Cheap suit?! This suit was cut by Hawkes of Mogadishu.

March 10, 2009 12:46 PM

I'm trying to find a cheap tailor made suit in London.

So two years ago I went to Beijing and bought a tailor made suit for £50. Amazing. I've been wearing it non-stop for the past year or so and want another one. Trouble is, all tailor made suits cost silly amounts. What I'm really looking for is just for someone to take my measurements and then farm out production of the suit itself to the third world. There must be such a service. I've heard of Raja Fashions, but although this is more or less what I'm looking for, the prices seem higher than the sub £200 I'm looking for. Also I've seen some pretty negative online reviews. Short of taking a flight out to Beijing, what are my options?

posted by greytape to Clothing, Beauty, & Fashion (5 answers total)

I know a few people who have had suits made in England, so I'll ask around, though sub-£200 sounds super-optimistic. I have heard frequently that Raja is definitely one to avoid for both cost and quality.
posted by patricio at 1:13 PM on March 10, 2009

It might be worth a look at Suit Supply (http://www.suitsupply.co.uk/), though I think the prices are more like £300-400. Very nice suits, made in China.
posted by Gilbert Osmond at 1:29 PM on March 10, 2009

'Raja' tailors and sells loads of suits. My suit fits like a well tailored suit should, is better and stronger sewn than anything else I own and lasts. They're bound to be some unhappy customers. I'm one of the happy ones. But good luck dealing with the big cheese himself, despite the marketing, you deal with an underling with attitude (in my experience!).
posted by dance at 2:09 PM on March 10, 2009

Not going to happen mate. Tailor-made means, well, tailor-made. Your best option is to buy a good off-the-peg suit (John Lewis and Marks and Spencers both do high-quality, sub-£200 suits) then see if you can get a backstreet tailor to tighten it up a bit for you (i.e. the guys with a sewing machine in the window that normally double as a dry-cleaners).

This guy's blog will tell you more about good off-the-peg options.
posted by Happy Dave at 3:48 PM on March 10, 2009 [2 favorites]

Contact the original tailor in Beijing (look for the labels inside). They'll have your measurements and will gladly fire off another couple of copies.

Send them the old one if you have to.
posted by Xhris at 8:42 PM on March 10, 2009 [1 favorite]