An Australian bespoke business valued at $2.5 million has reached a new high.
Local online tailor, InStitchu, has today confirmed its expansion into the UK market, with a new office to be located in South London.
The move follows a fast trajectory for the start-up, which last year made its mark when it secured a venture capital funding deal with Aura capital and was valued at $2.5 million.
InStitchu UK will be managed by British entrepreneurs Matthew Hinkley and Elliot Suiter.
Commenting on the coup, InStitchu co-founder Robin McGowan said the British market is a golden opportunity for the platform.
“British men are known for their sartorial style, so we’re confident that are made-to-measure only tailor business will be extremely well received in the UK,” McGowan said.
“We’ve seen over 65,000 designs come out of our online customisation tool here in Australia, with many requests for climate-specific suits, like three-quarter linings. So we’re looking forward to seeing what our English customers will be keen on.”
Suiter said the business is perfectly suited to tackle a niche in the UK market.
“I wanted to see the same affordable options in the United Kingdom so began researching ways to make this happen. I soon discovered this clever Australian business, which had developed a tool to design, create and purchase a fully tailored suit entirely online,” he said.
“There were a few companies out there who offered similar options, but InStitchu really stood out. I found it much easier than others to use their design tools. They also offered more measurement methods, far better pricing and great customer service.
“I’m quite a skinny guy and I struggle to find any off-the-rack suits to fit me. InStitchu enabled me to get something that was perfect, without paying an arm and a leg. I knew that if the service had been such a success for me, there’d be other guys in the United Kingdom looking for the same thing. Guys here love being their own designers and creating something unique to their own specific style.
“So we got together and made it happen.”
InStitchu was founded in 2012 by two university students, Robin McGowan and James Wakefield, both 26-years-old.