PRO SPOTLIGHT

from WeddingDay Magazine - Chicago Fall/Winter 2022 Issue

COVER SHOOT

Jeanne Foley SUITSHOP Diana Ganz

The process of suit shopping should be just as fun and easy as dress shopping! And suits are no longer just limited to grooms and their groomsmen. More and more brides are opting for a bridal suit to feel more like themselves. Because whether you are man, woman or nonbinary, you deserve to feel as gorgeous and comfortable as possible on your wedding day!

The main goal at SuitShop is to continue growing and changing to offer affordable suits that fit every body, no matter the gender identification. They believe that comfort makes a person more confident, therefore they have suits that are easy to fit to your body. Keep reading to hear from co-founders Jeanne Foley and Diana Ganz to learn more about their beliefs and all that SuitShop offers.

WD: What inspired your business? What keeps you motivated? SS: "SuitShop is inspired by a drive toward smarter suiting. The idea was born out of co-founder Jeanne’s experience suiting up her own wedding group. Her wedding party went the traditional suit rental route, but she was left disappointed by the lacking quality, poor fit and high price point. SuitShop makes the process affordable, simple and reliable with suits and tuxedos to keep—for everyone. As we’ve grown in this space, it’s become clear that the industry historically neglects body and especially gender diversity. We continuously work to bridge that gap and offer inclusive suiting for all. That ambition for accessibility and inclusivity keeps us going." Tell us about your experience/skills. "A power duo, co-founders Jeanne and Diana bring business, creativity, and innovation. Jeanne has a background in technical fashion design with experience at respected brands like Abercrombie and Under Armour, and Diana is a graduate of MIT’s Sloan School of Business with experience in finance and business development as a senior-level executive. Together, their skills (and 30+ years of friendship) give SuitShop the foundation to continue growing onward and upward." What do you wish to accomplish with your customers? What can a bride or groom expect when shopping with you? "Every single person who comes to us should feel special and discover an unexpected level of ease in getting dressed up. Plus, we work to get everyone suited in a way that honors their identity. Marriers and wedding parties suiting up with us get all our support and walk away with one less thing to worry about. We focus on making the process leading up to their day simple and even fun. Our interactions with our customers are the backbone of our business and the best parts of our day, so clear, helpful communication is at our core. Customers are always blown away by how easy it is to contact us about their orders, process an exchange, get questions answered and more."

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WD: Give us an overview of your services. What makes your business unique? SS: "We do it all, and we do it for keeps. Most suiting options at our price point are to rent, not to own. Our business model is designed to give our customers and couples a smarter solution—for a similar price (starting under $200), you get a great-fitting suit to keep. The rest of our services center around nailing that comfortable, like-custom fit and equally comfortable experience. Between virtual consultations, in-person showroom appointments, award-winning customer service (hello to real, caring people answering your calls and emails), 7-day free at-home trial, a databacked online Fit Finder and the widest off-therack size range of its kind, we’ve got everyone covered. Our thousands of five-star reviews speak for themselves. All of this, paired with our wedding management dashboard, makes suit shopping for the entire party (no matter where everyone’s located) one of the easiest tasks on the wedding planning to-do list."

WD: Tell us about your favorite part of your job. What keeps it fun for you? SS: "Because of our unparalleled size range, including multiple cuts and lengths to best suit all bodies, we get to witness people light up finding their suit every day. That is, finding a fit and style so true to them that many customers have never experienced or even let themselves expect. Then, months later, the wedding album comes in—we cry every time! We have the honor of being a small part of such special days, and getting to see photo after photo of genuine love is an incredible feeling."

"IT’S A HUGE ACCOMPLISHMENT TO HAVE SUITED THOUSANDS OF WEDDINGS, REPRESENTING ALL KINDS OF PEOPLE AND ALL TYPES OF LOVE."

When should a bride or groom begin their suit buying process? "It never hurts to start early! Around the 6 months out mark is a great time to consider your wedding day colors and overall look. Around 5 to 6 months ahead of the big day is the perfect time to get the look finalized and set up the wedding group in our system. This will help everyone stay clear on your wedding look and also help us make sure we’re ready to support upcoming weddings. We’ll take care of sending out helpful, appropriately-timed reminders to make sure everyone in the group places their orders around 3 months to 6 weeks ahead of the wedding. While we’ll actually get orders to your door within about 10 days, it’s a good idea to get the suit ahead of time to ensure it fits. This timeframe leaves plenty of time for any potential exchanges (free and super simple with us!) and alterations." What’s the most common question you get from couples? "Typically, questions surround sizing and shipping. Unlike most of our competition, we don’t need someone’s exact measurements, which can be confusing. Our solution to the perfect fit is our data-backed Fit Finder that uses basic information like age, height, weight and shoe size to determine a person’s recommended SuitShop-specific sizes (cross-referencing thousands of data points). Stylists are always happy to talk through any questions, and we’re happy to process free exchanges if there’s anything that isn’t spot-on. Since most of our competition either takes 6+ weeks to ship or, with rentals, ships only two weeks before the wedding, we’re commonly asked about our shipping timelines. Once a couple (or anyone) places their order with us, we ship to your door within about 10 business days (as long as the product is in stock)!"

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WD: Take a moment to brag about something you’re proud of. SS: "We’re so proud to be able to suit men, women, children and non-binary folks. It’s a huge accomplishment to have suited thousands of weddings, representing all kinds of people and all types of love."

WD: How do you calm the nerves of anxious customers? SS: "Customers assume the process is more complex and difficult than it is. When they realize that they don’t have to get measured, won’t need to wait until just before their big day to have their suit shipped, and that we’re here to make sure everything is exactly how they want it, anxious nerves tend to melt away. Simply being there to truly listen and talk through a solution to any question or time crunch that comes up works wonders in easing nerves." What are your future goals? How do you see SuitShop growing? "Bringing SuitShop to more people! Expanding showrooms, helping more shoppers find the best way to get a well-fitted suit—and owning it—and doing it all from the comfort of their own home is on the horizon. We also hope to continue growing and expanding deeper into other industries beyond weddings. While it’s great to own a suit for your big day, there are so many other fun ways to wear a great suit, and we want to be there for those moments, too. As we head into the biggest wedding season ever, we are expecting more growth through the end of 2022 and into 2023. One of our biggest growth drivers is word of mouth, so the more weddings we suit up now, the more we can expect to grow later!"

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The Blue Teal is designed to make your special day amazing! Featuring indoor and outdoor ceremony sites, bridal suite, flexible event spaces and a giant natural stone fireplace.