There was a time when tailoring was the backbone of menswear. Department stores employed seasoned tailors, apprentices learned the trade on-site, and customers expected their garments to be shaped to their bodies. Fit wasn’t an upgrade — it was the standard.

Then everything changed. Over the last 20 years, major retailers across the country quietly cut down or eliminated their tailoring departments. What used to be a respected in-house craft became an afterthought, outsourced service, or simply “not offered anymore.”

Between the mid-2000s and the mid-2010s, nearly every large retailer made the same decisions: cut tailoring rooms, lay off experienced tailors, and outsource to low-skill operations. This saved money — but it erased the educational backbone of menswear. Clients lost access to experts who understood structure, drape, and proportion.

Had retailers nurtured tailoring instead of abandoning it, the industry would have more apprentices, better garments, and more respect for craftsmanship. Instead, customers are left with clothing that fits no one perfectly, and tailors like us are asked to fix what should have been done right in the first place.

A store that cannot tailor your clothing does not understand your clothing. Menswear is not about selling garments — it’s about shaping them. When retailers removed tailoring, they removed expertise. That’s why Manno Clothing chose a different path: fit, craftsmanship, and respect for the trade remain at the center of everything we do.