Everything You Should Know When Buying a First Suit in Bangkok

Many travelers arrive in Bangkok curious about the process and costs of buying a custom suit, arguably one of the most unique souvenirs you can acquire. You’ve probably heard that you can get a suit tailored here for a fraction of what it would cost back home, and it's absolutely true. Over the years, I've had some beautiful suits made in this city.

But stepping into the Bangkok tailoring scene can be incredibly overwhelming. It's completely normal to feel a bit apprehensive; especially if it's your first time. Many tailors are exceptionally talented and highly reputable, others, not so much. Knowing who to trust is the real challenge.

If you’re thinking about buying your first suit in Bangkok and aren't sure where to begin, make sure to read this post in full. I’m going to share my firsthand experiences with the two tailor shops I use most often in the city, breaking down exactly what to expect so you can avoid the usual tourist traps.

If you’re just looking for the short answer, my recommendations of a reputable tailor in Bangkok would be either the ‘Overseas Tailors’ if you're in the Sathorn Area. Or the ‘Prime Tailors’ if you're in the Sukhumvit area. (Overseas Tailors also have a second branch near Khaosan Road). 

Overseas Tailors, Bangkok: https://maps.app.goo.gl/ - Whatsapp: +66 (0)81-623-2206 

Each shop serves a slightly different purpose. Overseas Tailors is fantastic if you want to build a long-term relationship with a shop that can handle repeat orders from abroad later on. Prime Tailors, on the other hand, is ideal for a one-off purchase where you want a wide selection of fabrics to browse right on the spot. 

5 Tips For a First-Time Buyer

While this post covers absolutely everything you need to know about buying a custom suit in Bangkok, if you only take away five things, make sure it’s these:

• Ignore Tuk-Tuk drivers & hotel concierges. They always receive a hidden commission for bringing you in. It's better to do your own research online.
• Don’t leave it until the last minute. Quality custom tailoring takes time. Multiple fittings can take at least 3 to 5 days. Give yourself some buffer time for alterations.
• Avoid synthetic fabrics at all costs. Don't entertain the idea of polyester to reduce costs. Stick to natural plant fibers (cotton or linen) or premium animal fibers (merino wool, silk, or cashmere wool) these fabrics are breathable and durable. It's pointless to have something tailored only to opt for the cheapest quality available.
• Ask questions about the materials. A reputable, honest tailor will happily explain the differences between fabrics, thread counts, fineness grades, and cuts without rushing or pressuring you into a decision.
• Get measured at the very start of your trip. Even if you aren't 100% sure you want to buy a suit right away, stopping by a shop early on to have your measurements taken removes the timeline pressure. It’s free, and once they have your details on file, you can pull the trigger on an order whenever you're ready!
• Judge Your Tailor on How HE is Dressed. One of the first things I always look at is how the tailor is dressed. Just like you would check out a barber's own haircut before sitting in their chair, assessing a tailor's suit is the quickest way to judge their attention to detail and overall quality.

Why Are Suits Cheaper in Thailand

Like many things in Thailand, the cost of labour is lower than other parts of the world. 

The actual material cost of fabric in Thailand is on par with most other countries. But the thing that makes prices notably cheaper than the west, is the production cost. 

Another example of this is jewellery. A Gold Shop in Thailand can hand craft beautiful jewellery pieces for around 20-40 USD, (excluding material costs). Whereas a gold smith in a western country could charge hundreds or even thousands for the same craftsmanship.

So the same logic applies to tailor made suits. The actual material cost doesn't change, internationally. But the production costs for seamstresses and other tailoring costs are kept lower.

My point is, when buying a suit in Bangkok you're still getting a quality product!, despite the lower prices.

Where Is The Best Place in Thailand to Buy a Tailored Suit

Bangkok is the only place in Thailand where I would consider buying a tailored suit, it’s not worth the headache in the tourist area shops around the islands and in the south. Shops in tourist-oriented areas like Phuket and Krabi, are mostly there to make a quick buck.

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Bangkok is Thailand's tailoring hub and houses the actual factories and networks of skilled artisans. If you order a suit outside the city, your choices are limited: either the shop produces a lower-quality garment in-house, or they are forced to ship your fabric back and forth to Bangkok anyway, adding unnecessary time and logistical headaches to the process.

The Process To Tailor a Suit in Bangkok

Understanding the timeline is important when having a suit tailored. A good tailor will require at least 3 - 4 store visits, usually within the same week. The turnaround time in Bangkok is quick, but don’t leave it until the very last moment to start the process. Quality custom tailoring takes time.

Some shops do advertise a 24-Hour turnaround time, which is technically possible, but choosing one of these ‘express’ stores would leave you with a rushed product and skipping essential fittings. 

Customising The Suit Design

There is actually so much more to consider than I first thought! But honestly, that’s one of the most fun parts of creating a bespoke suit: you get to design every single aspect of the garment exactly how you’d like.

Let's start with the materials; suit fabrics generally fall into three main categories, Synthetic Blends, Plant Based Fibres, and Animal Fibres. 

