SUITABLE
When fashion uses AI
In 2015, brothers Jean-Sebastien and Jean-Jeremie Siow founded SUITABLEE, a Montreal company that designs custom suits for men and women. However, passionate about fashion as much as technology, these two engineers had the idea of using artificial intelligence to offer clothing perfectly adapted to each person's body shape and at an affordable price.
Like most children of parents of Asian origin, Jean-Sebastien and Jean-Jeremie Siow followed scientific studies and became engineers. “My father, a Chinese from Mauritius, and my mother, a Vietnamese, both immigrated to Canada. They wanted us to have stable employment,” says Jean-Sebastien. However, the two brothers quickly realized that their engineering careers did not fulfill them. Passionate about fashion, they decide to go into business. During the first years, Jean-Jeremie continued to work at his job to reassure parents, while Jean-Sebastien offered mobile tailor services. “At the beginning, I didn’t have an office. I would go to people's homes and take their measurements manually. With experience, I ended up being able to guess these just by looking at the person in front of me. »
This is how the idea of using artificial intelligence (AI) germinated in his mind. “When people come to see us in one of our two workshops in Old Montreal or Brossard, we use infrared technology to do a body scan. We measure circumferences and lengths, but also angles. We therefore obtain extremely precise measurements with which we build a digital pattern. »
THE MANY ADVANTAGES OF AI
Accuracy isn't the only benefit of AI. Avoiding human errors, it also leads to cost reduction. “Our costumes only require one visit and very little or even no alterations, unlike traditional tailoring,” comments Jean-Sebastien. The prices are therefore very competitive, and the quality is there!
In addition, if you cannot go there, it is also possible to order online by simply answering around ten questions on the website (height, weight, arm length, etc.). Over the years, the company has accumulated thousands of data which has made it possible to create around a hundred patterns responding to various types of body types. In a few seconds, the Internet user is offered the pattern that suits them best. He can also personalize his costume as he wishes online. “On site, we have a team of stylists to assist customers in choosing fabrics and styles. But the online application is very practical for someone who does not want to travel or who lives outside of Canada. »
ADVOCATE DIVERSITY IN THE FASHION INDUSTRY
When they started out in the industry, the two brothers knew they were a standout. “We don’t see many designers of Asian origin in this industry. When we started, we put photos of our costumes on social networks and on our website, but we cut off our heads! Then, at some point, we wondered if our clients were ready to accept Asian faces. We then published some of our models leaving our faces. Traffic to our site has literally exploded. We were really happy. » Today, SUITABLEE has customers from all over North America, and from all origins.
The company has also just launched a women's collection. In the short and medium term, it plans to open stores in the country's main cities, including Ottawa, Toronto, Calgary and Vancouver. And soon, the use of AI will be even more advanced in order to provide each customer with online recommendations according to different criteria, such as the context of the costume's use. “For example, someone who is getting married will be offered other choices than someone who needs an outfit for work,” explains the entrepreneur. In short, SUITABLEE never ceases to amaze us!
