Searching for a new suit can be as daunting as buying a car, or a personal computer, or even a house.

Between industry jargon and the seemingly endless sea of both recognizable and unrecognizable brands, it’s easy to see how settling on just one suit can seem an impossible feat. Thankfully, with the abundance of knowledge on the web, it only takes a little bit of research to make a sound decision.

By Alec Hattan

Onething remains clear for all shopping ventures: a well-informed shopper is much more likely to make the right call, for they are able to understand the relationship between what they’re searching for and what they’re seeing. In this article, we’ll be diving into some of the dominating factors that influence the market value of garments in the men’s fashion industry. It’s so incredibly important to understand the weight of a price tag. Consumers in the digital age often fall into targeted marketing and hype traps set up by retailers in the hope to boost sales -- regardless of what they’re selling. Price has become a much more fluid concept recently, for companies can target swaths of consumers using social media, internet activity, and their overall digital footprint, allowing for a disingenuous relationship between value and price.

How a Suit’s Design Affects its Price

Picture yourself choosing between two suits. One is a simple, easy-looking, pointed slim-fit suit, and the other is a more elaborate, perhaps softer looking in appearance, and earth-toned. Which would you guess holds the higher price tag? The point of this hypothetical is to point out a glaring issue in the fashion industry today: big retailers that control much of the fashion industry’s sales volume have squeezed design norms into a tight box that permits them to min-max their production and sales. The new normal, esteemed look has shifted to the design-less suit. By no means am I suggesting that the more flamboyant the suit, the more worthy; I am simply pointing out the fact that by simple arithmetic, a plain, design-less suit is more likely to have been pumped out alongside millions of its identical twins in some factory. This type of garment, often sold in big outlets, chain stores, and online retailers, is designed to not blend in. The whole point is to minimize any unflattery. By homogenizing design (in keeping patterns and shapes to a creative minimum), they aim to target as many consumers as possible. The cuts are kept loose to market a number of body types, and plain designs and colors are implemented in hopes to appeal to as many of the populous’ preferences. They don’t leave the box they’ve created. They don’t try and push the envelope.

“The glaring issue here is that things like fashion preference and body types are far too broad.”

Even plain designs can strike people as off, and more importantly: the fashion industry has been built on pushing the envelope! Historically, elite fashion was designed to pop and dazzle, to be over the top and flamboyant, for it showcased the accessibility the wealthy had -- how far their hands could reach into our natural resources. Concerning body types, it’s clear as day to see how a “one-size fits ten” approach may lend itself some issues. Three people of the exact same height can have wildly different measurements. Shoulders broad, or shoulders narrow, neckline to waistline, suits are intended to flatter the physique. More ambiguous trims and patterns can highlight problem areas on one individual while hiding flattering areas on another. While a rather nebulous topic, it’s important to consider the weight of patterns, shapes, and trims when searching for a suit, for jumping into today’s plain and simple style may not be the best choice.

How Fabric Affects the Price of a Suit

In essence, a suit’s entire existence lies in its fabric. Without it, what’s left? Buttons and zippers? A suit’s entire intrinsic value lies in its materials. No matter what hype a brand generates, a suit is worth no more than the price of its materials, and in a flowing industry like fashion, it’s incredibly useful to understand what materials are worthy of purchase. Two of the most popular fabrics on the market are polyester and rayon. While (not surprisingly) being two of the cheapest fabrics, these two manufacturer fibers are incredibly versatile and easy to mass-produce. Cheap fabrics like these sometimes go for just a few cents per yard, while top-shelf, exotic blends, or other rare, procured fabrics can go for sometimes hundreds of dollars per yard. Conversely, due to their cheap manufacturing costs, the cheaper fabrics make up a majority of the off-the-rack suit market. The problem for the consumer, and what to keep in mind, is that cheap fibers like polyester and rayon are not only a huge source of environmental pollution, but also irritate the skin, trap heat, and age poorly. If possible (as in financially possible), I encourage the search for suits that are made of wool or cotton -- two greatly superior alternatives. These materials carry the benefit of lasting long, retaining durability, breathability, and also appearing authentic. Incredibly, some suits are made of combination fabrics, such as blends of two furs (rabbit and goat, for example). Rare blends of this sort are incredibly difficult to manufacture, for there is an abundance of handling and sourcing issues. Thus keeping them limited to the luxury corner of the industry.

When choosing a suit, remember the drawbacks of their materials. A $100 suit may only cost as much as a night out, but they may be made from incredibly cheap, fragile, material that won’t even survive a wash. Higher quality fabrics are always the better option, and if possible, opt to take on the investment of a suit of the proper caliber. In the long term, over washes, handling, and general wear and tear, a pricer suit will very likely end up costing less than recurring purchases of low-quality suits.

The Importance of Customer Service; How it Influences Price; and the Weight of Boutique Shops as a Whole

The beauty of fashion lies in its accessibility. In this case: the consumer’s accessibility to the inner mechanisms of the industry. Certainly a unique trait, customers can walk into a boutique shop like Franco Uomo and be an integral part of a suit’s creation from beginning to end. On this local scale, the fashion industry is typically estimably transparent. Together with their tailor, customers can lead in the design, manufacturing, and direction of their suit’s creation. With a good tailor, the duo can springboard ideas and create a truly beautiful result. Compare this cohesive process to the opposite end of the fashion market, in which consumers are pigeon-holed into gambling their appearance on doctored images of the suit or hoping their machine-produced suit holds no imperfections, and it becomes clear how worthwhile boutique shops can be. The extra cost that this kind of customer service factors into the suit is nearly always worth the cash. The insurance in knowing who is handling the suit, where its materials are sourced from, the mutual understanding of artistic direction, and general artisanship is so incredibly valuable.

With the expenses held in the niche market of fashion today, it’s incredibly worthwhile to understand where and how your suit is made. As smaller, local boutique shops develop an online presence, consumers now have access to honest and transparent businesses like Franco Uomo. I urge you to consider the expense of a Custom Suit San Jose, and conversly working with a custom tailor, so you can stretch your dollar the furthest. The customer service and creative process, along with the lifetime connection to the hands that made the suit, will lend great benefits thereafter. Be it returning for a refitting or a simply accessory refresh, they’ll always be there to find the best result. In the end, whether you choose to visit a big retailer for a quick, off-the-rack suit when you’re in a pinch, or when working with a boutique shop designing the garment of your dreams, consider why the price is what it is, and if it’s truly deserving of your dollar.