New Clothing Startup Targets Short Men

Among shorter men, it’s called the “tailor tax”: the extra $15 to $25 or more required to get alterations on a new item of clothing. Why? Because for the estimated one in three American men who stand 5’8” or under, clothing typically doesn’t fit properly off the rack.

If this is news to average and taller Americans, consider this: Big and tall shops exist for men, but you never see a short and small shop. On the websites of major clothing retailers, short men are invisible. On J. Crew’s online store (which has a petites department for women), “special sizes” for men mean the slim and tall shops. On the Banana Republic site (which also offers a petites section for women), the only special size category for men is big and tall.