A Different Type of Men’s Store and the Custom Suits That Even Quarterbacks Love: How a UT Grad Changed Shopping for Your Benefit With Q Clothier

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It’s an old cliché, but no less true: Many men don’t like shopping. In recent years, it seems that coffee, cocktails and other experiential components are commonplace at high-end men’s stores, but perhaps no one does it better — or introduced the concept earlier — than Q Clothier, an upscale custom suiting shop founded in 2003 by second-generation haberdasher and University of Texas graduate Raja Ratan.

“My family has been in custom tailoring for over 50 years,” says Ratan, Q Clothier’s president and ready to wear product designer. “My father KT Ratan taught me everything about the garment business as a kid and still runs our Preston Center shop today.

“I used knowledge and expertise from my family’s business to bring custom tailoring to the street level — an entirely unique concept when I first opened Q.”

Q Clothier’s original retail space was a 1,000-square-foot shop in Dallas’s West Village shopping center. Ratan started small, offering only custom shirts. Within two years, he added bespoke suiting. In 2012, he launched a ready-to-wear line.

Today, Q 51 encompasses two unique brands — Q Clothier with premium custom suiting, Rye 51 with small-batch, ready-to-wear luxury casual goods — at nine locations (and counting) including Preston Center and West Village shops in Dallas, West Ave and Heights Mercantile outposts in Houston and additional stores in Atlanta, Fort Worth, Oklahoma City, Tulsa and Little Rock.

In the dual-concept stores, Q serves clients with the full wardrobe experience: Premium made-in Los Angeles selvedge denim (starting at $150), Pima Cotton tees (starting at $38), handmade custom shirts (starting at $180) and bespoke suits (ranging from $1,095 up to $10,000). And it all comes in a hip, relaxing environment with whiskey behind the bar and sports on the TVs.

Sartorially inclined clients have the option to design each garment from collar to hem; others can rely on the expertise of the haberdashery’s seasoned personal clothier, who guides customers through the design process from start to fabrication. Customers can book an initial appointment in one of Q Clothier’s stores or request a consultation at their home or office.

After selecting fabric and detailing, the clothier takes proprietary measurements, then hand crafts with a pattern made for every client.

Quarterback Suit Club

With such a client-centric focus, it’s no surprise that Q Clothier has attracted a dedicated clientele that includes legendary Dallas Cowboys quarterback turned Fox Sports analyst Troy Aikman, Pittsburg Steelers quarterback Ben Roethlisberger and Los Angeles Rams quarterback Jared Goff. Andy Beal and George W. Bush are other high-profile clients among the company’s impressive roster of elite businessmen, athletes and celebrities.

When guys like Aikman who have the resources to shop almost anywhere in the world choose to get their suits at Q Clothier, that means something. It speaks to both the quality of the suits and the shopping experience.

Even as the business expands, Ratan remains involved in day-to-day operations as well as the design of each Q Clothier and Rye 51 product. He designs each garment with the affluent world-traveler in mind — a busy businessman who appreciates a versatile wardrobe with quality materials and construction, but who doesn’t have a lot of time to shop.

“We understand that our clients are busier than ever,” Ratan says. “Q Clothier can offer the convenience of the Internet, but with personalized service.”

For more information, or get started on your own customized suit experience, click here. Or head to Q Clothier’s stores in Preston Center and West Village in Dallas — and West Ave and Heights Mercantile in Houston.