to factories.

YouTube bluelabamsterdam8250
Image
Read 17 tweets
Oct 4
This is a great question.

How much does a handmade necktie cost? And why does it cost as much as it does? 🧵
A couple of years ago, I saw Jesse Watters on Fox News say that Otaa ties are "the best ties in the world."

So I bought one.
Otaa is an Australian neckwear company that has been showing up a lot in American politics. Along with Jesse Watters, they appear to be favored by RFK Jr. and his top deputy, Jim O’Neill. Image
Image
Image
Image
Read 25 tweets
Sep 26
Let me tell you a beautiful story about this couch. 🧵

IG msviciousdesign
Some will recognize these motifs as Mughal paintings, which flourished on the Indian subcontinent sometime between the 16th and 18th century. But menswear nerds will recognize them as something else: Drake's of London.

Left: thrifted couch
Right: Drake's of London scarf Image
Image
Drake's of London is a menswear label that started in the 1970s, initially with men's accessories, but having since grown to a full line of apparel. They are known for many things, but this print is perhaps their most famous. It appears on scarves, pocket squares, and even ties. Image
Image
Image
Image
Read 24 tweets
Sep 16
Style lessons from Robert Redford, one of the most stylish men in the last century. 🧵 Image
A tailored jacket continues to be one of the most flattering things you can wear. However, for it to look good, it has to fit right. That means a jacket that bisects you halfway from your collar to the floor when you're in heeled shoes. Also trouser + suit jacket silhouette flows Image
Image
It also helps to know how to use this visual language, especially with regard to ideas about formality. For instance, a dark business suit cries out for a tie. If you don't want to wear a tie, try a more casual garment, like a sport coat. Image
Image
Read 19 tweets
Sep 15
Someone yesterday asked me why someone would ask a tailor to make a polo coat in such a way to imitate the look of a machine-made garment.

The answer holds a beautifully little story about the difference between European and American style. 🧵
Let's start with a test. Here are two tan polo coats. One is machine-made. The other is handmade. Can you guess which is which?

Please answer before moving on. Then you can scroll through the answers to see whether most people got it right. Image
Image
Image
Image
The first coat is machine-made. It's from an American ready-to-wear company called J. Press. The second is handmade. It's from a London bespoke tailoring house called Anderson & Sheppard.

You can spot the difference by how the edges are finished. Image
Image
Read 19 tweets
Sep 15
I disagree that Obama wore "slick suits."

Let me tell you about Obama's tailoring. 🧵
I've seen people here suggest Obama was a stylish president. I couldn't disagree more. Outfits like these read better in 2025, but during the slim-fit, Euro style craze of his presidency, Obama was routinely panned for his "frumpy dad style." See Vanity Fair. Image
Image
Image
Image
His style transformation really came post-presidency. I suspect, but don't have proof, that this is partly the influence of his wife, who is quite stylish. Even his suits look better now. See clean shoulder line + shirt collar points reaching lapels + nice four-in-hand dimple. Image
Image
Image
Read 16 tweets

Did Thread Reader help you today?

Support us! We are indie developers!


This site is made by just two indie developers on a laptop doing marketing, support and development! Read more about the story.

Become a Premium Member ($3/month or $30/year) and get exclusive features!

Become Premium

Don't want to be a Premium member but still want to support us?

Make a small donation by buying us coffee ($5) or help with server cost ($10)

Donate via Paypal

Or Donate anonymously using crypto!

Ethereum

0xfe58350B80634f60Fa6Dc149a72b4DFbc17D341E copy

Bitcoin

3ATGMxNzCUFzxpMCHL5sWSt4DVtS8UqXpi copy

Thank you for your support!

Follow Us!

:(