Taylor Stitch Shop

Taylor Stitch: According to McKinsey & Company and the Council for Textile Recycling, the world fashion industry produces 100 billion garments for seven billion people each year, the regular American throws out 80 pounds of clothes each year, and 85 percent of all apparel ends up in junkyards, even the ones we feel good about donating! Those distressing statistics were seen as an opportunity for an increasingly popular San Francisco based startup.

Why not fashion new clothes out of used clothes and recycled fibers? Why not address the widening number of customers who are making purchasing decisions based on their desire to preserve and improve their own health and welfare, as well as that of their families and the surroundings? Why not offer consumers a chance to determine their concern with the very clothes on their backs?

Taylor And Stitch

Taylor Stitch is a mens lifestyle company headquartered in San Francisco, CA. We craft responsibly-built staples, invented to look and function just as strongly in the city as they do in the great outdoors. We’ve made it our mission to challenge the way the habiliment industry operates. How? By upgrading the way we source, the way we sew, and the way we sell. We’re always striving for the best way to craft commodities that will stand the test of time.Shirts have always been good quality, if a little pricey. Worth accepting a shirt or two if you in need of a style upgrade/quality shirt especially on sale….

Is what I would have said BEFORE they started manufacturing everything in China! What happened? The same shirts I have that were “Proudly made in Golden bear state” are now made in China–with not even *that* much of a discount. *Clear* and *shameless* money grab. What a fall from grace.

Can’t support this company anymore. 2 stars instead of 1 just because the shirts they made before were ethically synthesized and of good quality. At least they tried? Can’t speak for their new “Made in China” line.

Taylor Stitch Long Haul Jacket

I was about to pull the trigger on a investment but stopped after reading the reviews. So thanks to those who posted. And to Taylor Stitch: I tried to provide feedback on your site so you would know why I declined to purchase, but that doesn’t seem available. And I tried to close my account, which also doesn’t seem possible. That functionality is either missing or really hard to find. It looks like you have cool commodities or at least cool product ideas. Suggest you address the issues directly.The clothes are beautifully made, sourced, and emit a classic Americana that never goes out of style.

The consumer service? Painful. I have tried plentiful outlets (messenger, email, phone call) to accelerate a refund process. Each and every time, I am promised a timely turnaround; yet every time I have been dissatisfied with the lack of continued communication or follow thru. I’m not asking for my money back, just asking for credit to acquire a different item at TS. Considering how quickly coveted items sell out there, I have reason to be anxious.

Please fix your Consumer Service. It is doing the quality of your clothes absolutely no good.  After emails, messages, phone calls, Taylor Stitch advanced to kick the can down the road. Surely enough, the item that I had long been anticipating shopping with my credit has sold out in my size. Because it is a Last Call item, there will never be any supply again. Frustrating? Extremely. Until these sorts of issues are determined out I will not be purchasing from or recommending Taylor Stitch to anyone.

Taylor Stitch Moto Jacket

This is the concept behind Taylor Stitch. Now you can wear stylish clothing that lasts a decade instead of a year, is made with significantly less water, and produces a much smaller carbon footprint. Taylor Stitch is disrupting the fashion industry by pioneering new ways to source, sew, and sell.

We love the concept and wanted to know more about this successful and timely business venture. So, we caught up with Taylor Stitch Co-Founder and CEO, Michael Maher at his San Francisco Headquarters.

M&B: How was Taylor Stitch created and what was the inspiration for launching the brand?

Michael: Taylor Stitch began as an experiment in custom tailored shirting. We couldn’t find a shirt that fit and simply became enamored by a better fitting, higher quality product without all the pretense of the fashion world. We yearned for something that was tailored yet more casual and could transfer from work to the weekend.

We saw the casualization of the American office happen as tech permeated the country. Even my friends in finance in New York were wearing jeans to meetings. It was clear the line between what guys were wearing to work and wearing on the weekend was blurring quickly.

Guys were rolling sleeves and ditching ties so the ole 15.5/33 and a size medium didn’t mean anything, so we created a shirt sized like a jacket based on the thousands of custom shirts we had made. You buy our shirts by your chest size. So, if you wear a 40 jacket (our medium) you buy a 40 shirt. We built a shirt that looks just as good (and stays) tucked in as it does out with the collar undone and sleeves rolled up. A utilitarian approach to shirt making.

Ten years later, Taylor Stitch has grown to offer more than just shirts by slowly developing best in class products across just about every category of menswear. We continue to innovate on the classics by using organic, recycled and regenerative fibers wherever possible. By the end of this year, 95 percent of our cotton will be organic while offering many other recycled and regenerative fibers made from everything from Baby Yak (softer than cashmere) to recycled water bottles (also surprisingly soft).

Taylor Stitch Rover Jacket

M&B: Tell us a little about how you used Cash Flow instead of VC money to fund and grow your venture.

Michael: We built a crowdfunding platform, so our customers are involved in the product creation process. This helps us control our own destiny, bringing customers to the front of the value chain. We are building something for the long haul — not just with our products but the brand as well.

M&B: So How are your sales doing? Are they growing? And how do you sell your apparel?

Michael: (Re sales and growth) We became profitable last year, which is a huge accomplishment and something we are really proud of. Our customer base is growing steadily, and we are constantly exploring ways to expand our footprint across the country.

(Re how we sell) We deploy a hybrid selling model. We have essentials always in-stock, and the rest is crowdfunded through our Workshop. The Workshop model guarantees early community buy-in, and significantly limits waste caused by overproduction. To date, 95% of the items we design get crowdfunded.

M&B: We notice you have online sales and bricks and mortar shops. Why have you bifurcated your sales program?

Michael: The most successful brands incorporate both online and offline elements. Retail is far from dead. For us, it’s about giving customers a place to experience the brand with all 5 senses. No digital experience can replace the feeling of trying on a shirt that fits perfectly.

M&B: What was the biggest challenge you faced getting started and how did you overcome it? 

Michael: We started a shirting company with no shirting experience and no money. So, we turned to the country’s oldest family of shirt makers to learn. From fit and balance to why 22 stitches per inch matter, we spared no lesson in construction. It’s taken time but it’s worth it.