How I Got Into Custom Suiting

During just about every fitting, right when I'm taking measurements on a client, they'll ask "How did you get into this?"

It's a fair question, being a custom clothier is a very unique trade.

I usually share the short version because if I talk too much, I'll forget the measurements I'm taking.

Here's the full story with all the details.

An Eye for Style

I've always had an eye for how people dressed, I'd notice how clothing fits and how different pieces work together. Why one outfit looks good and another doesn't.

Growing up, I spent a lot of time in dress clothes. Church every Sunday meant white shirts, ties, and suits. If you grow up Mormon, suits become part of life, especially on your mission (I served in the Colombia Bogota South Mission).

I also knew I wanted to run my own business. By 14, that was clear. I loved the idea of running my own business.

Early Experiments

In college, e-commerce was really popular, and the online gurus promising millions had me convinced.

My first business was a monthly tie box for missionaries called Fresh Tie Supply. Great name right? My brother and I stocked probably 300 ties from China before we had any customers! I learned to set up a website, run some Facebook ads, and start to track metrics. I think at most we got about a dozen missionary moms to sign up (ha). That lasted about a year.

Then I had an idea for an "easier way to make money faster": a men's accessories store called Dapper Details. I'd set up a "free just pay shipping" for floral ties (which were all the rage in 2016) and just follow/unfollow people on Instagram who followed the big companies who sold floral ties. The crazy thing is, that worked pretty great but I didn't know how to get those customers to spend more money with me. Dapper Details was actually profitable, but I got impatient after a year and wound things down.

These weren't huge successes, but I learned a lot. Looking back, I should have kept running these businesses. They were fun projects and I think both could have grown into something interesting if I had the patience to stick with them for more than 12 months. Oh well.

Getting Fired Two Weeks Before My Wedding

At the time I ran those businesses, I also worked inside sales jobs, like you do when you're at BYU.

Two weeks before my wedding, my family went on a quick vacation. When I returned to work that Monday, something felt off. My manager asked me to speak with our Chief Revenue Officer.

The talk was brief.

They were letting go of the entire sales development team, including me. The CRO said that they liked me and that they wanted to offer me a full-time position. But with a full course load and a wedding in two weeks, I couldn't commit to full-time hours.

So just like that, I was unemployed, two weeks before my wedding.

I told my fiancée "Hey they're firing our team, but I don't think I need to get another job right? You're working full-time and you make enough to pay for our expenses. I could just focus on my last year of school."

That wasn't gonna fly. "You're getting a job."

Lucky for me, Perfectly Suited (now Suited by Garth. RIP Garth) was hiring. It felt like a perfect fit. I had been reading men's style blogs for years, loved formalwear, and had some sales experience; so I applied.

Walking Into a Suit Shop

The next day, I did something I had never done before. I didn't want to chance not getting this job, even though it wasn't another sexy tech sales job. It was retail. I decided to walk into the store cold, mention my application, and asked to meet them.

Lucky for me, Garth was in the store and I got to interview on the spot. For some reason, Garth decided to hire me.

At first, I was only allowed to sell off-the-rack suits. If someone wanted custom, they'd have to meet with Garth. Eventually, Garth taught me how to measure clients and sell custom suits and shirts.

That's when everything changed.

I was doing something I genuinely cared about, learning the technical side of suiting, fit, fabrics, and construction.

Thailand, Tailors, and Hard Lessons

When I left that job to join a startup as its first sales hire, I stayed connected to the custom factory in Thailand to make suits and shirts for friends and family.

Over time, I realized things weren't as transparent as they should be. Fabrics weren't always what the factory claimed they were. I also had the sinking feeling I was dealing with a middleman and was paying more than I needed to.

So I hired an assistant in Thailand to visit factories and help me find better partners, ideally with better costs and real transparency. My plan was simple: find a fabric mill, a suit maker, the assistant in Bangkok would buy the fabric, take it to the factory, and ship the finished clothing to me.

During this process, I met a tailor named Jay. I told him my plan and he said, "That's a cute idea, but if you use me for everything, it'll be cheaper."

He was confident. Almost cocky. I didn't believe him. So, I kept looking.

After a few weeks, I kept running the numbers and he was right. I called him back and said, "Alright, let's work together."

Building

Jay has made every piece of custom clothing we've produced since then.

He's a second-generation tailor. His father and uncles own one of the oldest and most respected suit shops in Bangkok. Jay built his own production line with the expertise he learned in his family's shop.

From 2019 to 2023, custom suiting was mostly a passion project. I made pieces for friends and family. It was fun, low pressure, and something I loved doing on the side.

In 2023, that changed. I started working to grow a clientele outside of friends and family. I had developed a better way to run fittings, and I'm lucky enough to have found a few clients that have been kind enough to refer me again and again. Those referrals built the momentum that is Esatto.