A Fitting with Institchu
Whenever you associate the traditional statement, "A well-dressed man", the instant and natural reaction in one's mind is a suit. But I am aware and agree that you can also be well-dressed in casual clothing. But a suit is what makes a man feel an instant boost to his confidence. You have to agree, right? No matter what curve balls have been thrown or sticky situations you may currently find yourself in, putting on a suit gives you that ‘accomplished’ feeling – even if it’s true or false. At least, you have a temporary element of euphoria. This feeling is influenced by general public perceptions, where I have conducted an inadvertent social experiment in the past.
When I have commuted to work in a suit on the overly packed transport system, I stand. There have been a few instances where a group of middle aged Vietnamese women have spoken about me in a positive light. For those who don’t know, I am Vietnamese, so I was able to understand every word. A few weeks later, I was in casual clothing – think of distressed jeans, a t-shirt and some sneakers. I noticed some older bystanders giving me disparaging looks. I hate to say it, but we live in a world where first impressions do carry some weight, it depends on the situation of course.
I feel like I’m going a little off topic here, but I hope my little tangent provided you with an understanding of how a suit is perceived in society and its importance to your style.
I partnered up with the guys at Institchu to create my own bespoke suit. We have the same ethos when it comes to suits. They know much the right suit can transform a man, which is what I’ve stated earlier, and they understand that the fit of suit is key. And this is why we are a perfect match. For me, no matter how aesthetically pleasing a suit is on the rack through its brand, design, price point or use of fabrics, if it's ill-fitting, the suit will fail to reach its potential. This is why it's pivotal that suits are bespoke and custom fitted. We are called individuals because we have individual body measurements, hence it's a given that any piece of clothing, especially the elegance of a suit is tailored to suit one's needs.Every suit I own is custom made, fit is the most important and every other factor runs secondary. If you don’t believe me, ask Conor McGregor for his opinion. It is known that his suits cost a stack of cash. They range between $5,000 AUD to upwards of $12,000 AUD. I understand that we all don’t live the lavish life that Mr McGregor does, I sit in the same seat as you, not in a Rolls Royce seat like Conor. But this doesn’t mean we can’t own a super slick suit like him at a fraction of the price.
I had an amazing experience with Institchu and I’m not just writing this because I’ve collaborated with them. I’m quite selective with most things in life, and this transcends to who I work with. And no matter what, I will give my honest opinion. My close friends know this, and anyone who has read my numerous articles on Man of Many will also be aware of this.
I was lucky enough to be assisted by the Operations Manager, Nickolas. He assisted me with every detail in the makings of a custom suit. There were several options on fabrics, patterns and styles, and I kept changing my mind. I believe Nick should be given a trophy for having the best level of patience known to man. But I finally settled on a charcoal three-piece suit with a subtle light blue and brown windowpane pattern. Personally, I like the bold patterns – remember the suit that Conor McGregor wore to his first press conference with Floyd Mayweather? The one with the expletives? I told so many of my friends that it is something I would definitely wear. However, this time around, I didn’t want to be too bold, but not too boring. In my opinion, this allows the suit to be timeless and versatile. I did go a little crazy with the inner lining of the suit though. Despite only knowing Nick for 30 minutes or so, we got along very well. Not only did he provide me with outstanding customer service (he was throwing a wealth of suggestions to me), but I would describe the experience more like shopping with a friend.
In terms of waiting time, it was a quick three-week turnaround for the suit to be complete. When I picked it up, there was no need for any alterations, the suit fit perfectly. Institchu are so confident in their service that all orders are covered by their ‘Fit Promise’, which includes free alterations, remakes and easy refunds. That’s quite ballsy, but when you’re a champ at what you do, that level of arrogance is warranted. Again, think of how big Conor McGregor’s balls are and the confidence he exudes everywhere he goes.
