STANTT ADDS RTW TO CUSTOM OFFERINGS

Since 2015, Stantt has been known for its unique approach to custom shirts, trousers, and more recently sportscoats. But when the pandemic hit, the company started receiving a wide range of requests for RTW items. “Before we knew it, we were selling as many ready-to-wear inventory units as custom each month,” notes Katie McCarthy, Stantt’s Senior National Sales Director and minority owner, who adds that in just over two years, Stantt has sold ready-to-wear shirts and tailored clothing to more than 100 retailers and national brands.

“What makes Stantt’s ready-to-wear offering special,” she explains, “is that retailers can design their products from the ground up with no limitations on sizing, modeling, or trims. We offer volume discounts, no minimums, and ship orders in two to three weeks. Our best stores have generated selling synergies with our custom programs, thereby maximizing customer purchasing.”

Says Michael Engel of The Foursome in Plymouth MN, “Over the past couple of years, we’ve been able to grow a nice in-stock shirt program with Stantt. The performance fabric has done exceedingly well: it works with a sportcoat but has a better collar than most performance shirts.  It’s also allowed us to create programs in Big & Tall sizes, usually less available in the market.”

According to Jim Penn of Puritan Cape Cod in Hyannis, MA, “Stantt has been an important part of our business since 2017. They’ve helped build our private label with great product and attention to detailing (labels, buttons, linings, hang tags). Currently, our Stantt business is 65% private label vs 35% custom.”

Brian Cohen of Harpers in State College, PA. is building his collegiate licensed apparel business with Stantt. “In the world of collegiate licensed apparel, most vendors offer only a few basic wovens. Working with Stantt and their broad selection of fabrics has allowed us to go beyond the basics. The licensing approval process is challenging: getting Penn State to approve something as complex as multiple fabric and logo options is a testament to the dedication and skill of Kirk and his team.”

Fred Derring of the DLS group believes that “Stantt has become a disrupter, first by creating custom options in multiple categories and now by including off-the-rack options that retailers can design to their specifications. Changing the buttons, thread, linings, hangtags, pockets, all add to a store’s unique image. Personalization plus margin is a winning combination!”

“The investment we made in custom is why we’re able to approach RTW in such an innovative way,” explains Stantt co-CEO and co-Founder Kirk Keel. “The same tech stack and supply chain integrations we built to produce our custom offerings with industry-leading speed, accuracy, and quality are used to produce our RTW.  While there’s more competition in RTW, we believe our custom-centric approach allows us to create immediate differentiation. Our customers can build private label programs specific to their store’s DNA without having to tie up cash in large inventory runs 6-12 months in advance. Generally speaking, our RTW collection allows customers to generate more margin dollars vs custom since we offer significant volume discounts and retail pricing flexibility.”

Given their record first quarter, Keel projects growth for both businesses, moving toward a 50/50 split.