Indochino – A conversation with CEO, Kyle Vucko
Gabe Alonso A few weeks ago, I had the pleasure of speaking with Kyle Vucko, CEO of Indochino, a made to measure clothing company. We had a very interesting conversation regarding the origins of the company, as well as the trials and tribulations of starting it.
It all began with 2 canadian students. They had just graduated and were looking for affordable suiting and clothing options. Now as we all know, that can be a very difficult thing to find post-college. Most of us don’t get jobs right out of school and if we do, we’re making very little. Vucko and his partner realized that something was missing. There weren’t enough options for quality menswear that didn’t break the bank. They set out to make fashion accessible for the normal guy, the every day man. Thus, in 2007 Indochino was born.
In order to learn, they completely immersed themselves. Vucko and his partner spent weeks in fabric markets, talking to merchants and learning about fabrics. When I asked him what fabrics he decided to use, I was a bit stunned with his answer. Vucko was quick to point out that while everyone extols the virtues of Italian fabric, it’s not always the best bang for the buck. He explained how Chinese milled fabrics are on the up and up. They have a high thread count, are breathable, have a nice sheen and the fabric drapes very well. You may not think of these things as a consumer, but they’re definitely what make you fall in love with a suit.
[Editor's Note: I can also tell you that Vucko is not lying. I'll be posting a review on the suit later this week (getting some nice pictures developed first), but what he says about the fabric is the truth.]
After hanging out in Shanghai and making friends with all the old school tailors in the Tailoring Quarters, Vucko and his partner were ready to put pen to paper. Keeping in mind their devotion to affordability, they knew they would have to take out the middleman. They began working with the Chinese tailors themselves to create product for their customers. Soon, they outgrew that and moved on to a local Chinese factory. Now they’re looking to move to a professional design factory to give their consumer the best quality suiting and men’s clothing possible.
Over the last three years or so, Indochino has been able to aggregate 16,000 customers in over 60 countries. They mostly sell in the United States and Canada, but their customers are all over the world. These customers run the gamut but most are young professionals in their mid to late 20′s and early 30′s. They’re the guys that need a couple suits for daily wear at work, but can’t afford one for $2,000. Vucko told me specifically they thrive on the versatility of their suiting. There’s something for everyone, no matter what your needs are – wedding, work, semi-formal event, etc.. No suit is more than $500 and for a custom product, that’s practically a steal.
Indochino also offers a great digital experience for young men. It’s easy to pick and choose your details, not to mention the buying process is simple. Since this is all custom clothing, you’ll have to measure yourself (or input your measurements if you happen to already have them). Never measured yourself before? No worries, Indochino has very simple to understand videos that show you exactly where and what to measure. It’s about a 10-15 minute process, which is well worth your time. Best part about it? You do it once and you never have to do it again. Indochino creates a profile for you to store all that information. It’s a win/win, really.
I think the best part of the entire process is the perfect fit guarantee. Once you receive your suit, if it’s not perfect Indochino offers up to $75 reimbursement for tailoring fees. Which is fantastic because let’s face it; We’re not all tailors and it’s likely your measurement may be off a smidge here or there (mine were). If it ends up being more than $75, then you may need to talk to one of their reps because more than likely, something went wrong in the process.
As for the future, Vucko wants to focus on building out their core products, the essentials for every man’s wardrobe. They have new products almost every month. In about 3-4 months, he hopes the site will have 100+ products. In an effort to help the every day man, a style manual is being put together, a sort of barebones guide to looking good. It will be fully integrated with the site, giving users the ability to click-through from the tips to the products. Out of curiousity, I also asked Vucko is he feels a brick-and-mortar store for Indochino is in the cards. Forr the moment, they’re holding off. But when the time is right, Vucko envisions an Apple-store-meets-menswear type of store. Now that’s a cool picture, right?
Stay tuned for another post on the suit itself. I’ll be breaking down the details, the pros and cons, and the pricing structure of the suits. For now, check it out for yourself over at indochino.com.
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