The tradition of Menswear is well constructed and considered pieces, with a bigger upfront cost, durable and adaptable to fit. Tailored in quality fabrics - pieces making go-to/classic outfits.  

Lifestyle and price point do have a bearing on people's purchasing decisions, and the traditional offer is harder to make with the diversity and diversity of shapes in our modern country.  We offer a lot of service and skills to consult on ideas and can cut our garments to fit, or provide alterations. 

Enjoy a shopping experience meeting your taste and need, and not being limited by your shape or the current shape of the garments! 

Ready-made garments have their place, people can see the tangible product, design, shape, colour, feel of cloth and fit. They're ready to go.

Customisation offers products to fit and be fit for purpose for more clients. You could take stock that we alter and we would make a replacement for the rack. With that time (3 weeks), we could custom make a better fitting product instead and leave the stock garment to better fit someone else or continue its prototype role. 

This creates committed sales and reduces wasted energy and fabrics locked up in the wrong sizes. In most cases we do not charge more, we are incentivising getting the fit right - this is both for our job satisfaction, and to ensure people buy well and return having really loved and worn their previous purchases. 

We continually invest in fabrics from New Zealand specialists who care about what they import and supply. This ensures the standard of cloth is kept high, and while there are no bargains to be had, huge efficiency is gained from the performance of that cloth through the life of the garments.

Mandatory believes that the better the garments fit, the longer they last. (And they are sold to you with realistic advice on care and use). We are committed to circulatory fashion, we put emphasis on the lifecycle and longevity of clothing to, in turn, make less but make better. 

Our garments are produced in short runs of stock. Everything can be a working prototype for seeing fabrics and shapes. 25 years of custom work has refined our offer and understanding of what is most needed, enhancing efficiency. 

We try to buy only what we need, cutting enough garments to retail our range in-store and to make to order.

This not only makes the most of our materials, skills and time, but we're also seldom left with wasteful, unwanted stock at the end of the season.

We are a collective of people who are passionate about fabric and making things.

Mandatory is a magnet for like-minded people who share our values and support what we do, and have helped us cement our values which are centred on our clients, our industry, our community, and the environment.

Our six staff members seamlessly collaborate to ensure a happy workplace that takes collective pride in work. 

Ready Made garments have their place, selected carefully and sold advisedly, by us. However - endless options sold without service at a price point is not a good model for keeping talent in the industry and supplying good options for what you need.

Things need to fit and last, but ultimately they need to be worn and worn to death. So much stuff is discarded, contributing to the garment industry claiming third place in the list of the world's most polluting industries. We choose to make less, make and sell to purpose.  

Thinking about ready-made couches: the endless traipsing around to research the best options to fit spaces and existing colour schemes. Compromises mean many will be replaced well before the end of their life. Thinking about ready-made picture frames from big chain stores: cheaper quality, the seemingly endless variety is not quite the fit or style and there's no service to assist how to best make it work... too much stuff in the world!

Thinking about menswear? Come and talk to Mandatory. Book an appointment