I was an intern on Wall Street when it really hit me.

The people wearing suits commanded the most respect. And the more elegant the suit, the more respect they commanded.

This really got me thinking. In fact, I couldn’t stop thinking about it. To the point where my mentor in the internship program sat me down and said; “Dan, I think you should explore this passion for clothing”. It was the summer of 2008 (the height of the financial crisis) so I wasn't getting this Wall Street job anyway.

My mentor introduced me to his tailor - a man named Michael Andrews who had a tiny shop in a basement on the lower east side. I went there, asked every question I could, and spent all the money I earned that summer on (*the first half deposit) of four bespoke suits. Michael was incredibly kind, took me under his wing and allowed me to “work off” the remaining balance that Fall and Winter.

I swept the floors, got lunch for the tailors, and helped anyway I could. I also started a blog to document my experience going from “Columbia basketball player to tailor in training”. On the blog I shared everything I learned; information about fabrics, fittings, craftsmanship, etc. I was one of the first menswear bloggers and grew to have millions of readers worldwide. I became a trusted authority in online menswear - in part because I was named “America’s Best Dressed Real Man” by Esquire magazine (while wearing those four bespoke suits I hadn’t paid off yet!).

I worked for Michael - and blogged about it - for more than five years. I became the head stylist, then the head fitter, then attended FIT to learn the actual crafts of pattern-making, sewing and hand tailoring. My thesis collection was featured in the FIT museum.

I continued to share everything I was learning on my blog, and started showcasing some of the garments I was making myself. Soon readers from all over the world were traveling to NYC to meet with me at the tailor shop and commission my designs. I would perform their bespoke fittings and help them contextualize the garment within a versatile wardrobe.

I met so many amazing customers but every day I would receive messages from people that wanted to purchase my garments, but couldn’t fly to NYC for multiple fittings. This demand - combined with the fact that I hated the monetization model of blogs (ads and sponsored content from big box brands) - made it clear that developing my own product was the key to preserving my audience, my voice and my point of view.

So I tested every “online custom suit” company in the world at that time. There were seven or eight of them. Every company made me measure myself (something I had years of training doing) but delivered a cheap, ill-fitting garment that was completely uninspired. I never wore one of them.

It was clear: the “online custom” experience was nothing like the in-person bespoke experience. There was no expertise. No stylist to help you. No tailor to fit you. Nobody to make sure your garment felt good or even looked good. In many ways, it was the opposite of what bespoke tailoring represents; personalized service and handmade quality.

This was the “AHA” moment which began the transition from “blog” to “online tailor shop”. The goal: how can we do everything a traditional bespoke tailor shop does, but do it online for anyone anywhere.

So we started looking for manufacturing partners.

I started by visiting the factories that made the garments for the companies I tested (as it turns out, most custom menswear brands/specialists use one of two factories in China). I watched as they sewed “made in Italy” tags, used counterfeit fabrics, fused things that they marketed to be hand-sewn…and a whole bunch of other unethical practices I couldn’t get behind. They also hated when I tried to take photos and videos, so documenting these trips (let alone sharing the process with my audience) was virtually impossible. This was not going to work.

I believe in full transparency because that is what my blog - and bespoke tailoring - are all about.

It took a couple years of research and testing, but we eventually found a home with a third-generation family-owned tailor shop right in our backyard of Rochester New York. Not only do they hand-make the highest quality garment in America, they also share our visions of transparency, inclusion and personal service delivered online.

Today I am proud to say that we are delivering the finest tailoring (for men and women) available online - hands down. We’ve done personal bespoke fittings for thousands of men and women all over the world, most of whom continue to build their long-term wardrobes with us.

To learn more about our exclusive online-bespoke fitting process check out our How It Works page and read about how we help our customers build versatile capsule wardrobes.

When you’re ready to take the next step, create your very own AOS account.

If you have any questions or want to speak to a stylist, contact us

Looking forward to your fitting!

Yours in style,

Dan Trepanier

Founder/CEO