Shopping for designer menswear online should be as easy as making a few clicks to find and buy the item you want. However, the lower the prices, the more it can feel like making a purchase is a risk. Our customers often say how relieved they are to have found an online retailer they can trust, so we’ve decided to put together a guide to the things to look out for when you buy designer menswear online.
The Mark of a Genuine Designer Retailer
Buying online is often the way to get the best prices, but unless you’re buying direct from the brand itself, who will not always offer the biggest discounts, you will want to establish the credentials of your chosen retailer. When browsing for designer labels, pay attention not just to what is being sold but how it’s being sold. Reputable retailers approach designer menswear with the same precision and respect as the brands themselves.
Heritage and Reputation
A retailer with a long-standing heritage offers more than product - it offers credibility. In our case, our family has built our reputation over generations, giving us the real-world experience we need to advise you on your purchase. This kind of legacy assures you that every piece has been carefully chosen for its craftsmanship, fit, and provenance.
Real-world presence
One of the key indicators that an online brand can be trusted is, ironically, if they have a verifiable presence on the high-street. You can use Google Maps in Streetview to check this, and also look for a listing on Google Business that includes details which verify their existence, such as business images, opening times, company updates and reviews.
Search for reviews
There are lots of review platforms which retailers can use to prove their trustworthiness, and seeing reviews from real customers on their website can go a long way to provide you with reassurance about their service and products. In addition to reviews on their site, you can also look further afield to make sure what you’re reading is genuine. Searching for Company name + reviews will often show you not just what’s on their site, but also information from third-party review sites, blogs and Reddit, all of which can help you choose the right retailer.
Do their images check out?
Another warning sign to watch out for is whether product images are genuine. Many designer brands will supply their own product images for retailers to use, and some retailers will also add their own images. If you’re concerned about the trustworthiness of a site, ask their customer services team to send you extra images of an item in-hand, including labels - a genuine seller will be more than happy to oblige. It's not a 100% guarantee, but when combined with the other items on this list, it will certainly help.
Look for curated collections
It’s not true of every genuine seller, but most designer menswear stockists will not carry every item for every brand. Instead we carry carefully curated selections of items which we know work well with each other - meaning that in addition to genuine designer goods, you are shopping for a wardrobe that’s been chosen with care. If a shop with low prices is stocking an item that’s out of stock everywhere else, that can also be a warning sign that the item isn’t real.
Are their prices too good to be true?
As retailers, we know that designer goods are sold to us at a certain price. This defines the price that retailers can sell it at, so if you find an item that’s generally the same price from most shops but incredibly low from a single unknown retailer, that can be a strong indication that it is not genuine designer product. If you are determined to find out either way, you can always request photos as suggested above.
Your designer menswear authenticity checklist
Here are the quick points to check off before you buy designer goods online:
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Does the seller have genuine reviews via a third party platform (e.g. Judge.me, Trustpilot or Reviews.IO, on forums or on Reddit)?
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Can you verify their presence through a real-world shop or head office location?
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Are their product photos genuine?
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Are their prices believable?
Building Trust Over Time
Ultimately, finding a designer menswear retailer you can trust isn’t about a single purchase - it’s about a relationship. We’ve built trust with our customers over time, so they know that when buying from us they will receive genuine designer goods, along with the great customer service that we believe sets us apart from other online retailers.
If you’d like to contact us before making a purchase, that’s another service we're happy to offer - not only can we reassure you of the provenance of our stock, we can also help you put together a coordinating ensemble based on our recommendations.
