Dive Brief:

• Men’s Wearhouse founder and ex-CEO George Zimmer has launched an on-demand, app-driven service called “zTailors.”

• Through the service, tailors make house or office calls. Prices for services are set by the company, and zTailors takes a 35% commission.

• The service is up and running in several cities and has already signed up 600 tailors. The company aims to expand to all 50 states, with more than 1,000 tailors at the ready.

Dive Insight:

The ousting of George Zimmer from Men’s Wearhouse a few years ago was a bit of an ugly drama. Zimmer was a pioneer in retailing "cheap suits" that looked good; more accurately, he brought a decent suit in to a lower, more accessible price point.

But the man whose sonorous voice once assured the retailer’s customers, “You’re going to like the way you look, I guarantee it,” has apparently moved on. With zTailors, Zimmer also apparently remains concerned that his potential customers “like the way they look.” 

And he looks to have ventured into an area of the on-demand economy that has been largely untapped, at a moment when men are increasingly concerned with how their clothes fit (although the service is not just for men). At the right price point, the service could bring alterations to a new generation and could boost younger consumers’ propensity to shop for used clothing and recycle what they have. zTailors also seems like a natural partner for e-commerce apparel retailers, which often find that concerns over fit can discourage purchase.