Founded in 2011 by twin brothers Kenny and Danny King, King Brother Clothiers epitomizes bespoke excellence in wedding attire and custom clothing in Minneapolis. Recognized as the top provider of custom suits in Minnesota, this premier clothier focuses on crafting perfectly fitted suits, sportcoats, shirts and tuxedos tailored to suit all body types and preferences. In an exclusive interview, the brothers sat down with us to share their journey, insights and philosophy behind their brand and bespoke offerings.
What inspired you to start King Brothers Clothiers?
As twins, we grew up with an inherent understanding that what we were wearing was a communication tool. It told people that Danny was wearing blue, and Kenny was wearing red. We have always understood clothing as an extension of our identities. When we founded our business in 2011, we were in our twenties and were passionate about clothing. We were the youngest people in attendance at our trade organization conferences, and stuck out like nearly-identical sore thumbs. We found our focus (bespoke suiting) early on, and never looked back. We love what we do, and are appreciative of everyone who books a fitting and walks through our doors. Our styles have certainly evolved over the years, but our passion for helping others take their image seriously and look and feel their best has remained paramount every step of the way!
What do you believe sets your business apart from other custom clothing providers?
Unapologetic luxury. What we’ve learned about our industry is that there are a lot of options out there for people who are looking for a relatively inexpensive custom suit. What our industry, and our region in particular, has fewer options of, is a true high-quality luxury product with the pricetag that goes along with that. There really isn’t much in the way of true high-end luxury retail offered here. That is what we offer our clients. All our fabrics are high-end name brand mills. We offer exclusively bespoke suits and tuxedos — we do not offer rentals, off-the-rack or any inferior custom process for a lower price point. We are appointment-only, which requires more intentionality to book a fitting, but ultimately guarantees you will be our sole focus during your fitting appointment. There is a great market out there for people who do really want to splurge on their wedding suit, or just prefer high end luxury goods. That is who we exist for.
What distinguishes the process of "bespoke" at King Brothers Clothiers from the commonly misunderstood "made-to-measure" approach employed by other clothiers in the industry?
The word “bespoke” is the key there. Bespoke does not just mean custom or made-to-measure. Bespoke is a process that begins with each individual client having their own unique paper pattern. Made-to-measure works off of a stock silhouette or block pattern. The word “bespoke” has lost its significance in our industry because most clothiers will use the word, but their process is made-to-measure. Ours is not. In fact, we are the only certified Master Bespoke Clothiers in the state. Bespoke has nothing to do with a chest piece, handmade buttonholes, or number of fittings required to achieve that perfect fit. It’s a process that is either being used or it’s not. For us, every client receives a truly bespoke garment.
How do cater to the diverse needs and preferences of your clientele?
Everyone does have a unique set of wants/needs that brings them to us; some people are passionate about the design element of our process, others just want clothes that fit their body, but want us to make all the decisions along the way. We’ve been doing this for well over a decade and are very good at determining what is important to each person. Sometimes people don’t even realize what is important to them until we are sitting together and helping them figure it out! But that’s part of our job. One misconception a lot of people have is that we expect them to come to us with a list of specifications and ideas to execute verbatim. We certainly can do that, but our true preference is for someone to come to us with a trusting attitude, and an open mind to help us achieve exactly what they want for them. We love when clients trust us to do what we are great at.
How do you ensure that your custom clothing caters to all body types and the diverse preferences of your clients?
This is one of the benefits of working with a bespoke clothier rather than buying something off-the-rack or using a made-to-measure custom process. Since everything is bespoke and cut to an individual’s specific body and preferences, we have a series of conversations to determine exactly how each person wants their garment(s) to look, fit, feel and drape. Everyone’s body is different, but each person’s general wants/needs are consistent — to look and feel their absolute best. That’s what we are great at accomplishing for people of all shapes and sizes!
For clients seeking the perfect wedding suit or tuxedo, what makes King Brothers Clothiers the ideal choice?
It has never made sense to us why couples would ever splurge on a beautiful and well-fitted wedding gown, and be fine with whatever the suit or tuxedo counterpart looks like. The suit or tuxedo is in as many photos as the dress is — please do not allow a poorly-fitted suit to ruin your photos! No matter what your body type is, we can fit you correctly. No matter what your color scheme is, we have fabric options that will nail your vision. We’ve been doing this for a long time, and have worked with thousands of people getting married. We have a perfect track record of hitting every deadline we commit to hitting. When you decide to use us, you are hiring true experts who have been there before and know how to get it done in the best possible way for you to look great, and to minimize any stress you may have about the process.
What steps do you take to ensure that selecting wedding attire becomes a memorable and stress-free experience for couples?
There are plenty of places to buy a wedding suit — and each of those places is right for a certain group of people. We have our own unique set of strengths that makes us the perfect fit (no pun intended!) for a group of people as well. We are straightforward communicators, and are very up front about expectations from the get-go. Our requirement is that couples come to us in decision making mode. That’s usually the hardest part for them. But once they’ve gotten there mentally, we are fantastic at facilitating a smooth and enjoyable process that has been tested and tried for many years and has yielded only positive results. Admittedly, we are not the most convenient option in town nor are we an inexpensive choice. That being said, we have found success for a reason, and as long as couples are open to following our process, we guarantee they will have an enjoyable, stress-free experience with a perfectly fitted suit or tuxedo to wear on their wedding day!
