Bespoke Tailoring
United Kingdom
2022-2023
Customer
The co-founders of Edit Suits Co, Patrick Jungo and Reto Peter, are entrepreneurs with backgrounds in fashion eCommerce, and banking.
This startup was conceived from their frustration with the European clothing market, where they were caught between poorly fitting off-the-rack options and overpriced custom tailoring that rarely delivered value for the price. Meanwhile, they saw how affordable custom clothing is in Asia, but the tailors lacked familiarity with modern fashion cuts.
So, the co-founders set out to combine the best of both worlds by offering consumers affordable, made-to-measure luxury menswear through eCommerce and showrooms in the UK and Singapore.
Challenge
When the clients came to Cyfrania, they already had a simple WordPress-based website that allowed buyers to browse the model lineup and book an appointment for a fitting at the nearest showroom.
Moreover, they already had a web app with basic functionality that allowed showroom tailors to log customers' measurements and select a garment sample for a trial fitting.
Yet, this app suffered from critical weaknesses that hindered further business growth:
- Rigid fitting workflow that resulted in a poor buyer experience: The app enforced a strict step-by-step process. For example, it did not allow tailors to take measurements for multiple clothing items at once, preventing buyers from trying on all their samples together.
- Flawed app structure that severely limited catalog expansion: The initial devs made errors that turned even simple app modifications, like adding new clothing types, into a labor-intensive process.
The app’s owners requested a thorough app rework and expansion to transform it into a comprehensive order management system, offering:
- An optimal experience for buyers attending fittings
- The capability to place orders online without showroom visits
- Management tools for analyzing fabric demand, sales statistics, and staff performance
Solution
Our first step was to work alongside the client to exhaustively explore all potential interaction scenarios between the tailor and the buyer during fittings, so the app could effortlessly adapt to any situation.
The buyer wants to try another item without extra measurements? Opts for another model? Do they know their size? The tailor should switch the app to the new workflow without the slightest delay.
Next, we planned how to restructure the app to ensure its limitless modifications as the business grows, the product range evolves, and new staff and showrooms are introduced.
Afterward, we developed the features our clients needed.
Key App Features
Tailors-Facing Functionalities
The app guides tailors step by step to collect all the necessary data for specifying and fulfilling a buyer’s order:
- Recording height and weight
- Choosing the type of clothing and specific models from the catalog
- Taking and logging all necessary measurements
- Choosing sample items, fitting them, and noting adjustments required against the standard size
- Documenting all customization details of the garment design according to the buyer’s preferences
- Selecting fabric and accessories from the catalog
- Recording fitting results after the order is completed, noting any adjustments needed
Buyer-Facing Functionalities
The app’s integration with the Edit Suits website through an API enables buyers to place and track orders online.
- Measurement results from showroom fittings are available in users' website accounts
- Users can input their measurements manually after taking them according to the instructions
- Users can order online without visiting a fitting room, using their measurements or those provided by tailors from earlier orders
- Once an order is placed, its status and delivery date are displayed in the buyer’s account on the website
Management-Facing Functionalities
The app generates statistical reports, making it easy for one manager to control multiple showrooms.
- Collecting data on the most requested garment sample sizes and assessing if the current showroom samples are sufficient
- Monitoring and forecasting the demand for fabrics and accessories
- Tailor performance reports, including the need of extra adjustments for clothing made to their measurements
- Sales and profitability analysis by different criteria
Team Composition and Project Timeline
The project was handled by a single full-stack developer, who restructured and enriched this web app with the features mentioned above. He worked in multiple stages, gathering feedback from tailors and client managers after each one. The project was finished within 13 months.
Results
The owners have noted the following improvements after introducing the new app:
- Significant increase in buyer satisfaction with the fitting process, which has become faster, smoother, and more comfortable with the new workflow
- The business got a boost after the app made it simple to improve their service with a larger selection of garments and more showroom locations
- Significant simplification of tailor recruitment due to a clear fitting workflow that lowers qualification requirements and reduces training time, while ensuring consistent service quality across all shops
With this new, effective technology, this fashion-tech business has become one of the leading custom menswear providers in London and Singapore, managed by a team of just 40 people across eCommerce and 6 shops.
Services Provided
Technologies Used
- Ruby on Rails
- MySQL
- CoffeeScript
- React
- JQuery