MICHAEL IJI Custom Design & Tailoring Studio

Tailor, Clothing alteration service, Men's clothing store in Cary, NC

Address

1371 SE Maynard St, Cary, NC, 27511

Phone

(919) 694-5440

Website

michaeliji.com

About MICHAEL IJI Custom Design & Tailoring Studio

Bespoke menswear cut in a Cary studio, from imported Italian cloth. The core of it is Michael’s own signature dress and business shirts, alongside custom jackets, slacks, vests and suits in traditional or modern lines, plus high-fashion made-to-measure suits for anyone who wants the fit without the full bespoke build. Alterations, repairs, restyling and formal-wear fittings are all done in house, and so is bridal alteration — ladies are welcome, despite the menswear focus. Formal accessories are made to order: pre-tied bow ties in single and double bows, pocket squares, cummerbunds and vests. Monogramming is available; ask in the shop. Fabric is sourced from Italian mills including Tessitura Monti, which supplies Ferragamo, Neiman Marcus and Brooks Brothers. Out-of-state clients ship shirts and vintage suits in for alteration and redesign without ever visiting. Gift cards and a loyalty programme are available, and appointments book online. Open Monday to Friday from 10am — 6:30pm most days, 5:30pm on Tuesday — closed Saturday and Sunday.

Michael Ijioma has been tailoring for 36 years. It began at fourteen, apprenticed to a master tailor in the markets of his Nigerian hometown, then his own market stall with a sewing machine and a table. In 2001 he moved to Italy, living in Sicily, Naples, Venice and Padua and working in Italian fashion houses; in 2009 he came to the United States and tailored for a private designer in Michigan, where his shirt-making earned him a following. Offered an opening in New York, he stayed with his pregnant wife instead and moved to North Carolina. A home-based tailoring shop in 2012 did not take, but in 2018 he opened Michael Iji Custom Tailored Menswear in Cary and has been designing there since. The work is a deliberate blend — Nigerian pattern craft under a decade of Italian influence, producing smooth lines and close fits — and clients across the country now send him garments sight unseen.

Services

• Bespoke custom menswear — shirts, jackets, slacks, vests and suits
• Signature dress and business shirts in imported Italian fabrics
• High fashion made-to-measure (M2M) suits
• Expert alterations, repairs and restyling
• Bridal alterations
• Formal wear fittings
• Custom formal accessories — pre-tied bow ties in single and double bows, pocket squares, cummerbunds and vests
• Monogramming
• Vintage suit redesign — clients ship garments in from out of state
• Italian milled shirting fabrics, including Tessitura Monti
• Boutique — designer menswear in store
• Gift cards and a loyalty programme
• Online appointment booking
• Ladies welcome

Photos