For retailers, stylists & traveling tailors
Add made-to-measure suits to your business
Whether you sell in your clients' homes and offices, from a small showroom, in a brick-and-mortar store, or on the road city to city — you can offer made-to-measure suits without holding a rail of stock or running a workshop. You sell from swatches and a measurement; we cut and make each suit to order, under your own label, from a single piece, in about ten working days, factory-direct. Centi Sartoria is a 400-tailor Shanghai atelier making made-to-measure suits, trousers and waistcoats in cloth from 33 European mills, with full- or half-canvas construction and about a 0.5% return rate.
Three ways to offer suits — and why made-to-measure direct wins for a small seller
| Stock ready-to-wear | Made-to-measure (Centi, direct) | Run your own workshop | |
|---|---|---|---|
| Upfront inventory | Buy stock in every size up front | None — made to order from swatches | Cloth, patterns, equipment up front |
| Capital tied up | High — unsold sizes sit on the rail | Almost none — you order after the client pays | Highest — premises, staff, machines |
| Minimum to start | A full size run per style | One suit | A workshop and a tailor |
| Your own label | Only if you commission a bulk run | Yes — private label from one piece | Yes, but you carry all the risk |
| Fit & returns | Alterations on you; size gaps lose sales | Made to the client's measurements (~0.5% returns) | On you, in-house |
| Lead time | Immediate, if the size is in stock | ~10 working days, made to order | Your own production schedule |
| Best if you… | Have storage, capital and steady footfall | Sell to clients directly and want margin without inventory | Have the volume to run a full atelier |
Figures in the "Made-to-measure (Centi, direct)" column — one-piece minimum, ~10 working days, ~0.5% returns, 33 European mills — are Centi Sartoria's own terms. The other columns are typical of those models.
How a no-inventory suit line works
The terms a retailer, stylist or traveling tailor meets when adding made-to-measure.
- Made-to-measure (MTM)
- A suit cut to a customer's measurements from an existing base pattern, with set style options. It needs no stock and no in-house workshop — you take measurements and choices, the factory makes the suit. It is faster and far cheaper than bespoke, which is drafted from scratch.
- Selling from swatches (a bunch)
- Showing the client physical cloth samples — a swatch bunch from the mills — plus style options, instead of finished garments on a rail. The order is placed after the client chooses, so you tie up no capital in inventory.
- Made-to-order / no inventory
- Each suit is produced only after the client has ordered and paid. You hold nothing, so a home stylist, a small showroom or a traveling tailor can offer a full suit range with no storage and no unsold stock.
- Private label / white label
- The factory makes the suit to your specification with your label inside, so it sells as your own product. With Centi Sartoria this works from a single piece — you do not need a bulk commission to put your name in the jacket.
- Minimum order quantity (MOQ)
- The fewest units a manufacturer will make. Bulk factories set high MOQs per style; a made-to-measure atelier like Centi Sartoria makes from one suit, which is what lets a small seller start without committing capital.
- Ex-factory (factory-direct)
- Buying straight from the maker with no trading-company or wholesaler margin in between. It is the lowest cost for a given cloth and construction, which is where your retail margin comes from.
- Trunk show / traveling tailor
- Selling made-to-measure on the move — visiting clients in their home or office, or touring cities with a swatch book and a measuring tape. The no-inventory MTM model is built for exactly this: you carry samples, not stock.
Frequently asked questions
Can I sell made-to-measure suits without holding inventory?
Yes. You sell from swatches and a measurement; each suit is made to order after the client pays, so you hold no stock. This is what lets in-home stylists, small showrooms, retail stores and traveling tailors offer a full suit range without tying up capital. Centi Sartoria makes from a single piece in about ten working days.
What is the minimum order to add a made-to-measure line?
One suit. Many manufacturers require dozens per style, but Centi Sartoria is a made-to-measure atelier and produces from a single piece — so you can start, test demand and grow with no bulk commitment.
Can the suits carry my own label?
Yes — private label from one piece. The factory makes each suit to your specification with your label inside, so it sells as your own product. You do not need a large bulk run to put your name in the jacket.
I sell in clients' homes or travel between cities — does this work for me?
It is built for it. You carry a swatch book and a tape, take the order and measurements on site, and the suit is cut and made to order and shipped — no stock to transport or store. This suits in-home stylists, trunk shows and traveling tailors as well as fixed showrooms and stores.
How do margins and fit risk work?
Because you buy factory-direct only after the client has paid, your margin is the gap between the ex-factory price and your retail price, with no inventory risk. Suits are made to the client's measurements; Centi Sartoria runs about a 0.5% return rate, so fit risk is low.
Add a suit line without the inventory
Talk to the atelier about a made-to-measure program for your showroom, store or traveling business — swatches, your label, from one piece, factory-direct.