Synthetic Blends: In my opinion, synthetic blends are not worth it. They are cheaper but are of poor quality. Polyester is not breathable, and no reputable tailor should offer it to you.

Plant Based Fibres: Plant-based natural fibers mainly include cotton and linen. These materials offer a nice balance between quality and price, resulting in a material that is both soft and breathable.

Animal Based Fibres: Animal-based fibers are usually a wool or silk blend. Merino and cashmere wool are premium options for when quality is the most important factor. I was hesitant to try a wool suit because I assumed the material would be too hot, but the exact opposite is true. A wool with a high thread count and a fine weave, will be extremely lightweight and breathable.

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The easiest way to know 100% what the material is made from is to take a thread for a burn test, which will reveal the true quality. Animal fibres will self-extinguish quickly, and smell strong like burned hair. Synthetic fibres will melt up into a ball, like plastic. 

Suit materials are the most important. But once you've picked those, you’ll also need to choose shirt materials.

And when it comes to styling your suit,  make sure to let the tailor know if you are wanting a more casual cut suit or something to wear to formal occasions. You can choose the lapel style, the pockets. You can choose the buttons to be used, and you can choose a custom lining or embroidery, to add your own extra personality.

This might seem like a lot to decide, and it is. It can feel overwhelming to walk into a tailor shop in Bangkok and see the walls lined with hundreds, even thousands of fabrics to choose between. If you want to follow my recommendation; Steven at Overseas Tailors, is extremely knowledgeable regarding materials design options. If you do visit; let them know you’ve read this blog, I’m sure they will be pleased!

How Long Does it Take To Have a Suit Tailored

Time is a crucial factor for most travelers. If you only have a few days in Bangkok, you need to make sure your itinerary allows enough time to get the tailoring process finished. On average, it takes anywhere from two days to a full week to create a custom suit. You will typically need a minimum of three visits, usually 1-2 days apart. Here is a look at the typical timeline. If you are on a tight schedule, I highly recommend getting your measurements taken as soon as you arrive in the city, and then collecting your final suit right before flying out at the end of your trip.

First Visit (Measurements & Materials)

The first visit is all about choosing materials and styles. This step requires the most input from you. You will plan out the entire suit design, pick out the buttons, and decide just how formal or casual you want the suit to feel. You will also have your measurements taken, and from there, the tailor can get to work.

Second Visit (Basting Fitting)

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The second visit usually takes place one or two days later. This is when you finally see the suit come alive. The tailor will loosely stitch the cut material together with white thread to create a ‘skeleton’ fitting. The jacket will not have sleeves or shoulder pads yet, as the goal here is purely to nail down the final measurements. The tailor will use pins or chalk to mark adjustments and tighten or loosen the fabric from there, as needed. Some tailor shops might try to skip this basting fitting, which is a red-flag, it's essential to get a good fit.

Third Visit (Final Alterations)

On the third visit, the final suit should be ready for you to try on. In most cases, it will be completely finished and ready to take home. However, if you or the tailor notice any areas that are too tight or too loose during this final fitting, they can continue to make alterations as necessary. In most tailor shops, there is no limit on alterations. I also know that Overseas Tailors deliberately leave a small amount of extra material in the inside seams, meaning your suit can easily be altered to be larger or smaller in the future.

How Much Does a Tailor Made Suit Cost in Bangkok

Don’t be fooled by the promotional signs. 

Some tailor shops are so desperate for customers that they will offer deals such as 6,000 Thai Baht for a full suit. Promoted on large billboards in their shop windows. If the price seems too good to be true, it probably is. And if the price is displayed in US Dollars, or Euros. Run.

For a quality suit in Bangkok you should be expecting to spend a minimum of 10,000 Baht. Yes it can be done for less, but I would recommend spending a little more than that if quality is important.

As with any custom product, there is not a clear answer for how much it will cost - it depends. But the good news is that you can find something for most budgets. 

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The fabrics used are going to be the biggest factor in cost. But there are so many other variables when creating a custom suit. Do you want a 2-Piece or a 3-Piece suit, with a waistcoat? What fabric do you want to use? How many shirts do you need? How do you want the lapel styled, the pockets? What buttons do you want to use? 

On the lower end of the scale, you can probably get away with paying around 10,000 Baht (200 USD), or less. On the higher end of the scale, prices can reach up to around 22,000 Baht and up (650 USD), for cashmere wool & silk blended fabrics. But in my opinion that's probably excessive for most people. The ballpark I feel comfortable in is around 12,000 - 16,000 Baht. This price range will give you the best value, whilst balancing cost & quality.

Choosing The Right Tailor (The Best Tailor in Bangkok)

Bangkok is packed with tailors, but not all of them deliver true craftsmanship. You need someone who you can trust, who knows their stuff and is passionate about the process. 

There are a couple of points to consider when choosing the best tailor in Bangkok, reputation, and location. 

