Sid Mashburn is taking the specialty store experience he’s gained over the past decade and extending it into the digital world.
On April 4, the Atlanta-based Mashburn, who operates five stores around the country, will launch a “made-to-measurement” program, offering customized shirts at a reasonable price to customers online.
Creating made-to-measure shirts has been a signature of Mashburn since he opened his first store in Atlanta in 2007, but now he has created a site where customers can either do a self-fitting at home, using a How to Measure video and entering their own measurements, or schedule a one-on-one virtual appointment with a Mashburn associate over Skype or FaceTime.
Mashburn knows that there are a lot of options when it comes to online made-to-measure shirtmaking, but he believes he is solving a problem by “democratizing the idea of custom,” he said. “Our customer doesn’t have time to shop, and convenience is what they want, so we’re giving you service any time you want it.”
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He believes what sets his service apart is his own “point of view. We’re offering a very edited selection so it’s not confusing to the guy.”
The range includes about 50 fabric choices, including “Sid’s Picks” and “Greatest Hits,” five collars, three placket styles, three back styles, five pocket styles, five cuffs and three fits. The company’s master tailor, Quang Dau, fine-tuned the base pattern so it can be adapted to any body type and each customer will receive an individual pattern.
The shirts range in price from $140 to $215, with most of the offering priced at $165. They are manufactured in Central America, have 22 stitches to the inch, have German interlinings and pearl buttons. They’re delivered in around four weeks.
Mashburn expects that initially the service will appeal to his existing customer base, but he hopes to expand his reach by hosting a “road show” at each of his stores “to give detail and background and context,” he said.
The road show kicks off in Atlanta on April 6 and will be followed by Houston, Dallas, Washington D.C. and Los Angeles.
Mashburn began his design career in New York where he was the first men’s designer at J. Crew. He was also senior design director at Polo, vice president of design at Tommy Hilfiger and senior vice president of design at Lands’ End.