For shops that buy from Formens or have it on a shortlist
Formens alternative for tailor shops: Formens and Centi Sartoria side by side
Formens is a large made-to-measure maker based in Botosani, Romania, with a published standard lead time of 10 business days. Centi Sartoria is a Shanghai factory that publishes its prices: CMT from USD 100, full make from USD 155, a one-piece minimum and 14 days in production. Formens suits European shops close to it; we suit shops that want public prices, own-cloth CMT and a one-piece trial.
Every Formens figure below comes from formens.ro, read on 2026-09-26, with the pages listed at the bottom. For more suppliers in one table, see MTM suppliers compared.
- 10 business days
- Formens' published standard lead time
- 14 days
- our production time, shipping extra
- 1 piece
- our minimum; Formens does not publish one
- USD 100 / 155
- our CMT / full make, from, ex works Shanghai
Formens and Centi Sartoria, side by side
What each company publishes on its own website. Not published means the site does not say, which makes it a question to ask, not a criticism.
| Formens | Centi Sartoria | |
|---|---|---|
| Where it makes | Botosani, Romania (head office and first factory); also a factory in Berdychiv, Ukraine, a new factory in Morocco, and a stake in d'Avenza in Italy | Our own factory in Shanghai, China, with 200 house tailors |
| Started | The story begins in 1997; its own workshop in Botosani from 1999 | Founded in 1996 |
| Minimum order | Not published on its site | 1 piece |
| Lead time as published | Standard lead time usually 10 business days | 14 days in production from a confirmed order, shipping extra |
| Price | Not published on its site | Per two-piece, ex works Shanghai: CMT from USD 100, full make from USD 155, half canvas from USD 185, full canvas quoted by specification |
| Your own cloth (CMT) | Not published on its site | Yes, from USD 100 |
| Cloth | A stock from more than 40 fabric suppliers, held in the workshop ready to cut; its tailoring collection lists 105 bunches | 33 mills and cloth merchants, 26 of them in Europe; digital swatch book, swatches posted on request |
| Constructions listed | Not listed on its current site | Fused, half canvas, full canvas |
| Capacity as published | Facilities page: 450,000 jackets and 400,000 trousers a year combined, about 80% of it made to measure | About 3,000 suits a month |
| How you order | A B2B online platform in nine languages: measurements, alterations, style, cloth, customer files, reorders, live fabric stock, order status and an AI tailor assistant chat | AI ordering system: size suggested from height and weight, order goes straight to the factory |
| Fitting method | Base patterns and try-on sizes, then alterations at set measurement points | Your measurements and fit notes, matched to a reference garment you send |
| Matching a garment you sell today | Not published on its site | Yes: send a reference garment, we match it, then a one-piece trial |
| When something is wrong | Not published on its site | We stand behind every piece: if something isn't right, we make it right |
Formens column as published on formens.ro, read 2026-09-26. Our column from our own published terms.
When Formens is the better fit
Formens is a serious made-to-measure house. For some shops it is the right call, and it is better to say so here.
Your shop is in Europe
Formens makes in Romania, inside the EU, so the suits travel a short distance to a European shop. Its published standard lead time is 10 business days. From Shanghai, shipping comes on top of our 14 days in production.
You want to visit a showroom
Formens lists showrooms in Paris, Bad Wurzach in Germany, Occhieppo Inferiore in Italy and New York, and offers training at its Botosani head office.
You want the cloth already at the factory
Formens holds its cloth stock in the workshop, ready to cut, and its ordering platform shows live stock.
Certifications matter to your customers
Formens lists RWS, GOTS and OEKO-TEX on its sustainability page.
You order at very high volume
Its facilities page gives a combined capacity of 450,000 jackets and 400,000 trousers a year, most of it made to measure.
When Centi Sartoria is the better fit
You want the price before the first call
Our starting prices are public: per two-piece, ex works Shanghai, CMT from USD 100, full make from USD 155, half canvas from USD 185. Shipping extra, import duty paid by the buyer.
You bring your own cloth
CMT with your cloth starts at USD 100 per two-piece suit. Formens does not say on its site whether it makes with a shop's own cloth.
You want to test with one suit
The minimum is one piece. Send a garment you sell today, we match it, and the first order is a one-piece trial on a real customer.
