J. Hilburn Secures Investment from Battery Ventures

Custom Mens Clothier Delivers Luxury Products to Consumers for Half the Price of High-End Retailers
Funds Will Fuel Expansion into New Cities and Product Lines

DALLAS J.Hilburn a custom luxury men’s clothier, today announced that it has secured institutional financing from global VC firm Battery Ventures. J. Hilburn brings luxurious, high quality, personalized men’s apparel to the market at affordable prices through a combination of a direct sales force of Personal Style Advisors and an elegant e-commerce site. The funds will be used to expand into new cities nationwide, extend the online store’s capabilities, and deliver new product lines.

J. Hilburn’s initial product line includes custom-tailored dress shirts offered at $79, $99 and $149, depending on fabric and options selected, as well as ultra-fine pima cotton polo shirts. The company sources luxury fabric directly from Italy, sells direct to consumers through a field sales force and online store, and uses the latest technology to compress the traditional supply chain. The result is a personalized experience and tailored fit at half the price of premium brands found in high-end retail stores.

“The options today for custom-tailored, branded dress apparel are either disjointed and unreliable, or slow and prohibitively expensive,” said Veeral Rathod, J. Hilburn co-founder. “With advancements in technology, direct sourcing and direct selling, we have changed the game so that rich Italian fabrics and custom fit now come hand-in-hand with affordability. We intend to move quickly to meet customer demand and are fortunate to have an investor of Battery’s caliber who can help us scale quickly and smartly while not losing the personalized attention our discerning customers require.”

J. Hilburn offers a unique combination of convenience, luxury and affordability to discriminating male shoppers, a large and fast-growing market that has traditionally been underserved. According to the NPD Group, the men’s apparel market is a $53 billion industry.

“High quality custom clothing has traditionally been out of reach for the average consumer,” said Brian O’Malley, Principal at Battery Ventures. “J. Hilburn has an innovative approach and a strong value proposition to a large group of buyers – luxury and convenience at an affordable price. This is especially compelling in the current macroeconomic environment. They are seeing good, early customer uptake, and we’re looking forward to helping them recruit sales advisors, expand geographically and replicate their unique strategy with new products.”

J. Hilburn currently has more than 300 Personal Style Advisors in 27 states and 65 cities nationwide, serving over 7,500 customers. Personal Style Advisors visit customers, take measurements, place orders and deliver the final product. The company plans to follow the dress shirt clothing line with additional bespoke products including cashmere sweaters and additional shirting styles (to be launched later this year), as well as trousers and suits.

About J. Hilburn

J. Hilburn is bringing luxurious, high quality, personalized men’s apparel to the market at affordable prices. By sourcing fabric directly from Italy, selling direct to consumers, and using the latest technology to compress the traditional supply chain, J. Hilburn is able to offer a tailored fit with customized options at half the price of premium brands found in stores. Over the past year, the company has rapidly expanded from its Dallas, Texas roots to over 300 field representatives, 7,500 customers and a growing assortment of products.

About Battery Ventures

Since 1983, Battery has been investing in technology and innovation worldwide. The firm partners with entrepreneurs and management teams across technology sectors, geographies and stages of a company’s life, from start-up and expansion financing, to growth equity and buyouts.

Battery has supported many breakthrough companies around the world, including: Akamai Technologies (NASDAQ: AKAM – News), Cbeyond (NASDAQ: CBEY – News), LIFFE (acquired by EuroNext), Omniture (NASDAQ: OMTR – News), ProfitLogic (acquired by Oracle), and Suppliermarket.com (acquired by Ariba). Its current portfolio includes such emerging firms: A Place for Mom, Angie’s List, Bazaarvoice, Fingerhut, Serena & Lily, TradeKing, Trial Pay and World Golf Tour.

Source: Battery Ventures