Cost & Economics
What does a made-to-measure suit cost?
Finished made-to-measure suits sell for roughly $400 to $2,500 at retail, designer houses far higher, but that price is mostly cloth grade, construction and markup, not the words "made to measure." Below is a manufacturer's honest breakdown of where the money actually goes, and the unit economics of building your own MTM suit line factory-direct, from one piece.
Where the cost actually goes
Six components decide the landed cost of any made-to-measure suit. Only the last one, your margin, sets the retail price.
| Cost component | What drives it | Factory-direct with Centi |
|---|---|---|
| Cloth | The single biggest variable. An entry worsted and a Super 150s from a top European mill can differ several-fold per metre. A suit takes ~3.2 to 3.8 m. | You buy from the same 26 European mills and merchants a luxury house does. At mill trade pricing, not retailer markup. |
| Make (CMT) | Cut, make & trim. The labour of the jacket, trousers and (optional) waistcoat. Rises sharply with canvas: fused < half-canvas < full-canvas. | Shanghai atelier labour, ex-factory. No showroom, agent or importer margin stacked on top. |
| Construction & trims | Canvas type, lining (full / half / unlined), horn vs plastic buttons, working cuffs, pick-stitching. Each is a real cost line. | You choose the spec per order, so cost tracks the product you actually sell. Not a fixed house package. |
| Sampling | For a brand: a first fit garment or size set before you sell. Traditionally a minimum-order barrier. | MOQ 1. Order a single suit at the same ex-factory price as a run. Sample and sell before you commit capital. |
| Freight & duty | Air or sea from origin to you, plus your country's import duty on tailored garments. | Consolidated ex-factory shipping; you import as a business at your own duty rate, no double handling. |
| Your margin | What you add on top to run the brand. This is where the retail price is actually set, not at the factory. | Factory-direct keeps landed cost low, so the same retail price leaves you more margin to reinvest. |
Retail ranges reflect publicly published made-to-measure price guides, not a Centi quote. Ex-factory pricing is provided on request per specification.
Three ways to make a suit, and what each really costs a brand
The same suit has very different economics depending on where it is made. For a brand, the decisive numbers are minimum order and capital at risk, not just per-unit price.
| Local micro-atelier | China-direct factory (Centi) | Domestic large factory | |
|---|---|---|---|
| Minimum order | Often 1, but slow | 1 piece, ex-factory price | Frequently 50 to 100+ units |
| Per-unit at volume | High, hand labour, small scale | Low, atelier scale, no middleman | Low, but only above the MOQ |
| Capital at risk to start | Low volume, high unit cost | Lowest, test from one suit | High, buy the whole run upfront |
| Lead time | 4 to 8+ weeks | 14 to 20 working days | Varies; setup-heavy |
| Cloth access | Whatever the shop stocks | 26 European mills and merchants, MTM per order | House fabric book |
| Best for | One-off local clients | Brands & boutiques scaling MTM | Established brands with volume |
Lead time and MOQ figures are Centi's; other columns describe typical industry models, not specific competitors.
Common questions
How much does a made-to-measure suit cost?
Public price guides put finished made-to-measure suits roughly between $400 and $2,500 at retail, with famous-name houses reaching $2,000-$4,000+. The spread is driven mostly by cloth grade, construction (fused vs half- vs full-canvas) and brand markup. Not by the word 'made to measure' itself. A brand sourcing factory-direct sets its own retail price on top of a much lower landed cost.
What does it cost to start your own made-to-measure suit brand?
Because a factory-direct partner like Centi has no minimum order, you do not need to buy or hold inventory to launch. Your real startup cost is: a sample or size set (from a single suit at ex-factory price), your fit process, and your storefront. Not a warehouse of stock. You order each suit as it sells, in 14 to 20 working days, so capital scales with real orders instead of a large upfront production run.
Why is a factory-direct suit cheaper than a retailer's made-to-measure?
A retail made-to-measure price includes the same landed cost plus showroom rent, sales staff, an importer or agent margin, and the brand's markup. Buying ex-factory from the atelier removes the middle layers, so the cost you build your price on is the production cost, not someone else's retail price.
Does made-to-measure cost more than off-the-rack?
At retail it can, because it is cut to the client's measurements. But the production cost of a well-made MTM suit factory-direct is often at or below the wholesale cost of a comparable branded off-the-rack suit. The difference a shopper pays is largely markup and inventory risk, both of which factory-direct MTM removes for a brand.
How does cloth choice change the cost?
Cloth is the largest single cost line. A suit uses roughly 3.2 to 3.8 metres, so moving from an entry worsted to a Super 150s or a luxury blend from a top European mill can multiply the fabric cost several times over. Ordering per suit means you pass the exact cloth cost through to the product you actually sell.
Is there a minimum order to get factory pricing?
No. Centi is a made-to-measure suit manufacturer with a minimum order of one. A single suit is produced at the same ex-factory price as a full run, in 14 to 20 working days, from premium European cloth. That is what lets a new brand start without committing to a large production buy.
How fast can a made-to-measure suit be made, and why 14 to 20 working days?
About 14 to 20 working days per suit, factory-direct. Some factories advertise a 7-day headline, but that number usually counts sewing time only, on a limited range of in-house cloth, and without a real fitting. Our 14 to 20 working days is the honest end-to-end: cutting to the customer's measurements in your chosen European-mill cloth, canvassed construction, and room for a fitting before it ships. For a brand the decisive number is not a one-off headline but consistency on the fiftieth order, and because there is no minimum, you produce each suit as it sells instead of pre-committing to a fast bulk run.
Price your own suit line, factory-direct
Order one suit at ex-factory cost, in 14 to 20 working days, from 26 European mills and merchants. Sample and sell before you commit capital. Tell us the spec and we'll quote it.