How to run a made-to-measure programme
in your store.
What to ask a supplier, what the store needs to have, the normal lead times and how it works at the counter. Written for multibrand stores, ateliers and brands, with the points where Brave Particle fits and the points where it does not.
What made-to-measure does for the store.
Less stock, fewer markdowns
The piece is made after it is sold. Money is not tied up in sizes that do not move.
The customer comes back
With measurements kept, the second piece is ordered in minutes. In mature programmes, more than half of purchases are repeats.
Service margin
A 50-minute appointment, fabric books in the hand and a piece with the customer's name sell for more than a hanger.
Eight questions to ask before you sign.
- 01
What is the lead time, by order mode?
A good answerA number per mode, not a sentence: from stock in 24 hours, made-to-measure in about 2 weeks, to order in 1 to 4 weeks. And an express tier, with the surcharge stated.
- 02
Which cloths, from which mills?
A good answerNames: Portuguese mills and Italian houses such as Vitale Barberis Canonico, Loro Piana, Zegna, Reda. Physical books on the counter, not a PDF.
- 03
Where is it made, and can I know?
A good answerCountry, region and type of factory, with certifications you can see. "Certified European factories" with no place is not an answer.
- 04
Is the label mine from the first piece?
A good answerYes, with no minimum for your own label, and the option of a name label for the customer.
- 05
Who trains my team, and how often?
A good answerInitial training in cloth, measurement and presentation, and a named contact afterwards. Not a manual.
- 06
What happens when the piece does not fit?
A good answerA written policy: who alters, who pays, within what time, and how the correction goes into the pattern for the next piece.
- 07
Do my customer's measurements stay mine?
A good answerThey are kept under the store's name and reused in other categories. The store owns the relationship.
- 08
Do you come to the store?
A good answerMeasuring days and trunk shows with books, fit garments and a specialist, by appointment, with a calendar.
What to expect, by mode.
| From stock | 24 hours | Basics and some knits. It is what lets you promise "tomorrow" to a customer. |
| To order | 1 to 4 weeks | Ready-to-wear in standard sizes, under your label. Varies by category. |
| To measure | about 2 weeks | Suits, shirts, some knitwear. The reference Italian factories promise 15 working days to 5 weeks. |
| Express | to be confirmed | For fixed dates, with a surcharge. Confirmed piece by piece. |
Four things, none of them expensive.
A space for appointments
A table, a mirror, light. The books and the fit garments do the rest.
Someone who measures
With the initial training, any attentive salesperson measures in 20 minutes. A tailor is not required.
A first sample rack
Fit garments per fit block and the sample kit. It is what the customer touches before deciding.
An alterations policy
Who does the final fitting and the small alterations. In most stores, the store itself.
How an order runs.
- 01
Appointment
30 to 50 minutes. Your team presents the books and the fit garments.
- 02
Choices
Cloth, lining, buttons, fit, details. In the Studio, the customer sees the piece before it exists.
- 03
Measurements
Taken once, kept under the store's name.
- 04
Production
About 2 weeks made-to-measure. Order status is on the platform.
- 05
Fitting and delivery
The store does the final fitting and the small alterations. The piece carries your label and the digital passport.
Before you start.
It helps, but it is not a condition. The initial training covers cloth, construction, measurement and presentation. What you need is a store or atelier that is selling.
No. Every order from your customer is one piece. The sample kit is paid.
Yes. Many stores start with shirts or knitwear, which have the shortest cycle, and add tailoring later.
Yes, in Porto, Coimbra and Lisbon, by request and appointment. In other cities, by arrangement.
The store. Measurements are kept under your name, the store does the final fitting, and the piece carries your label.
Request a trade account.
We read every request ourselves and reply within 48 hours.
