James Wakefield is the co-founder and Managing Director of Institchu, an Australian made-to-measure tailoring company he launched with Robin McGowan in 2012. Under his leadership, Institchu has grown into one of Australia's leading custom menswear brands by combining traditional tailoring with modern technology and an omnichannel retail experience. Wakefield is passionate about using innovation to make premium custom clothing more accessible, while building a scalable business focused on exceptional customer service and personalization.
Connect with Institchu!
https://www.instagram.com/institchu
Visit Institchu:
https://institchu.com
CHAPTERS:
0:00 Introduction
1:19 Meet James and the story behind Institchu
3:23 Why Institchu consolidates showrooms instead of opening more locations
4:42 How Institchu acquires customers
6:01 Pricing evolution from $199 to $2.5K per suit
7:38 Why made-to-measure suits are expensive
8:39 Where most bespoke suits are actually made
9:33 History of Institchu's flagship showroom
11:56 Learning tailoring with no fashion experience
14:37 Building a grounded company culture
16:10 The complete Institchu customer experience
21:09 Why Institchu built its own technology platform
23:13 Online orders vs. showroom appointments
25:09 Hiring philosophy and finding great people
26:27 Typical customer appointment length
27:24 Fabrics, customization, and apparel beyond suits
29:10 Managing demand and future expansion
30:50 Tour of Institchu's second showroom
32:01 Negotiating commercial leases
33:04 Showroom capacity and operations
33:36 Bringing marketing completely in-house
35:38 Customer lifetime value and repeat business
36:12 How the Institchu team is structured
38:07 Scaling nationwide from Sydney
39:01 Staying ahead with AI and technology
44:41 Tracking profitability by garment
46:22 Learning and implementing AI tools
47:52 Managing large wedding suit orders
49:37 James' custom suit and fabric choices
51:00 Life after Drapr AI and Jerome Clothing
55:20 Tariffs and the supply chain
56:35 Manufacturing partnerships
58:21 Owning vs. leasing retail locations
59:33 Where Institchu stores its fabrics
1:00:20 Weddings, growth, and expanding beyond suits
1:02:52 Friends-and-family discounts as marketing
1:04:26 Why personalization is the future of fashion
1:06:30 Advice for founders running out of runway
1:08:51 Hiring people for long-term success
1:10:40 Entrepreneurship, marriage, and family
1:13:12 When James quit his job to go all-in
1:14:58 Choosing the next showroom location
1:17:43 Testing new markets before expansion
1:19:24 Filling pop-up stores without large ad budgets
1:20:34 Hosting wedding-style whiskey nights
1:21:50 Partnerships that fueled growth
1:23:45 The mentors who shaped Institchu
1:28:38 Building teams for new showrooms
1:30:35 Employee incentives and compensation
1:31:56 Why every showroom manager also sells
1:33:44 Motivating staff beyond commissions
1:35:40 Turning customer service into a competition
1:36:54 Managing multiple showrooms
1:37:57 Balancing meetings and leadership
1:38:35 Institchu's long-term vision
1:40:03 Family life
1:41:10 Fabrics and the suit ordering process
1:44:08 Cheapest vs. most expensive fabrics
1:46:17 Why Institchu chooses Australian Merino wool
1:48:10 Technology behind manufacturing in China
1:50:02 Handmade suits with 70,000 hand stitches
1:51:04 The one evergreen suit every man should own
1:53:00 Connect with James
1:53:18 Outro