These Four Bespoke Brands Are Doing Tailoring Differently

The word bespoke can be intimidating. To think of getting clothes custom-made, and you likely imagine a ceremonial Savile Row-style experience with loads of measurements, fittings—and staggering prices. But made-to-measure fashion doesn’t have to be so formal and serious. In fact, there’s a new crop of bespoke brands that are reinventing the art of tailoring altogether.

From custom leather jackets to bespoke suits and perfectly-pleated trousers, a younger generation of labels is infusing fun and personality into their customizable services. Sure, they will all fit you to perfection—but these buzzy brands are less about lavishness, and more about ensuring every piece of your wardrobe feels authentic to you and your personal style. (And not just for special occasions, either.)

Take Esque/By founder Jennifer Lee, whose bespoke brand takes a 360-degree approach to creating custom garments (whether casual or formal)—from pulling ideas from mood boards to sketches, to final fittings. Her aim is to make people feel seen. “After my mother underwent breast cancer surgery, I saw how difficult it was to find clothing that accommodated her changing body while still making her feel like herself,” says Lee. “It reinforced a belief that continues to guide everything we do: clothing should adapt to people, not ask people to adapt to clothing.”

Other brands, like By The Namesake or Amber Doyle, are taking a more rock-and-roll approach to bespoke tailoring—fine-tuning edgy suits or leather jackets for their cool, non-traditional clientele. “The clothing I create doesn’t live in one category,” says Doyle, who has dressed musicians such as Des Rocs. “It’s not traditional. It’s not trend-driven. It’s an elegant collision of all the knowledge and skills I’ve spent my life learning in the menswear space.” Speaking of the menswear space, Stoffa is creating quietly luxurious wardrobe staples that take a fabric-first approach. Want a groovy, 1970s-style polo in the finest cashmere? They’ve got you covered.

Consider these bespoke brands, then, the cool new crop of innovators you should have on speed-dial for your next custom-made piece. Read on to hear how they’re all taking the traditional world of tailoring to new places.

By The Namesake

Founded by: Rosa Halpern, in 2019. 
Based in: Toronto, Canada.
Signature services: Custom leather jackets, pants, and select ready-to-wear.
What sets it apart: At By The Namesake, customers aren’t simply choosing a jacket—they’re invited into the design process. They can customize everything from the leather, hardware, and lining to the silhouette, details, and fit, all to create something that feels entirely their own.
Favorite looks designed thus far: “Our adjustable blazer is one of the pieces I’m most proud of. It can transform from a short jacket to a midi or long jacket, and the removable panels can also be worn as a mini skirt or a long skirt. It captures so much of what By The Namesake is about: versatility, individuality, thoughtful design, and giving the wearer the freedom to make a piece their own. There’s a real sense of play and magic to it.”
Best part of the job: “I love seeing what people dream up. Our clients constantly inspire us, and some of our most innovative design features, including removable fringe, have come directly from customer requests. But the most meaningful part is watching someone who has never had a jacket fit them properly put theirs on for the first time. You can see their posture change and their confidence shift. Being able to make someone feel truly seen, celebrated, and powerful in their clothing is incredibly special.”

Amber Doyle

Founded by: Amber Doyle, in 2016.
Based in: Downtown New York City
Signature services: Custom suits, stage wear, and leather garments for men and women.
What sets it apart: “Every piece I create is rooted in history and reimagined through my own lens into something entirely new. The clothing I create doesn’t live in one category: It’s not bespoke. It’s not couture. It’s not traditional. It’s not trend-driven. It’s an elegant collision of all the knowledge and skills I’ve spent my life learning—from tailoring and leatherwork to hand-beading, embroidery, draping, and sculpting fabric. A client once called me ‘the Queen of Divine Chaos,’ and I think that’s exactly where my clothing exists—on the stage of Divine Chaos.”
Favorite looks designed thus far: “A recent creation was inspired by the opulent military uniforms of Napoleon’s Hussars, specifically his Third Regiment, and reimagined as a fitted skirt suit. Created on a base of silk and wool, the suit is adorned with rows of decorative cords, braiding, buttons, layers of vintage trims, and finished with mink fur at the hems. I loved creating the recent leather suits for musician Des Rocs, which reference traditional leather racing suits reimagined for the stage. A recent blue-and-silver glitter leather suit also features a twisted, articulated spine across the back of the jacket—inspired by my client’s scoliosis X-rays. It was so much fun diving into my anatomy books to create an accurate spine while giving it a more alien, otherworldly feel.”
Best part of the job: “Dreaming up something they’ve never seen before and bringing it to life. I love the creative process and the power clothing has to transform someone, not just visually, but emotionally.”

Esque/By

Founded by: Jennifer (JJ) Lee, in 2025.
Based in: New York’s garment district. “It’s one of the last places in America where pattern makers, sample makers, tailors, fabric suppliers, trim houses, embroiderers, and specialty makers still work side by side. That proximity makes true collaboration possible.”
Signature services: “We are a bespoke tailoring studio reimagining what bespoke tailoring can be today. Clients work alongside expert tailors, pattern makers, sewists, and stylists from the first sketch to the final fitting. Beyond bespoke tailoring, ESQUE/BY offers classes in patternmaking, draping, sewing, tailoring, and fashion design for all experience levels.”
What sets it apart: “While bespoke tailoring is often associated with menswear, alterations, or bridal, we see it as a collaborative design process where clothing is designed around the individual—not the other way around.”
Favorite looks designed thus far: “The projects that stay with me most aren’t defined by a silhouette—they’re defined by the problems they solve. One client came to us after a life-changing surgery when traditional garment closures no longer worked comfortably for her body. Rather than asking her to compromise her style, we redesigned the garment around her, preserving both her confidence and her aesthetic. Another client came to us with an idea for her first gallery opening: Together, we transformed that vision into a garment she could wear for one of the biggest milestones of her career. Inspired by the collaborative process, she later returned to learn how to sew.”
Best part of the job: “The final fitting. There’s a moment when someone stops looking at the garment and simply sees themselves. They stand a little taller. They smile differently. It’s not just because the garment fits, it’s because they helped create it. To me, that’s the magic of bespoke: The garment isn’t just made for you, it’s made with you.”

Stoffa

Founded by: Agyesh Madan and Nicholas Ragosta, in 2014.
Based in: New York, NY.
Signature services: “Our made-to-measure service applies across all product categories—everything can be customized. We want our customers to think about buying a smaller but better wardrobe—investing in pieces that last longer.”
What sets it apart: “The idea of our made-to-measure service was to re-center the focus on fabric. We develop 90 percent of our fabrics. We have a clear visual point-of-view for how to put things together—color palette, proportions—and how to stay in conversation with the zeitgeist, but we’re never trying to present a fixed idea of how things should be. There’s no idea of correct or perfect in our world—the ideas are about what feels good now, for you.”
Favorite looks designed thus far: “It’s always very meaningful to dress clients for a special event, like weddings. We recently had a writer client who, in the process of writing a biography, chose to make a look that felt in spirit with that book. People will also bring their older clothes that they made with us to think about how to evolve the fit further.”
Best part of the job: “We’ve seen clients over 10 years, where we’ve seen them go through different stages in their life—becoming fathers or grandfathers. Having that space and that dialogue makes us unique. We’ve told some of our clients, ‘You probably see us more than you see your doctor.’’