Proper Cloth
Proper Cloth is a New York-based direct-to-consumer menswear brand, founded in 2008, that sells made-to-measure dress shirts, suits, and pants to individual consumers worldwide via e-commerce and three US showrooms.
- Company typePrivate
- Founded2008
- HeadquartersNew York, United States
- Headcount101–250
- GTM typeB2C
- OfferingHardware or Manufacturing
What Proper Cloth does
Proper Cloth is a New York-based direct-to-consumer menswear brand founded in 2008 that sells made-to-measure dress shirts, casual shirts, suits, tuxedos, sport coats, trousers, knitwear, outerwear, and accessories to individual male consumers. Its core technology is a proprietary Smart Sizes system that converts customer-supplied body measurements and fit preferences into garment patterns; patterns are stored per-customer, enabling reordering and providing a moderate switching-cost lock-in. The company curates an extensive fabric library — over 500 shirt fabrics and 30+ suiting fabrics sourced from premium textile mills including Thomas Mason, Loro Piana, Drago, Reda, VBC, Albite, and Baird McNutt — and produces garments on demand with 12-14 day lead times for shirts and roughly four weeks for tailored clothing, with two complimentary remakes included.
The business model is direct-to-consumer e-commerce complemented by three physical showrooms in New York City, Washington D.C., and Chicago, a Home Try-On program for jackets, and virtual styling consultations. Pricing starts at approximately $98 per custom shirt, scaling up with premium fabrics and options such as mother-of-pearl buttons; revenue per transaction is materially higher on suits and tuxedos. The company ships to 40+ countries, supports express checkouts (Apple Pay, PayPal), and uses a multi-channel marketing mix of earned media (GQ, Esquire, The New York Times/Wirecutter, Men's Journal, Details), organic social, and paid search. Proper Cloth is privately held and profitable on appearance, having raised only a single disclosed $100,000 seed round in March 2009 and having expanded subsequently on founder-financed cash flow.
Proper Cloth firmographics
Firmographics- Name
- Proper Cloth
- Legal name
- Proper Cloth
- Website
- https://propercloth.com
- Company type
- Private
- Founded year
- 2008
- Operating status
- Operating
- Headcount range
- 101–250 employees
- Short description
- Proper Cloth is a New York-based direct-to-consumer menswear brand, founded in 2008, that sells made-to-measure dress shirts, suits, and pants to individual consumers worldwide via e-commerce and three US showrooms.
- Ownership category
- akta.pro rank
Proper Cloth industry classification
Industry- Product category
- Custom Menswear
- NAICS
- Apparel Manufacturing (315), Cut and Sew Apparel Manufacturing (3152), Apparel Accessories and Other Apparel Manufacturing (3159)
- SIC
- Men's & Boys' Furnishgs, Work Clothg, & Allied Garments (2320), Apparel & Other Finishd Prods Of Fabrics & Similar Matl (2300), Retail-Apparel & Accessory Stores (5600)
- akta.pro primary industry
- Tops & Shirts Cut & Sew (T-Shirts/Shirts/Blouses) (IMAOAEAE)
- akta.pro secondary industries
- Dresses, Skirts & Tailored Apparel Cut & Sew (Suits/Formalwear) (IMAOAEAF), Luxury & Couture / Small-Batch Cut & Sew (IMAOAEAL), Fashion Accessories Manufacturing (Hair Accessories/Headbands/Clips) (IMAOAFAF)
Keywords
Where Proper Cloth is headquartered
LocationHeadquarters
- HQ city
- New York
- HQ country
- United States
- HQ region
- North America
Offices3 records
Markets served
Proper Cloth business model
Business model- GTM type
- B2C
- Offering type
- Hardware or Manufacturing
- Cost components
- Supply Chain, Operations, Personnel, Technology or R&D, Marketing or Sales, Infrastructure
Revenue model
- Custom Shirts: Made-to-measure custom dress shirts and casual shirts ordered online or in showrooms. Production time 12-14 days. Two complimentary remakes included.
