GARMENT CARE

Always dry clean your custom shirts.

Dry cleaning your custom dress shirts help prevent skin cells and oils from working their way into the fabric and breaking it down over time. It also prevents the onset of caked-on antiperspirant and deodorant at the underarms with irreversible yellowing. I recommend light to no starch for standard dress shirts.

If you are pressed for time, it’s OK to cold water wash with high spin cycle, then hand press on cotton setting with an iron to dry your shirt the rest of the way. This stops all the wrinkles from showing up!

I also recommend dry cleaning for your formal shirts. While I normally do not recommend heavy starch, it is highly advised that you opt for medium to heavy starch. This keeps your shirt looking clean and crisp when being worn.

Casual style shirts may be washed in a washing machine with cold water and then hung to dry or pressed like I described above with dress shirts when dry cleaning is not possible. Otherwise, please stick to the same practice as you would for dress shirt dry cleaning with light to no starch.

I recommend you search through Google or Yelp for “dry cleaner reviews” so you can find the highest-rated and best place near you. Do not let them “launder” them as it will cause shrinking.

I go against the grain when it comes to raw denim. Yes, if you want to maintain a sacred bond with your jeans and have every wrinkle and crease be from normal wear, then do not wash them.

However, please understand that oil and cells from your skin will penetrate your jeans and over time they will fall apart. Washing inside out in cold water with a color-safe detergent of your choice is the best.

Do not ever dry your jeans for more than 5 minutes or until they’re just on the edge of getting hot, also inside out, then pull them out and hang them to dry.

If you want to maintain your jeans properly but do not want to wash them, please take them to the dry cleaner of your choice. Dry cleaning won’t shrink your jeans near as much as cold water wash and hanging to dry, so it’s always advised.

Raw denim is a way of life for a lot of people. If you work hard and play hard in them you’ll notice that each pair will take on a life of its own. Raw denim jeans are truly a beautiful sight. I have multiple pairs in my closet, and each one has creases, wrinkles, and fading, all as unique as a fingerprint.

Individual fade lines are a testament to your time together and not to be considered a flaw.

Driving:

If you’re traveling for long distances, I recommend bagging and hanging your garments behind the drivers’ side door. This prevents a massive blind spot from creeping up on you when you are merging into the right lanes.

It’s important to hang your garments as often as possible, as the natural support built into each garment does not like to be crumpled.

Flying:

If you’re flying with an extra suit or two, you should hang them on what I call a “temp hanger” and hand them to a flight attendant for hanging in the closet. A temp hanger is narrower and not meant for extended hanging and support for jackets. Please keep in mind I only suggest this because there is only so much room on an airplane and other people may be attempting to hang their suits as well.

If you must place your garments in a suitcase, please review the following instructions on how to properly fold your jacket and pants.

For the jackets, place your shoulder points backward together folding down the center back seam. Then fold the jacket near the second button and neatly place the arms folded at the elbows across the jacket. Then place your jacket in a garment bag along with your matching pants if applicable. Do not pack a suit jacket or pants with jeans or chinos as the friction will cause the wool to become damaged over time.

For pants, unbutton and unzip them, then lay side seam to side seam at the waistband and ensure the creases of both legs meet front to front and back to back. Then fold them at the knee and place them in a bag.

Hang your pieces in the bathroom of your hotel and turn on a hot shower to release most wrinkles. If the hotel has a steamer or iron you may use that instead.

If you bring your dress shoes, most airports have a shoeshine station to freshen up your shoes. It’s a great way to spend layover time and keep your pieces in top condition.

Support your shoes that are being packed by placing socks and underwear in them if you don’t have a lightweight shoe tree to use. Their cavernous insides need the support! Your feet will thank you!

I have specialty branded Suit Guy hangers for your use. Please use them at all times when you are not wearing your garments. The floor is not a shelf!

If you have enough vertical space in your closet, I recommend hanging pants and jeans by their hem with a clamping hanger. This will help naturally pull wrinkles out while they await your next wearing!

Daily Care:

A great investment is a good steamer. One that I keep in my closet is the Jiffy E-Steam. It’s relatively inexpensive at under $75, and it’s an invaluable addition to your closet arsenal.

Steaming the arms and back of your jacket is a-okay, but please refrain from steaming the front body panels of your jacket or lapel. Instead, use a dry iron and don’t crease your lapel fold!

Ironing is absolutely fine on all wool and cotton cloth garments. Your jackets, pants, jeans, and shirts can be ironed carefully by paying close attention to the heat setting on your iron. Cotton for cotton, wool for wool. Remember, dry heat is your friend!

It should go without saying, always hang your garments properly when not being worn.

Stains:

As for stains, there are tons of available stain removers on the market. While they’re useful, please take your custom pieces to a dry cleaner and ask them to remove it.

A lot of off the shelf stain removers can prevent stains from being removed even by professionals!