Trader finds way to grow business against all odds

Opening his doors amid the pandemic and in an industry that is in decline, Mr Cuff is the bespoke Melbourne tailor who has found a way to adapt to whatever challenges the world throws his way. 

Mr Cuff is one of the only remaining tailors in the City of Melbourne offering bespoke services and a wide range of menswear, operating out of two stores at 6/8 Howey Place, Melbourne and 833 Collins St in Docklands. 

But the stores’ success has not come easily according to their owner, Jarrad Cuff, who launched the business in 2019, offering online bespoke tailoring services during the pandemic. 

“We found that during the pandemic, everyone started to shut down and because it was manufactured in South-east Asia you would have issues,” he said. 

The word got out that Mr Cuff was able to make suits despite the supply chain and logistical issues caused by the pandemic, and business began to boom. 

After just making a few suits from online consultations, Mr Cuff had carved out a niche and was sending suits around the country for people’s weddings and events. 

“It was funny, everyone had shut down and my business was starting to pick up,” he said. 

Now with two stores in Melbourne, it is Mr Cuff’s adaptability and willingness to keep an open mind irrespective of the challenges within the industry that he believes has been the key to his success. 

In recent months, Mr Cuff has found ways to connect with pro-Palestine protestors and turn the disruptions caused by the weekly rallies into an opportunity for his business to grow and seek community feedback. 

Next door to Mr Cuff in Howey Place is Union Kiosk, a vegan jaffle restaurant that he noticed was extremely busy after the protests. 

He decided to approach some of the protestors to get their opinion on sandals that he imports from Hebron in Palestine.  

Mr Cuff had stocked the sandals before the weekly protests began but he was always a little unsure about them. 

While he mentioned where they were made, he never wanted to get into the politics of the situation and appear to be profiting from that.

He thought the protestors would be able to provide the feedback he had been searching for and inform him of whether what he was doing was ethical. 

“A lot of them were like ‘we didn't even know that you guys sold these’ and ended up becoming customers” he said.  

It is Mr Cuff’s open mind and commitment to high quality and bespoke tailoring that differentiates the business from made-to-measure stores, and no matter what challenges the CBD or world throws his way, his dedication to the craft and adaptability have allowed his business to grow in uncertain times.