The Journal — Formalwear

Most people buying a suit focus on two variables: fabric and fit. Both matter enormously. But there is a third variable — construction — that is invisible in the finished garment and determines more about how the suit looks and lasts than almost anything else. A full canvas suit is the construction standard that the tailoring industry considers correct, and understanding why requires understanding what goes on inside a jacket.

Most fashion businesses work the same way: design something, make a lot of it, try to sell it before the season ends. The leftovers become discounts, then become waste. The whole system is built around speculation — a guess about what people will want — and the losses are built into the price of the things that do sell.