Suited & Booted: The entrepreneurial Scots duo turning their Dubai tailoring business into a luxury lifestyle brand
“We don’t want to grow simply for the sake of growth; every new location needs to make sense for the brand” – Calvin Smith
Suited & Booted, the Scottish-owned bespoke tailoring and luxury lifestyle business established in Dubai less than a decade ago, is going from strength to strength as it gears up for a busy new year.
The fast-growing fashion house was founded in 2017 by Scots entrepreneur Ryan Smith, with friend Calvin Smith joining the business in 2019.
This September saw Suited & Booted mark the next chapter in its international expansion with the opening of a flagship Dubai emporium. The new destination at Goshi Warehouse City in Al Quoz represents the company’s largest investment to date and follows the expansion of Suited & Booted into Scotland with its Glasgow outlet in 2024.
Believed to be the world’s largest dedicated bespoke tailoring flagship, the Dubai opening signals the firm’s evolution from a premium tailoring business into a wider luxury lifestyle brand, built around craftsmanship, personal style, service and community.
We caught up with the pair to find out more about an entrepreneurial success story that has grown from humble beginnings.
Tell us a bit about the Suited & Booted journey to date:
Ryan Smith: Suited & Booted was founded in Dubai in 2017, with little more than a rental car, a measuring tape and a vision; that bespoke tailoring could offer clients more than simply clothing. It could give them a personal, considered experience built around how they wanted to look and feel.
Calvin joined the business in 2019, and together we continued to grow that original vision. We opened our first physical store in Dubai in 2020, followed by our expansion to Abu Dhabi in 2023 and our first international location in Glasgow in 2024. Most recently, in September of this year, we launched our new Dubai flagship.
Over the past nine years, Suited & Booted has grown from our bespoke tailoring roots into a more expansive lifestyle brand. Our offering has expanded to include bespoke casualwear, womenswear and a ready-to-wear collection, while tailoring, craftsmanship and delivering an exceptional experience always remains at the heart of the business.
What have been the greatest challenges?
Calvin Smith: One of our greatest challenges came during Covid. We had opened our first store just three weeks before the pandemic began, so we were faced with enormous uncertainty at a moment when we had invested so much in the business.
More recently, we were in the final stages of completing our Dubai flagship as regional conflict began. Launching a space of that scale was already a major undertaking, and we had to navigate an unpredictable situation while bringing a huge project to completion. Like every challenge we’ve faced so far, we were required to adapt, stay focused and keep moving forward. Each experience has strengthened our resilience and reinforced our belief in what we’re building.
What makes the new flagship store in Dubai so special?
Ryan: Our new Dubai flagship brings together everything Suited & Booted has grown to become. At 12,500 square feet, it gives us the space to showcase both our bespoke tailoring and ready-to-wear collections alongside a coffee bar, barber chair and podcast studio.
We wanted to create a destination that brings fashion, lifestyle and community together in a way that feels natural to the brand. Every element has been considered, from the moment a client walks through the door. The space was carefully designed to feel luxurious, but never intimidating. Above all, we want our clients to feel genuinely welcomed, valued and part of something special.
Is there a moment when dressing a well-known client made you realise how far Suited & Booted had come?
Calvin: We’re honoured that so many accomplished individuals across sport, business and culture have chosen Suited & Booted to be part of their personal style. Sir Alex Ferguson had been a recurring name on our dream client list for many years, so to now be welcoming him as a client at our Glasgow store is particularly meaningful, and a real reminder of how far Suited & Booted has come.
You’ve established partnerships with several well-known Scottish brands. What have those relationships meant to Suited & Booted?
Ryan: In a relatively short time, we’re proud to have established partnerships with several well-known and highly respected brands and organisations in Scotland. For us, these relationships are an important part of building Suited & Booted’s presence here and introducing the brand to more people not only across the country, but globally.
Each partnership is different, but they all give us the opportunity to connect with organisations that have their own strong identity and place in Scotland. We value the trust involved and the chance to contribute our tailoring expertise. As the brand continues to grow here, we hope to build on these relationships and develop further partnerships that feel meaningful for everyone involved.
How do you adapt to the growth in e-commerce, and the reach of AI?
Calvin: What makes the Suited & Booted experience distinctive is the interaction we have with each client. Getting to know someone personally, noticing the fine details of a fitting and offering advice with care and honesty all take time and attention. That face-to-face experience will always remain central to how we serve our clients.
We see e-commerce and AI as opportunities to make Suited & Booted more accessible and the client journey more connected. We’re exploring how technology can help clients discover our collections online, find options that feel relevant to them and move more easily between the digital experience and visiting us in person. Used thoughtfully, AI could also make that journey more intuitive and help our team understand each client’s preferences. Technology should support the personal experience our clients value.
How do you ensure every new category reflects the identity of Suited & Booted?
Ryan: We’re intentional about introducing categories that make sense for our clients and the direction of the brand. Our experience in tailoring gives us a strong foundation, and each new collection has to feel considered, relevant and consistent with the way we’ve always approached dressing.
Every new product has to earn its place in the collection. We ask whether it meets our standards for quality, comfort and fit, whether our clients would value it, and whether it feels like a natural part of Suited & Booted. Putting our name on something means standing behind every detail, so we’re prepared to keep refining it until we’re confident it’s right.
For us, we don’t simply introduce a product just because we can. The new products we are launching serve different purposes, but they will always reflect the same quality and consideration our clients know us for.
What does it mean to bring the brand back to Scotland?
Calvin: Glasgow represented more than a new location; it was always a dream of ours to bring Suited & Booted back home. Opening in Scotland gave us the opportunity to share what we had built in Dubai with clients here and reconnect the brand with the place we both come from. We’ve been genuinely blown away by the welcome we’ve received in Scotland and are incredibly grateful for the support people have shown to Suited & Booted.
Has it been easier to build a brand in the Middle East than the UK and how do the two markets vary?
Ryan: I wouldn’t say it has been easier in one market than the other. What did surprise us is how similar the foundations of building a business are, regardless of the region you are operating in. The same principles that helped us grow in Dubai - earning trust, understanding the client and maintaining a personal experience - have resonated in Scotland too.
Of course, each market has its own character, and clients’ lifestyles and needs can differ - but the importance of providing an exceptional service and cultivating strong relationships and a community around the brand feels universal.
Any plans to extend your reach further in Scotland?
Calvin: We’re conscious that any expansion needs to be considered carefully. We don’t want to grow simply for the sake of growth; every new location needs to make sense for the brand and allow us to deliver the same product and experience our clients expect. As for what comes next, we’re excited about the expansion of Suited & Booted in Scotland and look forward to sharing more when the time is right.
When clients encounter the brand today, what do you hope they understand about what Suited & Booted has become?
Ryan: We hope clients see Suited & Booted as a broader lifestyle brand that can serve more of their wardrobe, while staying true to the tailoring expertise and considered client experience at its core. Our collections have evolved, but the care behind every piece and the community we’ve built around the brand remain central to who we are.
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