Words by Caleb Bushner. Photos by Gregor Hochmuth.

Like many great brands, Taylor Stitch was founded as a solution to a problem. Co-founders Mike Maher, Barrett Purdum and Mike Armenta launched the company after observing that, despite having average builds, they were unable to find quality shirts that fit. Maher explains, “Barrett’s dad would always bring custom shirts back from business trips and we became enamored by the color, pattern and the fact that they actually fit. It was a revelation: shirts that fit.” Using Barrett’s father’s revelatory shirting as their guide, the trio set out for Hong Kong in search of a shirtmaker that could produce top-notch goods that matched their high standards. “We looked around but were just …over it. The manufacturing was terrible. Conditions were awful. We simply couldn’t make our shirts there.”

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I admit it: I’m an internet shopper. As much as I want to support my local brick and mortars, the lure of the web makes it impossible for me to stay loyal. It’s just so much easier to get exactly what I want. I never have to settle for an item solely because that’s what’s available. Online, everything is available (and usually for a better price). And yet, I have to admit that the more I e-shop, the more I miss the person-to-person experience of buying from an independent retailer. There’s something about interacting with the people who choose the stock, merchandise the space, and pour their hearts and souls into the business’ day-to-day operations, that makes a purchase feel – for lack of a better word – special. Fortunately (for me, not so much for my local retailers), there is one brand that does a near-perfect job of combining the ease and specificity of buying online, with the feel-good aspects of buying locally. That brand is Taylor Stitch.

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