J. Hilburn launches e-commerce

This article is brought to you by Retail Technology Review: J. Hilburn launches e-commerce.

J. Hilburn, the luxury men's brand, has launched e-commerce, offering custom dress shirts and luxury menswear online. J. Hilburn's products have previously been available exclusively through more than 800 personal style advisors nationwide. The three year-old brand saw a banner year in 2010, tripling revenue and doubling its sales force.

J. Hilburn is not a traditional retailer. The company is disrupting the entire retail industry by compressing its supply chain, delivering high quality custom-fit clothing at mass scale and wrapping it with service and personal attention that no other retailer can provide. J. Hilburn sold 60,000 handcrafted custom shirts in 2010 alone; by comparison, London's storied Savile Row, home to more than a dozen custom tailors and bespoke makers, is thriving at 10,000 handcrafted pieces per year.

"You can't build an apparel brand solely online," said Hil Davis, co-founder and CEO of J. Hilburn. "Traditional retailers can sell clothes online because they complement their web sites with the experience of physical stores. We're launching e-commerce to expand a brand that we've already built through an offline experience, which starts with the initial consultation with a style advisor. Our clients know they're going to get an unbeatable product at an unmatched price -- they can shop online with confidence in the product and the brand."

On JHilburn.com new visitors and more than 30,000 existing clients can design custom shirts online and will be able to choose from more than 300 fine Italian fabrics and matching details like fit, collar, cuff, buttons and more. Visitors can also build customizable trousers and purchase ready-to-wear items including cashmere sweaters, polos, belts, cufflinks and other accessories. First-time visitors purchasing custom shirts and trousers will receive the same personal attention and service that J. Hilburn has built a reputation on: a local personal style advisor will meet with each client to take measurements, ensure proper fit and offer individualized style advice.

"There is a huge opportunity in retail right now to disrupt the traditional brick and mortar store model, which drives markups and high fixed operating expenses," said Veeral Rathod, co-founder and President of J. Hilburn. "Traditional retailers can sell clothing online because their customers already know the product quality and fit. But the traditional retail store can't underprice their brick and mortar stores and sell the same product online for less. We can do that."

For Men, a Better Way to Shop
There's no shortage of reasons why men dislike shopping: the crowds, pushy salespeople and overwhelming selection are just the beginning.

The J. Hilburn experience is different: it begins with a personal consultation with a style advisor who gets to know the client's preferences, takes measurements and helps him build his first shirt from hundreds of high-end fabric choices and personalized details like fit, collar, cuffs, pockets and more. Over the past year, J. Hilburn has expanded to include customizable trousers, cashmere sweaters, outerwear and accessories.