A STUDENT entrepreneur and a Scottish international rugby player have ambitious plans to revolutionise the made-to- measure tailoring market.
Robert Hoving and Edinburgh Rugby winger Tim Visser have already extended the ShirtbyHand business from Aberdeen to Edinburgh this year, with Glasgow next on the list.
Customers arrange an appointment to be measured at their home or office with the sitting typically taking around 10 minutes.
The company then uploads those details to its website, allowing male or female customers to choose the style and colour of a shirt.
Eventually, Mr Hoving and Mr Visser hope to have tailors in every major city around the UK.
They are also close to starting to produce made-to-measure suits and want to follow that by offering socks, cufflinks, ties, handkerchiefs and shoes.
Mr Hoving, who is due to graduate with a masters degree in international business from Robert Gordon University in Aberdeen later this summer, said: "We are starting to focus on the Glasgow market as there is huge potential there with so many people.
"I am moving down to Edinburgh as there is a bigger market in the central belt.
"Over the summer we hope to establish people in Glasgow so that we are in a good place when people start coming back to work in September time, and we are in a good position in the run-up to Christmas." Mr Hoving is confident the model he is using will gain in popularity as more people find out about it and the business begins to offer more products.
He said: "People love the convenience and I think that is the future. People are busier and busier and we try to fit in with their agenda and will do early mornings, evenings or weekend measuring.
"When I started out I couldn't sell a single shirt and we had 15 on one day [last week] so the business is growing steadily.
"We are just about to start trialling suits. We have found a good supplier so I'll be looking to get some of my friends and good customers done over the next few weeks ahead of a launch later in the year.
"Eventually, we want to do the whole outfit with ties, cufflinks, handkerchiefs and shoes."
Mr Hoving purchased the UK franchise of ShirtbyHand from the Dutch founders after convincing them it had international potential.
The company, which has its own factory in Vietnam, now has operations in Ireland, Portugal, Spain Dubai and Germany.
The 22-year-old Mr Hoving met Mr Visser, 26, in September last year when measuring him as part of a deal to supply the Scotland rugby team with shirts for off-pitch activities.
With both men having been born in the Netherlands before ending up in Scotland, they found they have a lot in common. Mr Visser then became a shareholder in ShirtbyHand in January this year.
His younger brother Sep, also a rugby player, then joined as part of the company's Edinburgh expansion.
Mr Hoving admits he would like to continue to get more contracts in the sporting sector.
He added: "The rugby guys have a hard time getting a good-fitting shirt as they are very different shapes and sizes.
"Then all their fans see our products on people like Tim [Visser] or Stuart Hogg."
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