Since the launch of AskOkey’s MTM line, and our extension to it this month, commenters have begun questioning the difference between bespoke and MTM. Afterall, if they look the same, and are made of the same cloth, what’s the difference? Visually, not a lot. 90% of the people who see you will not see it. Only those with a real eye for these things, or experience of bespoke themselves, are likely to say “that has to be MTM. Great MTM, but definitely not bespoke”.
Akram in his MTM suit.
The differences are as follows: bespoke is made for you, from scratch. MTM is a suit already, adjusted for you. Of course, it is made in your choice of cloth, to your measurements – so it is your suit, but it is made on a standard block. Now with AskOkey doing the designing and tailoring, your MTM suit does look magnificent, but it is not bespoke.
A bespoke suit has the following features: your pattern is just that – your pattern.. Of course, it is similar to everyone else’s pattern in that it has two legs for the trousers, two arms for the jacket, a collar, shoulders and sleeves. And, it is similar in that if you ask for a single breasted jacket, it will bear some resemblance to other customers’ single breasted jackets. But it is yours, in the sense that every detail of your measurements is captured, as well as what you ask for – wider shoulders, slightly longer sleeves, and so forth.
Omar in his bespoke suit
Another difference is that bespoke gives you a trial garment, at least once, for you to try on to test whether we have captured your measurements and choices in the right way. You might work through two or three of these trial garments. Your MTM suit, while it looks super, and is unmistakeably AskOkey, goes straight from the pattern to the cutter and tailor, then straight to you. No trial garment, and no adjustments.
The result is that an MTM jacket will fit, but will not quite feel the same as a bespoke jacket. It will not sit perfectly on your shoulders, though it certainly will not bulge out, and the collar will fit properly. If you have worn a bespoke jacket, you will feel the difference, though 90% of those who see you will not notice the difference. Similarly, the arms of your MTM jacket might be a bit longer than you expected, and the waist might be a bit narrower. All this can be fixed. Take it to an alterations tailor or send it back to us, and we will adjust it. And of course for your next one, we will fix any little imperfections that you might have had on the first.
Should you choose bespoke or MTM? It’s up to you. If you want to impress your friends and enemies, MTM will do. If you want to impress yourself, it will do equally well. Once you are done impressing yourself and those around you, consider bespoke as the ultimate luxury (see the next post for what luxury actually means).