It doesn’t just fit like a glove; it fits you & nobody else

One of the country’s rarest crafts is being practiced right here in Hamilton County, and clients fly in from around the world to experience it. Tailored Society Co-Founder Wade Forman is one of only 15 master bespoke clothiers in the country. Forman is also a Certified Custom Clothier through the Custom Tailors & Designers Association.

“When we first established our business, we were focusing on menswear, specifically taking care of the dress wardrobe, if you will, for a gentleman,” Forman told The Reporter. “Fast forward to today, we become more of a bespoke lifestyle company for men and women.”

Tailored Society, 23 E. Main St., Carmel, is a bespoke clothing workshop producing work at a level Hoosiers would normally travel to New York or London’s Savile Row for: a $187,000 Himalayan crocodile bomber jacket, $120,000 exotic-skin travel bags, and $85,000 vicuña sport coats lined with Hermès scarves. Some of these exotic pieces are among the only ones of their kind being made in North America. Clients choose wedding attire and full wardrobes over a cocktail, surrounded by 18th-century French country antiques.

You can enjoy that experience even without paying those prices.

While the high-end portion of the business is what makes it stand out on the international level, the bulk of his work is about providing bespoke clothing options in a price range that can fit Midwestern professionals’ budgets.

To become a bespoke clothier, Forman had to go through an extensive training process that involved far more than just taking the right measurements for a more commonly available custom garment.

A bespoke garment is fitted to you and you alone.

“The big focus with bespoke versus a custom garment is identifying the body structure,” Forman said. “How are their shoulders sloping? How is their back rounded or do they have erect posture? Is one hip higher than the other? Is one arm lower than the other? Identifying those kinds of imperfections, if you will, for lack of a better term, within a person and saying, ‘Okay, what are we going to do when we are drafting that client’s own pattern? How are we going to improve their overall silhouette to make them look as good as possible?’”

The training process for this kind of craftsmanship takes approximately a year and involves several courses on individual pieces of clothing, pattern drafting, styling, measuring, history and fabrics.

All of this is to say the Tailored Society experience is second-to-none.

“It’s going to take about four to six months for the first garment that we create for a client because we’ve got to get your pattern down and do the multiple fittings,” Forman said. “Once we’ve got your pattern down, repeat orders take about 10 to 12 weeks roughly for a garment.”

Before the first appointment is booked, Forman makes sure his business model is a good fit for the client.

“We’ll go through our process and our timeline, and then the last piece is the investment range,” Forman said. “Our suits start at $2,550. Our sport coats start at $2,250. Trousers at $775 and shirting starts at $375. That’s the bulk of what we do. And so we’ll lay that out there and say, ‘This is our investment range.’ This is what the average client is spending with us in each one of those categories or on a wardrobe.”

That is Tailored Society’s entry level, and Forman himself wears his company’s entry-level suits.

“We also do other things, too, and so it’s up to the client to decide what their budget is,” Forman said. “But lay that out there. And then if they think that makes sense for them and they’re ready to move forward with a garment or a purchase, that’s when we go ahead and schedule our in-person appointment.”

Tailored Society’s studio runs by appointment only.

“The client comes in and the door is locked,” Forman said. “If they’d like a bourbon, a cocktail, or a wine, then they can have a drink. We’ll get to know each other again and dive deeper into their lifestyle. Who are they in front of? What’s their previous clothing history? Just understanding as much as we can about that person. And then we’ll start taking a look at fabrics and go through the process and pick out whatever garment we’re doing.”

Everything starts with a phone call.

“Whether you’re referred to us or find us online, usually it’s a 15, 20 minute conversation,” Forman said. “What do you do? Who are you in front of? What’s your lifestyle? What do I think would make sense for them from a fabric perspective and understanding who they are, and what they do. Then it’s about what they feel their need is. I try to understand what they are looking for and who they are.”

Forman told The Reporter he is proud of the fact that he gets to work with people right here in Hamilton County, as well as clients from across the globe.

“The scope of what we do is huge,” Forman said. “We can work with the gentleman right out of school all the way up to any amount of wealth. Yes, it’s cool and fun to talk about all the really costly and special projects we do, but at the end of the day, we still love working with our local guys that come in and just need a couple pieces. We can work with everyone. It doesn’t just have to be someone at a certain level.”

Forman’s story is a hometown one: a world-class experience, growing a national and international clientele, but with plenty of options for the local men and women or reasonable income, operating right here in own county.

Learn more online at tailoredsociety.style or on Facebook at tinyurl.com/TailoredSocietyFB.

You can contact Forman to discuss booking an appointment on the website, via email at wjf@tailoredsociety.style, or by calling (812) 343-7841.