Perfect Fitting Clothing Made Easy? Woodies Clothing Founder Jacob Wood Explains.

Learn what Woodies Clothing founder Jacob Wood recommends to first-time customers while working from home, and what the “new normal” looks like for his custom-made-easy clothing brand.

Photo credit: All photos courtesy of Woodies Clothing.

About Woodies Clothing

Jacob told me that, “at Woodies, we’re all about perfect fitting clothing, made to fit you.”

Woodies offers a range of tops, bottoms and outwear for men. Their product lines are intentionally a little bit more casual than other online custom clothing brands like Black Lapel.

“Think custom organic jeans, stretch washed chinos, super soft flannels, and fun patterns,” says Jacob, who adds that his company strives for “incredible value 365 days a year.”

Woodies is 100% direct-to-consumer, and has shipped to 80 countries around the world.

What makes Woodies Clothing stand out?

Given the intense competition among direct-to-consumer men’s fashion brands, I asked Jacob how he breaks through the noise.

“We’re playing the long game here,” he said. “I have a firm belief that if you focus on incredible product and customer satisfaction that revenue and growth will follow.”

Jacob added that Woodies growth “has been incredibly organic; we have no paid ads on Facebook or Instagram.”

His formula is to “invest in and develop amazing product and make sure that customers are happy” with “no shortcuts.”

This is the first piece of clothing you should by from Woodies, according to its founder.

I asked Jacob what the first article of clothing someone new to the Woodies brand should try.

He pointed to Woodies’ line of performance chinos and shirts as “incredibly comfortable and very popular.”

“Especially with work-from-home, I’d recommend the Performance Chinos,” he responded. “They’ve got stretch, they’re stain repelling, wrinkle-free, and they look great with a matching button up, or a tee shirt.”

Overcoming obstacles during COVID-19

“Covid has sucked for retail,” said Jacob, echoing others like Justin Schneiderman, CEO of Wolf and Shepherd (who makes one of the most unique hybrid dress shoes on the market today).

Happily, Jacob pointed a very strong first quarter, which “made up for a slower Q2.”

He told me that they run a lean operation and have a resilient business. (“We’ll weather the storm just fine.”)

“We care most about the health of our community,” he added.

For the months of May and June, Woodies sent out matching complimentary face masks with each shirt purchase. Jacob said customers responded well to the masks “and obviously they get serious style points.”

(See Modern Fellows’ guide to where to buy a washable face mask for kids and adults for more options.)

Jacob explained that their production team was on lock-down the entire month of April.

“Luckily we’re back in business and are fulfilling orders with no delays and, more importantly, we’re all safe and healthy,” he said.

Other favorite brands

I asked Jacob to name other innovative brands or fashion entrepreneurs he admires.

“The founder of Patagonia, Yvon Chouinard, has been a role model for me,” said Jacob. “He’s a principled leader that has stuck with his convictions. Patagonia is proof that if you focus on the right things, success will follow.”

He also pointed to Allen Edmonds for their quality manufacturing and longevity. “Very respectable name, he added.”

What’s next for Woodies Clothing? (It’s a surprise.)

In the short term, the “new normal” will continue to be characterized by more remote work. (“In fact, we haven’t been in our New York City headquarters since March 10th,” Jacob noted.)

“Luckily, almost all of our business is done online, and we have a very robust and accurate measuring algorithm,” he said.

“Customers have great confidence in our sizing technology which is great,” he added.

I also asked Jacob to give a preview about what’s in store for the future at Woodies.

He replied, somewhat mysteriously, that “we can’t go into great detail regarding new categories,” though he added that, later this summer, “we’ll be launching a new product that we’re very excited for! Stay tuned…”