Built on a Simple Idea

A great suit should fit well, look sharp, and not require a second mortgage.

The Problem

Marcus Chen spent twelve years as a pattern cutter for two of New York's biggest menswear labels. He knew exactly what went into a good suit, and he knew the markup was absurd. A jacket that cost $120 to manufacture was selling for $1,200. The fabric was mediocre. The fit was generous in all the wrong places.

Off-the-rack suits at accessible price points were worse. Fused construction that bubbled after dry cleaning. Polyester blends that looked decent on the hanger and terrible on a human. Sizing that assumed every man was either a rectangle or a much larger rectangle.

Marcus wanted to build something in between: genuinely well-made suits with proper construction, Italian fabrics, and a modern slim cut — at a price that didn't require justification.

Suit fabric swatches in navy, charcoal, and grey wool

The Solution

Slim Suits launched in 2019 with three suits: navy, charcoal, and mid-grey. All half-canvas construction. All Super 110s Italian wool from a mill in Biella that Marcus had been working with for years. All priced at $395.

The approach was deliberately simple. No seasonal collections, no trend-chasing, no fashion shows. Just well-made suits in timeless colours and cuts, sold directly and priced honestly. The margin covers materials, manufacturing, a small team, and a warehouse in Brooklyn. That's it.

Word spread quickly. GQ included the Greenwich Navy in their "Best Affordable Suits" roundup in late 2019. By 2020, the range had expanded to twelve styles across three fits. Today, we offer over 30 suits and separates in 14 size configurations.

Tailor measuring a suit jacket for precise fit adjustments

How We Build a Suit

Every Slim Suits jacket uses half-canvas construction. That means the chest piece — the internal structure that gives a jacket its shape — is made from horsehair canvas and hand-stitched to the fabric. It moulds to your body over time, which is why a canvassed suit looks better the more you wear it.

The trousers are cut with a medium rise that sits at the natural waist, not the hip. The leg tapers from a clean thigh to a narrow opening that works with everything from dress shoes to clean trainers.

Every suit ships with generous seam allowances — typically 1.5 inches at the waist and 2 inches at the trouser hem — so your tailor has room to adjust. We also partner with a network of 40+ tailors across the US and UK who offer complimentary basic alterations with any Slim Suits purchase.

The Team

Slim Suits is a team of eight, based in Brooklyn. Marcus handles design and fabric sourcing. David Kwon runs operations and inventory. Sarah Holt leads customer experience. The rest of the team handles everything from fulfillment to photography to making sure the website doesn't break.

We don't have a retail store. We tried a pop-up in SoHo in 2021, which confirmed that our customers prefer to shop online, check the fit guide, and visit a local tailor. So that's the model we've kept.

Ready to Find Your Suit?

Browse the full range — navy, charcoal, grey, black, and seasonal styles.

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