My personal recommendation is Overseas Tailors in Silom, online reviews and word of mouth referrals led me there in the first place. And the location is really convenient. The Saphan Taksin BTS Train Station is a few minutes away and the main river pier to ICONSIAM Mall is also nearby. When it comes to collecting your suit, they also arrange hotel delivery after the final fitting, even more convenient.

The Tuk-Tuk drivers are not your friend.

The Tuk-Tuk Drivers Are Not Your Friends, and Neither are the Hotel Workers.

It is incredibly easy to mistake the big, welcoming smiles of Bangkok's tuk-tuk drivers and hotel concierges for genuine hospitality. You might think they are just excited to show a foreigner around their city, but the harsh reality is that they are usually smiling at the thought of a commission payout. You will see these drivers parked outside major tourist spots and nice hotels, waiting all day long. They only need one naive tourist to trust them and fall for their tailor recommendation to make their whole week worthwhile. No matter how friendly they seem, or if they offer a free ride, they are just walking you right into the middle of the classic suit shop scam.

It works like this; a driver brings you to one of these back-alley tailor shops, and they get a flat fee for getting you through the front door. On top of that, they also take a percentage of your final purchase. Because the tailor has to hand over a chunk of your money to this driver, they are often cut corners and make up for their lost profit margins at your expense.

This shady setup almost always leads to a classic bait and switch. You are shown beautiful, high quality fabrics during your fitting, but the finished suit is secretly made from cheap, inferior materials. To cover their tracks, the shop will often tell you it takes a few extra weeks to finish and generously offer to ship the garments directly to your home country. By the time you open the box and realize what happened, you are thousands of miles away and it is far too late to do anything about it.

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Overseas Tailors, Bangkok (Recommended - Silom)

This is the shop I most recommended in Bangkok, through my own experience, but always do your own research too!

I often passed by tailor shops in Bangkok, without giving them a second thought. I rarely needed a full suit with the climate in South East Asia. But when the time actually came that I did need to have a suit tailored, narrowing down the best shop felt like a mammoth task! So hopefully this recommendation saves you some time!

I shopped around for a few days initially, visiting multiple tailor shops. I had time, so I wanted to get a feel for prices, and for who I could trust the most. I wanted to figure out who was honest, and filter out those who cared about their bottom line.

Reviews on TripAdvisor led me to find Overseas Tailors. And using no more than (Reviews + Location + Gut-Instinct)! This was eventually the shop I settled on for buying my first tailored suit in Bangkok. It turned out to be a good choice, as I have used their services on multiple occasions since.

There is something different about this shop that stood out to me, their staff felt more passionate about their work and more confident about the quality of their material. And if you’re someone who is looking to make regular orders, as the name suggests; they ship overseas, assuming you’ve visited their store before! 

It always fascinates me, the way the shop works. Their order system is old-school, pen and paper. Yet almost instantly they are able to find the carbon-copy records of my past purchases, along with my measurements, all there, ready to go. 

If you’re still debating whether to have a suit tailored in Bangkok or not, and you’re in the Silom Area, I recommend going to get your measurement taken anyway. Overseas Tailors will run the measurements for free and keep a record, that way even if you decide you want a suit after you’ve left  Bangkok, it can be seamlessly arranged. 

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Prime Tailors, Bangkok (Recommended - Sukhumvit)

Prime Tailors is another shop I have used in Bangkok. Initially I visited this store as it’s one of the few shops in Bangkok who offer tailored shoes as well. 

The location is really convenient, right on Sukhumvit Soi 22. In the heart of Bangkok City, and really close by to the Sukhumvit BTS Train Line, either Asok or Phrom Phong stations, with the Emsphere Mall right next door.

If you’re staying anywhere along Sukhumvit Road, which is a very popular area in Bangkok. Prime Tailors is going to be the most convenient store to visit.

What really stands out about Prime Tailors isn't the physical size of the shop, but the massive range of fabrics they offer. They have countless materials ready to browse in-store, along with plenty of display jackets and showpieces to help you visualize the final product. Prime Tailors is also incredibly competitive on price. I suppose you have to be in such a busy location, but they truly have options to suit all budgets. Whether you are buying your very first suit, or you already know exactly what you want, the staff will have everything on hand, here.

Conclusion (TL;DR)

So that's about all I have to say for now. This information, should hopefully be useful to anyone looking to have a suit tailored in Bangkok, and not knowing where to start.

The process of buying a tailor made suit in Bangkok can seem daunting at first, but can be extremely rewarding when you get it correct. You need to shake off the negative energy which circulates the industry in Guidebooks, on Reddit and in other Travel Forums, trust your gut-instinct. 

Yes, Bangkok is cheap, but do not let that fool you. The cheapest suit will never be the best, and the absolute best is probably over the top. Try to find a happy middle ground between price and material quality. Bottom line: do not hunt down the cheapest suit possible unless you plan to never actually wear it

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So take your time, do your research, visit a couple of tailor shops nearby, don’t travel by Tuk-Tuk, and enjoy the process.