Have you ever had a hard time finding the perfect suit for work or for a special occasion? Tailor2go was thought by Nathon Kong to make it easier for us to get a quality tailored suit. I sat down with him to better understand the concept.
1. Can you tell us little bit about yourself?
After graduating from McGill college, It took me 6 months to find a decent suit. It was a 1.6k Harry Rosen suit, which I had to alter a lot to make it fit me. I spent time shopping online and in store and I was frustrated, so I started thinking about the idea of customized suits. I also always loved fashion and in fact, as a student I was awarded most fashionable during my MBA in uOttawa.
2. Can you tell us more about Tailor2go?
Tailor2go started in June 2014. It’s for men and women. We now offer suits only for women at the moment, but we offer shirts for both. That all happens in our mobile tailor truck, where there’s a scan room that 3D scans your body and 50 of its measurements and translates them into a patron which are later sent to our factory where they are hand made. Our customers can also personalize the collar, the buttons, the length, the colors, the contrast, the fit, whether the shirt is fitted or not. The whole ordering process takes 30 minutes for a suit and 15 minutes for a shirt and we also ask about your budget, the purpose of the purchase to see if it’s for a special occasion and the style you are researching versus what you already own. We go to your office or house door with Elizabeth. Elizabeth is a running gag in the company. It’s the truck’s name. I call her my mistress, because she took all my money. So the whole process is designed to be effective and personalized to get our customers exactly what they want in less time. We are also working on an eCommerce platform that will make it even easier to order as you’ll be able to choose all the options and since we have your body measurements from your scan, you just have to wait for it to be produced and delivered within 3 to 4 weeks. We also focus on relationships with customers, we keep track of our exchanges with them, so we can follow-up with them. We take appointments with one customer at a time to focus and offer our 100%. Elizabeth is heated, displays an epurated interior with hard wood floor and a coffee machine to make you feel comfortable in a chic tailoring space.
3. What’s the price range?
Since we don’t pay rent we can offer affordable prices for higher fabric quality and finishes. Our prices range from $650 to $1250 for suits and $55 to $125 for shirts. Basically, we are selling a Ferrari at a Lexus price. We also offer corporate discounts for employees of corporate partners. I was pitching in front of potential investors one day and one of them asked about the quality, so we compared the Tailor2go Jacket I was wearing with his Prada Jacket and after 15 minutes, the investor saw it was comparable and handed me his business card and said call me.
3. Who are your target customers?
Busy corporate individuals of all ages, but mostly between 25 and 45 years old.
4. I saw that you won many prizes. Can you tell us a little more?
I was awarded the Winner of Media Award at the International Startup Festival, First place at the McGill Dobson Cup, First place- Montreal Region at Concours Quebecois en Entrepreneuriat.
6. What advice would you give other young entrepreneurs?
Know your customer, what they want and give it to them. Study them and how they think. Also do your homework and do some market research and study groups. It could be on the street and with your close friends and family. You should always stay close to your customers and understand their needs, so it’s a non stop process. If you don’t have what they need, listen and find out how you can give it to them to improve your service or product. Also, as my mother taught me success is how much you give, not how much you can get, which pretty much illustrates that.