- Tailored Clothing (Suits, Sport Coats, Trousers): Custom suits, tuxedos, sport coats, and tailored trousers. Production time approximately 4 weeks. Two complimentary remakes included.
- Stocked Products (Ready-to-Wear): Outerwear, accessories, socks, underwear, and undershirts available for immediate shipment. Some items like masks, cashmere, and TechKnit are final sale and cannot be returned.
- Wedding Party Services: Custom outfits for weddings including custom shirts, suits, and tuxedos for the wedding party. Styling consultations offered in-store and via video call.
Pricing tiers
| Model | Billing | Price |
|---|---|---|
| Unit Pricing | Pay-as-you-go | Custom shirts from $98, with premium fabrics and mother of pearl buttons at higher price points |
Go-to-market motion1 record
Distribution channels3 records
Marketing channels4 records
Proper Cloth product offering
Product offeringCore offering
Proper Cloth designs, produces, and sells made-to-measure men's custom shirts, suits, tuxedos, sport coats, pants, knitwear, and outerwear through its own e-commerce site and three US showrooms. Each garment is manufactured on-demand based on individual body measurements and design specifications generated by its Smart Sizes algorithm, with fabric sourced from premium mills such as Thomas Mason, Loro Piana, VBC, Drago, Reda, and Albite.
Differentiator
Problem solved
Functional benefit
Products and services
- Custom Dress Shirts Made-to-measure dress shirts (including classic, business casual, non-iron, merino wool, performance, knit, Thomas Mason, and summer dress shirts) produced to each customer's stored custom size with extensive collar, cuff, pocket, and monogram customization, shipped in 12–14 days from order.
- Custom Suits & Tuxedos Made-to-measure suits and tuxedos in all-season, summer, winter, and Loro Piana fabric variants, tailored to each customer's stored measurements with two complimentary remakes and approximately 4-week production.
- Custom Sport Coats Made-to-measure sport coats in all-season, summer, fall/winter, Loro Piana fabric, and formal variants, with fit support through the Home Try-On program prior to custom order.
- Custom Pants Made-to-measure pants including dress pants, chinos, 5-pockets and jeans, off-duty pants, golf pants, joggers and sweats, and shorts, with custom sizing covering both pleated and non-pleated configurations.
- Custom Knitwear Knitwear including crewnecks, V-necks, half-zips, summer knits, and cashmere sweaters offered alongside the custom menswear line.
- Custom Outerwear Made-to-measure outerwear including coats, jackets, raincoats, and vests available through the custom menswear storefront.
- Accessories and Stocked Products Ready-to-wear accessories (hats, ties, belts, pocket squares, scarves) and stocked products (socks, underwear, undershirts, and select outerwear) available for immediate shipment without custom sizing.
- Wedding Party Services
- Smart Sizes Custom Size Creation
Quantifiable outcome
- 60-day returns and remakes policy ensures customer satisfaction
Companies that use Proper Cloth
Customer profileNamed customers1 record
Segments3 records
Ideal customer profiles3 records
Proper Cloth technology and API
TechnologyTechnology focussed No
API detail
- Has API
- No
- API docs
- API detail
Core technology
AI maturity
App detail
Integration3 records
Feature2 records
Proper Cloth partnerships and signals
Strategic signalScale indicators2 records
Recent moves2 records
Expansion highlights5 records
Proper Cloth competitors and assessment
Company assessmentBroad incumbents
- Brooks Brothers: Brooks Brothers is a long-established menswear retailer offering dress shirts, suits, and tailored clothing alongside custom shirt programs. As a broad incumbent, it competes with Proper Cloth in the dress shirt and tailored suiting categories while operating a much larger physical and wholesale footprint.
- Hugo Boss: Hugo Boss is a global fashion house producing tailored menswear, suits, and formal clothing across retail and wholesale channels. As a broad incumbent, it competes with Proper Cloth in the premium tailored menswear and formal occasion segments.
Direct peers
- Indochino: Indochino is a direct-to-consumer custom menswear brand offering made-to-measure suits, shirts, and tuxedos online and through showrooms. It is the most direct comparable to Proper Cloth in product mix, channel strategy, and target customer.
