Featured Startup Pitch: SHARPND – On demand tailoring, alterations, and custom clothing for men

COMPANY: SHARPND

ELEVATOR PITCH

An on-demand men’s tailoring service in New York.

PRODUCT/SERVICE DESCRIPTION

SHARPND combines the convenience of a professional fitter coming to your home, office, or hotel, taking your measurements and consulting with you about your wardrobe, reviewing your tailoring order, and delivering first-class alterations and made-to-measure clothing that’s back to you quickly. Nothing conveys more about you than what you are wearing. People notice the fit, cut, fabric and styling of your clothing and form their image of you. Well-dressed men shape their image by investing in their wardrobe because they understand the importance of what it means in their professional lives and personal relationships.

SHARPND Men’s Tailoring Services and SHARPND Made To Measure Collection combines first-class tailoring services with the convenience of mobile and web delivery to create your personal image on your terms in New York City.

DIFFERENTIATORS VS. THE COMPETITION

zTailors is our only competitor that sends a tailor to you, looks at your repairs or alteration needs and then takes them. It’s an ‘Uber-like’ business model that takes a percentage from the tailor and is not involved in the overall customer experience.

SHARPND has spent the past year hand-picking an incredibly talented team of wardrobe fitters (not tailors) that visit the customer—a talented individual that is well-versed in imagery consulting and men’s tailoring needs and pays attention to the individual goals of men, focusing on shaping their very own image that works for them.

Our fitters and tailors are required to have years of professional tailoring and imagery experience. Each qualified applicant is deeply background checked and goes through a rigorous character assessment and image consultancy training with our senior creative team led by Gerald Tuchman, SHARPND’s principal and director, business strategy and development. SHARPND’s senior team and board is comprised of men’s tailoring and fashion professionals who have had outstanding careers in their respective fields and have managed, trained and mentored hundreds of successful industry people.

FOUNDERS’ STORY

SHARPND was conceived of by founder and CEO Paul Herron, a serial startup executive in New York who came up with the idea when he had his fitter consultant come to his office at Livefyre, a successful startup in New York City. “Every time I had my measurements taken or picked a new fabric for a custom shirt, it was a personal experience on my time which helped shape my image. With the speed of life in New York, I constantly thought about how all men could also benefit from a service this exclusive.”

SHARPND’s principal and director, business strategy and development is Gerald Tuchman. “I’ve worked in custom menswear for years in various capacities and one of the biggest value-adds of professionally-fitted alterations and made-to-measure clothing is the client’s ability to specify the perfect fit for himself. Custom menswear is still a niche market and many men are unfamiliar with the process and uncomfortable waiting for the end result, so they opt for ready-to-wear.”

Tuchman owns a custom clothing boutique in New York—Addison Atelier—whose most notable clients include Lebron James, Kris Humphries, James Franco, Blake Griffin, Chad Coleman, Kristen Taekman, and Chris Paul.

BUSINESS MODEL

For on-demand tailoring: Complimentary fitting, complimentary pickup and delivery, minimum $50 worth of tailoring; $59 24-hour turnaround. For our Wardrobe Consultation: 60 minute-wardrobe consultation with a SHARPND stylist to evaluate your current style and existing wardrobe, $20 tailoring credit; entire Made To Measure line, shirts starting at $155, suits starting at $895.