Before nudging your groom toward the often-stressful process of selecting a tux, walk a mile in his shoes. “I hate shopping,” says Alton Lane co-founder Colin Hunter. “It’s not a very masculine experience; and there’s a lot of pressure and headache.” Co-founder Peyton Jenkins agrees: “It’s off-putting because it’s either too pushy or too closed off.”

The masterminds behind the fresh bespoke suiting and tuxedo line Alton Lane were stumped when their first promotions in the finance world prompted them to upgrade their wardrobes. “I wanted to do my first custom shirt,” Jenkins says. “I just felt so inappropriate being [in the atelier]. I didn’t feel the part, and guys our age (for the record, they’re 28 and 29, respectively) and 20 years older have that sentiment.”

Stitched to Perfection 

Spotting a hole in the market for luxury custom-tailored suits in an approachable, guy-friendly atmosphere, Hunter and Jenkins broke down the bespoke process piece by piece and streamlined it before ditching Wall Street and launching Alton Lane in 2010. “We took apart the industry from how the fabric gets to the manufacturer to how it’s distributed to us, and we rebuilt it the way that made it most efficient,” Jenkins says. “If you order a tux, 4 meters of fabric ships to us from Paris and in three to four weeks we send a tuxedo directly to you.” By producing on a small custom scale and working exclusively based on private appointments and custom online sales, prices are surprisingly low: starting at $485 for a two-piece suit, $505 for a tuxedo and topping out at $1,500, depending on the cost of fabric.

A Guy’s-Guy Clientele 

Instead of subjecting clients to intimidating sales teams and invasive measurements, the pair invested in a full-body scanner and aimed to make their showroom a gentleman’s paradise of high-end liquors, weekend sporting events and ultra-luxury suiting, all tailored specifically to their guy’s-guy clientele.

The process is so simple that it’s shocking nobody thought of it first. “You book an appointment,” Hunter explains, “and we shut off the showroom for you. You tell us what your favorite liquor or alcohol is, then we pick out a fabric and get you in the body scanner, which makes a 3-D avatar so we can take 400 measurements.” It gets better: On the weekends they even play college football games or serve microbrews in the showroom. “We’ve had guys pull up in a limo with their entire bachelor party on the way to Atlantic City, and they’re having the best time and high-fiving. You’d never guess they were shopping for clothes, but the experience is just that approachable,” Hunter says.

Personalized Details

Though the high tech process is cool, Jenkins insists grooms have the most fun picking out the details. “My wife’s [wedding] colors were navy and pink, so I did pink on the inside of the cuffs and a pink hand stitching, and then on the jacket sleeve the last button hole was pink,” he says. “Cool little things make [a suit] distinctly your own, and even really conservative guys want to do something very customized for their wedding day.”