Good-fitting fashion can be hard to find for your wedding day if white dresses and ready-to-wear tuxes don’t fit your style or body type
Good-fitting fashion can be hard to find for your wedding day if white dresses and ready-to-wear tuxes don’t fit your style or body type, and that is exactly why we are so excited to have found a clothing company that understands just that. Shaz Riley of The Butch Clothing Company chats with us about how the company took shape, exciting new projects and how you can get your own fitting in the United States.
EW: What inspired you to begin The Butch Clothing Company, and what is your brand mission?
SR: The concept of our brand is simple. Butches are women; they are women who choose to wear men’s clothing. Apparel is a major part of the butch identity. We aren’t reinventing the wheel, just creating stylish and effective clothing based on classic male styles and the latest fashion trends.
The inspiration for the company did indeed come from my own experiences. I worked as a high-level event project manager dealing daily with corporate clients, being expected to wear a suit and look the part. However, I never ever felt I looked as sharp as my male counterparts as the suits I was left with no choice to purchase, regardless of were I shopped, never fit correctly and to have all those elements altered is a costly and timely process.
For years, I had imagined having the chance to have the same purchasing experiences as the guys. I thought how great would it be to walk into an environment that actually got what it meant to be butch, that understood how I thought, how I felt, how important the clothing would be to me, how a large part of my identity was reflected in how I dressed, wouldn’t it be amazing to be able to buy clothing from some where that respected me as a butch purchaser!
EW: Do you have any new projects launching?
SR: This week, we launched our shirt range with just shy of 50 shirt fabrics, a whole range of collar-spread sizes, wingtips and Nehrus. It’s very exciting, and once each client is measured, mail ordering for repeat shirts whenever you require will be very easy. It means that as soon as my clients need a new shirt in a new style or new fabric or new design, they can just e-mail me or give me a call and the shirt will be ordered. The clients are, of course, very welcome to come see us at the consultations rooms, but isn’t it great to have the option to order remotely as well?
EW: We’ve heard rumors that BCC is accepting consultations in America! How can Equally Wed readers get involved?
SR: Yes, America, this is beyond exciting for us. The support generated from the American market is amazing, and as a result we are currently looking into negotiating a deal with an airline and hotel group who may be willing to offer a form of sponsorship to us. If we can get preferential rates, this will enable us to travel regularly to North America and see clients in our hotel suites as we would in our consultation rooms in Brighton. We will have alteration tailoring partners based in the United States, and so any slight alterations required after fitting will be managed successfully. Again, once the first consultation has occurred and the first order is complete, clients are free to order remotely if they like. So The BCC is going global!
If you would like to book a consultation. E-mail Shaz or complete the contact form on the BCC website. Checking out The BCC’s Facebook page to stay in the know.