- Bonobos: Bonobos is a direct-to-consumer menswear brand selling pants, shirts, and suits online and through physical guideshop locations. While broader in assortment, its omni-channel menswear DTC model and showroom-plus-e-commerce strategy parallel Proper Cloth's approach.
- J.Hilburn: J.Hilburn is a custom menswear brand offering made-to-measure shirts and tailored clothing via an appointment-based stylist network. Its direct selling of custom dress shirts places it in direct competition with Proper Cloth's core offering.
- Knot Standard: Knot Standard is a custom menswear brand offering bespoke suits and shirts through showrooms and online. It targets a similar professional and wedding customer base with a comparable made-to-measure value proposition.
- Suitsupply: Suitsupply sells tailored suits, shirts, and menswear through both physical stores and e-commerce. It overlaps directly with Proper Cloth in custom and made-to-measure suiting and competes for similar professional and wedding customer segments.
- Alton Lane: Alton Lane is a custom menswear brand operating showrooms with in-person fittings and an online ordering platform, closely mirroring Proper Cloth's showroom-plus-DTC omnichannel model for made-to-measure shirts and suits.
- MTailor: MTailor uses smartphone-based body scanning to produce custom dress shirts. It was cited alongside Proper Cloth in the New York Times Wirecutter comparison, making it a directly comparable tech-enabled custom shirt peer.
Emerging players
- Taylor Stitch: Taylor Stitch is a menswear brand producing premium shirts, pants, and outerwear with an emphasis on quality fabrics and direct-to-consumer distribution. It overlaps with Proper Cloth on premium custom and small-batch menswear, though it leans more casual.
Market position
Strengths5 records
Weaknesses5 records
Competitive moat5 records
Key risks6 records
Key highlights6 records
Customer concentration
Proper Cloth social profiles
Digital presenceProper Cloth financial estimates
Financial estimateRevenue estimate
Valuation estimate
Proper Cloth leadership team
Management profileNumber of profiles
Profiles2 records
Proper Cloth funding detail
Funding detailFunding overview
Funding rounds1 record
Investors
Funding detail is available on the Subscription and Enterprise plan.Contact sales →
Proper Cloth M&A and investment
M&A and investmentM&A
Investments
M&A and investment is available on the Subscription and Enterprise plan.Contact sales →
Frequently asked questions about Proper Cloth
What does Proper Cloth do?
Proper Cloth designs, produces, and sells made-to-measure men's custom shirts, suits, tuxedos, sport coats, pants, knitwear, and outerwear through its own e-commerce site and three US showrooms. Each garment is manufactured on-demand based on individual body measurements and design specifications generated by its Smart Sizes algorithm, with fabric sourced from premium mills such as Thomas Mason, Loro Piana, VBC, Drago, Reda, and Albite.
Is Proper Cloth a public or private company?
Proper Cloth is a private company. It is classified as founder individual operated bootstrapped and is currently operating.
When was Proper Cloth founded?
Proper Cloth was founded in 2008. It employs 101 to 250 people.
Where is Proper Cloth based?
Proper Cloth is headquartered in New York, United States, in the North America region.
How does Proper Cloth make money?
Four revenue lines are on record. Custom Shirts are the primary driver. The others are tailored Clothing (Suits, Sport Coats, Trousers), stocked Products (Ready-to-Wear) and wedding Party Services.
Who are Proper Cloth's main competitors?
Broad incumbents on record are Brooks Brothers and Hugo Boss. Direct peers are Indochino, Bonobos, J.Hilburn, Knot Standard, Suitsupply, Alton Lane and MTailor. Taylor Stitch is listed as an emerging player.
Does Proper Cloth have an API?
No public API is recorded for Proper Cloth.
What industry is Proper Cloth in?
Proper Cloth's product category is Custom Menswear. Its primary akta.pro industry code is IMAOAEAE, Tops & Shirts Cut & Sew (T-Shirts/Shirts/Blouses), with a secondary code of IMAOAEAF, Dresses, Skirts & Tailored Apparel Cut & Sew (Suits/Formalwear). Its NAICS code is 315 and its SIC code is 2320.