Why I Make Bespoke Custom Suits.

The Day I Fell in Love with Tailoring (and Why I Still Believe in Bespoke)

I still remember the first time I saw — and actually felt — what a truly great tailored suit was supposed to be. I was in junior in high school, wandering through a secondhand boutique in Whittier, California called Best for Less (which, by the way, lived up to exactly one half of its name).

That’s where I found it — a used Ermenegildo Zegna Super 100’s navy pinstripe suit.

Growing up in Hacienda Heights, Zegna wasn’t exactly something you saw at the local mall. The nicest thing you could find back then was Ralph Lauren at The Broadway department store — and even that felt like luxury. I’d only ever read about Zegna suits in magazines. But suddenly, here it was — a real one, right in front of me.

I still remember touching the fabric — it was soft, supple, and somehow alive. The construction was substantial; back then Zegna favored heavily canvassed and padded suits. It wasn’t my size (not even close), but of course I tried it on anyway. It felt… different. It felt amazing.

Looking back, that was the moment I fell in love with great tailoring — the moment I realized that a well-made suit could make you feel like the best version of yourself.

When I started The Cutting Room, I wanted to recreate that same feeling — that moment of transformation — for other people.

The most important goal was simple: to bring back the true spirit of bespoke tailoring. Not “custom” in the modern marketing sense. I mean real bespoke — hand-cut, hand-shaped, and made with purpose.

During my apprenticeship, my master tailor used to tell stories that stuck with me. One, in particular, I’ll never forget.

He told us about one of his first clients — a young man graduating university. As a gift, the man’s father bought him his first bespoke suit. It was the one he wore to his first job interview. Then on his first day of work. Years later, he wore a black tuxedo to his wedding, a blue suit for his son’s baptism, a glen plaid the day he made partner, and a white dinner jacket to walk his daughter down the aisle.

One tailor. One lifetime. A wardrobe that told his story.

That story changed how I saw my craft.

The Problem With “Custom” Today

These days, you can buy a “custom suit” anywhere — online, in a mall, through some MLM sales rep who’s basically the Tupperware lady of tailoring. “Host a party, sell some suits.”

But what’s rare now is craftsmanship — the passion, patience, and precision it takes to make something truly personal. Real bespoke tailoring isn’t about a quick transaction; it’s about a relationship between cutter and client.

The Cutting Room Difference

For me, bespoke tailoring is personal. The suits I create aren’t just garments — they’re chapters in someone’s life story. Whether it’s your first custom suit or your fiftieth, each piece should carry meaning.

Maybe it’s the suit you wear to your wedding, your first big pitch, or that long-awaited promotion. My job — my privilege — is to make sure every one of those moments feels as good as it looks.

At The Cutting Room, we don’t just make suits.
We make stories you can wear.