Time and again, we’ve seen examples of disruptive businesses in the fashion tech space, like Normal and Shoes of Prey, who’ve made a huge impact based on the relatively simple idea of customization: giving consumers product that is made to fit just them.

Men’s shirting label Stantt takes a hybrid approach to the concept, compiling a database of hundreds of thousands of measurements from different men to develop and constantly refine a selection of 75 sizes of dress shirts for a more exacting fit outside of the traditional small, medium, large sizing skew. Launched in January 2015 by Matt Hornbuckle and Kirk Keel, Stantt also blends brick and mortar retail with their online presence to make the process of ordering – and re-ordering – shirts as simple as possible.

We spoke with Matt to learn more about the Stantt way.

FTF: We’re really interested in the idea of mass customization. It’s a trend that we’ve been watching closely. Stantt offers a new take that’s halfway between traditional sizing and complete customization. How did you come to develop this approach?

Matt: We started Stantt with no apparel background at all. We came to the problem of fit very objectively and very much from the mind of the consumer – the very frustrated consumer. The night that started it all I was out on a date, wearing my favorite shirt, and the girl called me out because the shirt was a little bit too baggy. Once you get called out for your shirt being too baggy, you’re never comfortable in it again.

My business partner Kirk and I had always had challenges finding clothes that fit. When that happened on that date, it kind of sparked that there really should be a better way. As soon as we started talking to guys, every single one had an issue finding clothes that fit really well.

So, we started to learn about the industry and learn how things happen and how things work, and came to the conclusion that things are done the way they are, really just because it’s how they’ve always been done. There’s not really a lot of reason behind that.

We said, “Let’s start from scratch.” What better than starting with a bunch of data? So, we got a lot of body scan data, about half a million measurements from different body scans, and we started to analyze and understand how bodies are shaped and how bodies are built. Through that whole process and lot of different test fittings, we discovered what turned into our algorithm. With pre-measurements we could tell how a person’s body is shaped. As we run the business we continue to do hundreds of fittings every single month, so we’re able to constantly refine and perfect the technology and make it better and better.

FTF: So as you get more customers, their measurements go into the database to further refine the sizes?

Matt: Absolutely. There’s always that transition from pure data to actual consumer experience. One of the things that’s really hard to capture in the data is fit preference, because it’s such a subjective thing. One of my favorite stories is that we had twins come to one of our shops, and they had nearly identical measurements, and they actually left with two different sizes. Something as subjective as fit and fit preference, we’ve been able to start to layer some of that sophistication from all of the customer interaction into the technology.

FTF: What’s the process for ordering a shirt as a consumer?

Matt: It’s incredibly simple. When we started this, we knew simplicity was our number one priority: how do we make this as easy as possible? You can either do it online, or, where we’re seeing a lot of excitement on our end of the business model is through our small pop-up shops. He comes to the pop-up shop. The attendant takes three very quick measurements. It takes about 30 seconds to do. We input the measurements on an iPad app that we developed, and the algorithm runs and finds the size. We then have every one of our 75 sizes there, so you can actually try on the shirt. I think that’s something that makes us very unique from a typical custom shop, where you’re banking on the fact that the shirt’s going to fit you well. With our shirts, you get to try the shirt on to make sure it’s going to fit the way you want it to fit. You can feel the Egyptian cotton we use, and how incredible the material is. Then, he picks which color he wants and with our supply chain, we send a shirt within only seven days. Our goal is to ship a shirt that’s made for him within 24 hours.

FTF: Regarding your pop-up shops, have you found that having a physical space where customers can come to touch and feel the product is vital? Do you think that’s a transitional mindset as people become more comfortable with ordering custom clothes online, or is interacting with clothing something consumers will always want prior to making a purchase?

Matt: I think you hit the nail on the head with that last point. It depends on the nature of the product. If I’m buying something very functional like toilet paper, I pretty much know exactly what I’m getting, and the priority then becomes speed and price. You hear all the time that retail is dead, but I think there’s nothing further from the truth, especially in certain categories like apparel, where feeling and experiencing the product is so important. The way we view retail is the entry point to the brand, where you can walk into a space, get the emotion and feeling of the brand, and you can also experience the product firsthand. But then once you’ve done that, especially as a guy, I know what I’m getting, so I don’t need to then go back to the retail store. That’s how we built our model: it’s a true hybrid of the online and the retail living together from day one. They’re truly integrated into the customer experience.

FTF: Lastly, what’s next for Stantt?

Matt: Your guess is as good as mine, my friend. I came from a very corporate background, where we would set five-year strategies every year. One of the things that’s been so much fun and a big learning experience in the startup world is that things change so quickly, because we learn so quickly. Where our focus is right now is expanding our retail presence – we’re opening a shop in Garden State Plaza in a month or so – while also expanding and refining our shirt selection. Our vision is to make it incredibly simple to get that amazing fit and incredible quality at a fair price for everything in a guy’s closet.