There is one factory in England and one factory in N. Ireland which turns out great shirts. Almost all Jermyn street shirts at $100 and under are made in Turkey, Romania, Peru, China, India, Poland, etc. They do not make in the UK. It would be outsourced, yes. What we are looking at is providing an Emma Willis, Budd type shirt here, online in the US for around $190 and later maybe a small store. This is almost $100 cheaper than Turnbull and it is of the same or better quality and about $175 cheaper than Emma Willis with the exchange rate. She offers a MTM service online. Most niche shirt shops for RTW in NYC sell at $275 or more for a vastly inferior product made in the USA or Italy.

Regards

Marc,

That was the type of response I was looking for. The awareness of English shirts in the US now compared to 5 years ago is huge because of Pink and Tyrwhitt, obvioulsy their quality is not very good. I am studying for this project to see if people would pay a premium for a real English shirt, made in an English workshop. Just $40-$50 more than Pink but with the best fabrics. However, cheaper than an Italian shirt which sells for $250, say Zegna. Yes, the price would be between Turnbull and Pink. By the way supposedly Willis and Budd have the shirts made by the same manufacturer for RTW, I can't speak for MTM. There is only one excellent production maker in England. What do you think of the quality of a Coles shirt compared to Emma's out of curiosity? Thanks

Very good point, the Made in England designation and cloth was to put distance between Pink, but what they have done for the English style shirt market in the US is amazing. The idea is to provide a real English shirt to the American public, the only one doing this is Turnbull, and not many people know them or have access to their stores in NYC and California. A US based person cannot buy on the UK site do to the price arbitrage in the UK and US. The problem with wholesale to a Neiman or Bergdorf is the fact that one could sell the shirt on their own for $190 on the net and in their own stores. To wholesale it would drive the cost up to over $300 since everyone needs to meet their margins. That being said a shirt the quality of say a coles could be sold wholesale so the final price would be around $220. Although I don't know if wholesale is the way to go.

Only a very small fraction of younger men actually get mtm or bespoke, or want to wait for them, like people on this board, people like instant gratification it seems. The average man who spends alot of money on clothes still buys off the rack, that's how new brands in NYC can charge $400 off the rack for a shirt and have no problem selling them. Most men like to buy in bulk as well and online, this is where my thinking is coming from. But I see your point to young people not caring where things are made, its just once you cross a certain price point, people seem to care more about cloth, make, etc.

Yes Marc you are correct. I am trying to bring a real English shirt, with real English styled fabrics, to the market. Available for those who have been awakened by Tyrwhitt and Pink, but now could get the real thing. As if you don't search out the British makers you won't find them as they don't advertise. Geneva and Paris has no place in this conversation. Yes nobody asks where Hilditch is made as it is established. If a new guy came on the scene with a great shirt, equal or better quality than Hilditch but made in Asia would that be a problem? I see using an English manufacturer as a way to get past this point, as for a new brand people might care where it is made.

Yes,

MTM and bespoke is growing so true, however, many many parts of a man's wardrobe are bought by the woman in their life, anytime I go into Pink it is half ladies buying for men in their lives. That's why I was thinking of doing an MTM online, kinda like Emma, although like you said it has pitfalls. MTM companies are so spread out though and have no advertising obviously, its more of a local thing. Those that are online and cheaper and asian based and hit or miss, this is where the British quality control comes in. The point you make about the dude you could have gotten pink is so true. Why are these professions full of alot of idiots? I work in it so I know, the person is either brilliant and worldly or totally a fratboy idiot. But bespoke is returning, its just that it is a tiny sliver of the $3 billion a year mens shirt industry in the US.

re:  comments on pitfalls of mtm on-line.

Can you imagine the legion of idiotas you'd have to deal with after they improperly measured themselves and claimed it was your fault?