If you can’t afford the hefty price tag that comes with a bespoke shirt (and most of us can’t!) then you will know that buying a shirt can be as difficult as buying a pair of jeans. The sleeves are always either too long or too short, and that goes for the length as well, and they just never seem to sit well. I rarely wear shirts, and it’s not because I don’t like them, I can just never find shirts that fit properly. Until now....
Meet Joe Button, a Sydney based company set to revolutionize the custom clothing industry. Founded by Modi Song and Melissa Lee, this very cool website lets you design your own shirt using their interactive design tool and incorporate your personal measurements so that it fits you just how you want.
We love the idea of Joe Button and sat down with Melissa to find out more:
Tell us about Joe Button and how you (and your co-founders) came up with the idea?
Joe Button was born out co-founder, Modi Song’s and my frustration at being unable to find a fitted shirt to wear to work every day – everything in stores was either made of low quality polyester, too tight here, too baggy there or just too expensive.
A trip to Hong Kong made us realise we could do something about it. Here, a tailor made shirt cut and sewn from the same fabrics as high-end European luxury labels costs a fraction of the price of the shirts back home. Joe Button offers customers premium quality dress shirts without large designer markups, but with the added advantages of customisation and exact made-to-measure fit.
How does it work?
We ask our customers to get a little more involved in the design and measurement process so we can offer European cotton shirts at a starting price of $99. Check out our animated film to see how it all works:
Now be honest, how many Joe Button shirts do you already have hanging in your closet??
I’ve got seven shirts/shirtdresses from our women’s range and a whole lot more from our men’s range. Now that the sun’s shining again, guy’s shirts are perfect for the weekend – I wear mine with a leather belt and flat sandals.
Where do you look for design/style inspiration?
Obviously we look to the international catwalks to make sure we’re across all the latest trends, but we also like to look back to our favourite style icons like Buddy Holly, Grace Kelly and Paul Newman for inspiration.
Style blogs like Carolines Mode, Hanneli, The Sartorialist and of course, The Style Net are able to tap into current street style better than any magazine so they’re also on our radar. Alexa Chung’s someone who everyone’s been blogging about lately and she’s a big champion of the peter pan collar, so we made sure we had that in our collection.
Joe Button aside, what are your favourite online stores?
For everything we love but can’t afford: Opening Ceremony and Net-a-porter/Mr Porter.
For geek chic: the Hill-side, Steven Alan and Warby Parker.
What music is playing in the Joe Button office?
Nick Drake’s Bryter Layter – I think we’re old souls at heart.
Favourite Quote?
Choose a job you love, and you will never have to work a day in your life – Confucius
Thank you Melissa!
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