You want the construction on the order
Fused, half canvas or full canvas, chosen per order. Full canvas is quoted by specification.
You want to know where the cloth comes from
33 mills and cloth merchants, 26 of them in Europe, shown in a digital swatch book, with swatches posted on request.
Your label, your customer
Your label goes in the jacket. The customer, the measurements and the retail price stay with your shop.
Switching from Formens, or adding us as a second supplier
Many shops do not switch at once. They add a second factory and move work across as it proves itself.
- 1
Keep Formens running
Orders already in progress stay where they are. A switch that strands a half-finished order loses the customer who placed it.
- 2
Send a garment you sell today
A jacket or suit that represents your house fit, with the measurements and style notes it was made to if you have them. It can be one Formens made for you.
- 3
We match it
We match our pattern, construction and details to the reference garment.
- 4
One-piece trial
We make one suit for a real customer order: 14 days in production from the confirmed order, plus shipping. Fit it in your shop and send your notes back.
- 5
Move customers one by one
Route new customers first, then existing customers at their next reorder, with their measurement records and fit notes.
Questions to ask both of us
Ask Formens and us the same questions and compare the answers: the minimum order, the price per suit at the construction you sell, whether they make with your own cloth, where the lead time starts and whether shipping is inside it, and what happens when a suit comes back wrong. Our answers are on this page. Formens' site answers the lead time; ask it for the rest.
The full checklist is on switching made-to-measure suppliers. If Formens is one of several names on your list, MTM suppliers compared puts ten trade suppliers side by side, and Kutesmart compared does the same for the Qingdao maker.
Sources
Formens' own websites, read on 2026-09-26.
- Formens: formens.ro/directly-from-the-factory/. Standard lead time usually 10 business days; prices described only as competitive
- Formens: formens.ro/facilities/. Botosani, Berdychiv and Morocco factories; combined capacity; share made to measure
- Formens: formens.ro/contact/. Head office address, showrooms, d'Avenza stake
- Formens: formens.ro/our-history/. Story from 1997, Botosani workshop from 1999
- Formens: formens.ro/fabric-stock-service/. Cloth stock from more than 40 suppliers, held in the workshop
- Formens: formens.ro/tailoring-collection/. 105 bunches in the tailoring collection
- Formens: formens.ro/technology-and-digitalization/. B2B online platform in nine languages and its functions
- Formens: formens.ro/product-quality/. Base patterns, try-on sizes and measurement points
- Formens: formens.ro/customer-success/. Training at the Botosani head office or in a showroom
- Formens: formens.ro/sustainability-and-certifications/. RWS, GOTS, OEKO-TEX
Frequently asked questions
What is a good Formens alternative for a tailor shop?
It depends on what the shop needs. Centi Sartoria is a made-to-measure factory in Shanghai that publishes its prices (CMT from USD 100, full make from USD 155 per two-piece, ex works), makes from one piece in 14 days in production plus shipping, and matches a garment you already sell before a one-piece trial.
What lead time does Formens publish?
Formens' site says its standard lead time is usually 10 business days. Centi Sartoria's is 14 days in production from a confirmed order, with shipping extra.
What is Formens' minimum order?
Formens does not publish a minimum order on its site. Centi Sartoria's minimum is one piece.
Does Formens publish its prices?
No. Its site describes its prices as competitive without figures. Centi Sartoria publishes starting prices per two-piece suit, ex works Shanghai: CMT from USD 100, full make from USD 155, half canvas from USD 185.
Where does Formens make its made-to-measure suits?
Formens has its head office and first factory in Botosani, Romania, a factory in Berdychiv, Ukraine, a new factory in Morocco, and a stake in d'Avenza in Italy, according to its site.
How do I move from Formens without losing my fit?
Keep Formens running for orders in progress, send the new factory a garment you sell today as the reference, and fit a one-piece trial on a real customer before moving more orders. Move new customers first and existing ones at their next reorder.
For shops that already sell custom suits
See the price sheet and your margin per suit
Three minutes, seven questions, free. You get the wholesale price sheet, your margin per suit at your own retail price, a direct line to a partner manager and an account on the AI ordering system.
Start the 3 minute checkOpens b2b.centisartoria.com/start