Whether you’re shopping in person or online, these LGBTQ+ brands make the suit-buying experience affirming, inclusive, and stress-free.
There’s nothing sexier than a well-tailored suit. Especially on your wedding day, a custom suit, specifically crafted to fit your body and match your style, can boost your confidence and comfort in a way nothing else can.
Unfortunately, suits and tuxedos are another area where gender norms have dominated for far too long. Thankfully, the landscape is changing and a new generation of designers, tailors, and companies are creating beautiful garments for women, trans individuals, and nonbinary customers.
Taking the plunge on investing in a custom suit is overwhelming, and it’s hard to know where to begin, especially if this is your first custom experience. It’s important to find the right partner in creating your perfect garment, which we know can be a scary prospect.
“We totally understand how intimidating it can be to walk into a suit shop for the first time. I mean, it's hard not to be intimidated when you walk into any other shop and are inundated with aggressively binary, homogenous, and/or pretentious marketing,” says Baili Watson, a consultant with Duchess Clothier. “Many of these other shops thrive off of exclusionary practices, so I encourage prospective clients to be discerning when choosing a tailor. If you feel unsafe or uncomfortable, don't go there, no matter how ‘established' they may be or how much better the price may be.”
It's also good to think ahead of time of what your personal style is. If you’re not sure, or don’t know where to begin, your designer can help you narrow things down, but it’s also good to think about what you want, or what looks catch your eye online.
“The most important thing, by far, is that you feel like yourself in your wedding suit. Maybe a super primped version of yourself, but still yourself,” says designer Emily Meyer who creates bespoke suiting for clients around the country. Meyer knows the most critical aspect of collaborating with a designer is finding a professional who helps you identify your unique taste and reflect that in the clothes they make. “Resist wearing what someone else thinks you should wear, what makes someone else feel comfortable, or trying to copy something someone else wore. Your wedding day is about you and the person you're marrying, and they love you for who you already are – so let yourself shine through!”
We rounded up 10 of our favorite custom and ready-to-wear options for wedding suits, each dedicated to creating a welcoming experience for clients of all genders and identities.
Custom Made Suits and Tuxedos
San Diego-based designer Emily Meyer crafts stunning suits by combining her aesthetic with her client’s personal style and needs. Her garments are perfect for someone who wants a distinctive look, while still creating something unique to themselves. Emily meets with clients in her San Diego studio, but also schedules consultations quarterly in New York and San Francisco. Emily pays special attention to making sure each client is comfortable, and helps everyone narrow down exactly what they are looking for without getting overwhelmed. “If you're lost in a sea of choices, slow down and ask ‘how do I want to feel on my wedding day?’” she advises. “Maybe it's elegant, maybe it's fabulous, maybe it's comfortable. Doing this will at least arm you with an adjective to serve as your guiding light in making a pin board of inspiration images that you like.”
Sharpe Suiting combines new technology with classic tailoring to make custom suits, individually designed for every unique body. Sharpe Suiting has developed AI technology to build a 3D silhouette of each client, allowing designers to create a garment that fits perfectly. Sharpe Suiting team members take in-person meetings in Denver, Chicago, and Los Angeles, but their technology also allows them to build custom suits virtually for customers all over the country. Sharpe takes its commitment to serving the LGBTQIA community seriously, representing its diversity in its staff and models, and working with clients to craft garments designed specifically to fit and flatter every person.
Parson’s School of Design graduate Shao Yang had been making a name for herself in men’s fashion for years, but grew frustrated as she couldn’t find menswear inspired looks for herself. And so, in 2013 The Tailory New York was born. While Yang’s designs stun on the runways of New York Fashion Week, she created the Tailory to bring bespoke designs and meticulous craftsmanship to private clients, especially members of the LGBTQIA+ community. The Taylory works with individuals to draw on their individual style and identity to create garments specific to who each person is, playing with or disregarding gendered norms. The Taylory’s classic looks are all beautiful, but we truly love the alternative wedding looks—everything from full skirts with suit coats, to corsets paired with masc tuxedos. And yes, virtual appointments and fittings are available, but their plush Manhattan studio for in-person consultations will have you feeling like a celeb!
