Today’s guest on the Mitlin Money Mindset™ is Chris Cartisano, founder of Christopher Allen Clothiers. Chris has over 20 years of experience in the custom clothing business and has built a company on his knowledge, integrity, and attention to detail. Christopher Allen Clothiers provides men’s custom apparel and wardrobe management services to their distinguished, busy, and successful clientele. His clients include CEOs, attorneys, sports figures, business owners, and those that just want to look and feel good. Chris and his company provide the highest level of customer service and are always ready to meet their client’s needs when and where it’s best for them. Chris has been helping me with and creating my wardrobe for years and is responsible for almost all of my business and formal attire, always making me look good. After you hear this conversation, I hope you’ll consider him too.
You will want to hear this episode if you are interested in…
- Chris’ path to creating Christopher Allen Clothiers [2:32]
- How has the custom clothing industry changed over the years [6:34]
- Changes Chris has seen in fashion and style [8:54]
- Stepping into women’s clothing [11:14]
- Types of attire that Chris handles for clients [12:21]
- Other benefits from wearing custom clothes [14:20]
- Benefits of using Chris’ services as opposed to shopping for clothes [19:36]
- What are wardrobe management services? [22:43]
- What should people expect to pay, a range, for custom clothing? [24:26]
- What Chris did today that put him in the right mindset for success? [29:19]
Chris’ road from college to clothing
Coming out of college Chris got a job in sales for a small company in the White Plains area. In those 5 years, he made great friends and got sales experience but knew it wasn’t what he wanted to do for the long haul. Chris didn’t just want a new job, a new career is what he was looking for. There was an ad in the New York Times that caught his eye, it didn’t say what the company did, it just said to fax your resume in and allow three weeks for a response, so he did and forgot all about it. He took another job, but this gentleman calls him up one Tuesday afternoon and says that he got Chris’s resume and tells Chris that he’s in the clothing business.
Chris didn’t understand exactly what the company did, but he and the guy hit it off and by 4:30 that same afternoon he was in the office for a formal interview. Chris learned that he’d be selling clothing door to door, so to speak, to men in the convenience of their office or their home. Chris thought… I don’t know much about clothing but I think I can do this. Fortunately for Chris, they had very comprehensive training and over the three-month program, he learned about measuring, fabrics, fitting people, plus all the sales stuff. He took that job at 28 years old and 26 years later here he is.
Branching out with women’s and casual wear
The majority of Chris’ customers are men, but they do make women’s clothing. It’s a new area they are branching out into and they’re still perfecting it. Chris and his wife test everything before they sell it and if they’re going to make a woman’s suit, they want it to be right. It’s not part of the regular mix yet but Chris says they’re getting closer and closer.
Over the years Chris has sold just about everything that you could wear in an office setting from head to toe. From traditional items like suits, shirts, cufflinks, ties, pocket squares, socks, tuxedos, sport jackets, dress pants, khaki pants, and shoes to overcoats and raincoats. They are now bringing sweaters and that kind of thing into their product mix. They’ve just ordered a bunch of ready-made jeans and custom jeans are in the blue pencil stage. Chris says they have the raw denim and the patterns, they’re just fine-tuning it.
Chris has always wanted to focus and keep his business tight, not offering too many products. He wanted to specialize in the ones that he was really good at but in today’s world, he’s been forced to look in other directions and pivot to offer things to his customers that are appropriate for where we are in this “everything from home” society.
Benefits stretching beyond just a perfect fit
Chris doesn’t think there’s any question that when you get dressed in the morning and your clothes fit properly you feel better and that hopefully translates to confidence when you’re at your job, doing whatever it is that you might do. All he’s trying to do is be a little piece of the puzzle for you, making your life a little bit easier by providing this custom service on a custom timeframe, right to your doorstep, at your office or your home, at the time that works for you.
The benefits of custom clothing go beyond just an exact fit. Custom can be design and style as well. I have a personal story where Chris made a tux for me. Well, it’s like a quasi suit/tux with a vest with custom lining and the backing of the vest had AFSP, the American Foundation for Suicide Prevention and their logo—who I’m very involved with—and when I went to the gala, everybody’s like, wow, whoa, where’d you get that from? That’s the coolest tux I’ve ever seen and you just can’t get that out at the store. Chris’ team can create whatever you want from pleated pants to a buttoned-down collared shirt with a french cuff, neither of which you will find in a store.
Connect with Chris Cartisano
Christopher Allen Custom Clothiers was founded by Chris Cartisano to provide custom men’s apparel and wardrobe management services to distinguished clients in the New York Metropolitan area. He has over 20 years of experience in the custom clothing business and has built his company on his knowledge, integrity, and attention to detail.
Chris’ busy, successful clientele count on him to keep them looking their best. He relieves some stress from their lives and allows them to spend their spare time doing things they enjoy. His clients include CEOs, attorneys, sports figures, business owners, and others. Chris keeps his business growing by providing the highest level of customer service and meeting his clients’ needs when and where is best for them.
Guests on the Mitlin Money Mindset Show are not affiliated with CWM, LLC, and opinions expressed herein may not be representative of CWM, LLC. CWM, LLC is not responsible for the guest’s content linked on this site.
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