“The concept of made-to-measure suiting is far from novel, but our particular approach focuses more on a fit/design that is gender-affirming and celebratory of each individual's unique tastes and preferences,” says Duchess Clothier Consultant Baili Watson. The staff at Duchess know how difficult it can be to find partners who honor you, your tastes, and your exact fit. The client’s needs and vision are at the center of their work, they even offer 30-minute appointments to meet and discuss what a partnership could look like for individuals who are not sure if they would like to move forward or not. “At Duchess, we believe that only the client has the authority to determine the ‘correctness’ of their suit, and we strive to design and tailor garments that reflect their most authentic self.”
Watson-Ellis Founder Melissa Watson Ellis has been working in the fashion industry since she was a teenager, designing sewing patterns for McCall, which gave her an early understanding of the construction components of design. She worked as a designer for 10 years before launching her own company, dedicated to creating stunning suits for all bodies. Clients who are not sure if they want to move forward can book a 30-minute consultation to learn more about the process and feel comfortable with their partnership. Next, comes a 2-3 hour consultation to create a vision and plan together. Clients then select from from a three-tiered package to find the best fit for their budget, taste, and timeline. Every garment, no matter the tier, is handmade by experts.
Indianapolis-based House of Bretón has a strong mission—to breakdown expectations and rigidity surrounding wedding suits and dresses, and to create a true haven for all people. According to owner Lí Breton’s value statement, “I named this business The House of Bretón in the tradition of all great fashion houses, but also for you. This is our house. And in our house, you’ll always be accepted. While so many wedding brands turn away queer, curvy, trans, non-binary, BIPOC, neurodivergent, and other people, we say, ‘welcome home.’” Not only does Lí create stunning custom suits and tuxedoes created to comfortably flatter everybody, they also create wedding gowns. We also love Lí's Heirloom Redesign services where he takes garments worm by a previous generation and will customize it to blend the heritage of the piece with your unique style.
The team at Bindle and Keep want their clients to have the best experience, without sacrificing any aspect fit or design, and in order to do that they take the time to truly understand their client, “To do our best work, we’ll need to get a good sense of your relationship to clothing in general, so expect a conversation about how some garments in your closet might make you feel more—or less—comfortable than others, and what you’re looking to replicate or avoid. We encourage you to bring photos, Pinterest boards or any inspirational imagery you feel will help communicate your vision.” Work begins with a questionnaire where clients are encouraged to be as detailed as possible. From there, the Bindle and Keep team will curate a selection of designs and fabrics that best fit budget and style in order to narrow down a design. While they prefer meeting with clients in their Brooklyn studio, clients are also able to meet virtually for consultations and fittings.
Ready-to-Wear Designs
If a custom-made suit is out of your comfort zone or budget, don’t miss shopping the amazing selection at Wildfang. The queer and woman-founded business not only serves fashion-forward takes on classic styles, they have given back over $1million to causes that matterlike the Trevor Project, and are certified as climate neutral. Their brick-and-mortar location is in Portland, Oregon but their website features an amazing selection of ready-to-wear looks that fight back against gender stereotypes. We love their entire selection, from this classic Essential Tux Blazer, to the beautiful and sexy Empower Satin 6-Way Corset.
Kirrin Finch is a staple in menswear-inspired clothing for all bodies, and offer elevated ready to wear designs and a stunning wedding collection. Founded by Brooklyn-based couple Laura Moffatt and Kelly Sanders Moffatt who were frustrated with trying to find masculine-inspired designs for female, trans, and nonbinary bodies. There’s so much to love about their collections, but we especially appreciate their attention to detail—like their dress shirts which feature nine buttons to eliminate gaps, and their fun and whimsical linings for their jackets and blazers. They also demystify the shopping process by separating their suits into four distinct, yet customizable styles. Shoppers are able to purchase blazers as a stand alone piece, or create a three-piece suit by adding in vests. They offer approachable ways to find unique and stunning looks, from their satin tuxedos, to this beautiful white linen.
The SuitShop’s goal is not only to simplify the process of finding the perfect suit for every body, but to make it a fun, inviting experience. This female-founded company offers affordable styles for men, women, and nonbinary clients at seven locations across the US. Their staff of stylists provide free consultations to get started, either virtually or in person, and welcome individuals, couples, and even the entire wedding party to pick out the perfect style, fit, color, and accessories. We love that The SuitShop takes the extra steps to make the experience comfortable based on individual preference. Their Fit Finder is a data-backed approach to finding the right sizing for someone looking for a hands-off approach to sizing, or clients can utilize streamlined sizing charts. They also break down what makes each of their four suit-types unique in their fit and cut, so clients can be sure to be comfortable in the style they chose.
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