Christian Benedict Shirts

This page covers Christian Benedict shirts and the sizes available. [Disclosure: Christian Benedict contacted me and sent me a shirt. They don’t have an affiliate program, so I don’t receive any commission or any other financial benefit if you buy one of their shirts.]

I spoke with Christian McAleenan, the Managing Director, of Christian Benedict shirts about the company and their plans. The interview is below the size tables. You can check out their subscription scheme here.

Christian Benedict shirts – fits available

Christian Benedict’s offers three different cuts of shirts:

  • Regular Fit – the widest at the chest and waist.  It has a similar cut to the Charles Tyrwhitt Classic Fit shirt.
  • Slim Fit – Slimmer through the chest and even slimmer through the waist than the Regular Fit, so the Slim Fit has a more tapered fit than the Regular Fit.  It has a cut similar to the Charles Tyrwhitt Slim Fit.
  • Extra Slim Fit – A little slimmer than the Slim Fit.

In the tables below all measurements are in inches.

Regular Fit – Shirt sizes

Collar SizeSleeve Lengths AvailableChest Size - Garment MeasurementWaist Size - Garment Measurement
15.033, 344342
15.533, 34.5, 364544
16.033, 34.5, 364746
16.533, 34.5, 36, 384948
17.034.5, 36, 385150
17.534.5, 36, 385352

Slim Fit – Shirt sizes

Collar SizeSleeve Lengths AvailableChest Size - Garment MeasurementWaist Size - Garment Measurement
15.033, 344238
15.533, 34.5, 364340
16.033, 34.5, 364542
16.533, 34.5, 36, 384744
17.034.5, 36, 384946
17.534.5, 36, 385248

Extra Slim Fit – Shirt sizes

Collar SizeSleeve Lengths AvailableChest Size - Garment MeasurementWaist Size - Garment Measurement
15.033, 344036.5
15.533, 34.5, 364238.5
16.033, 34.5, 364440.5
16.533, 34.5, 36, 384642.5
17.034.5, 36, 384844.5
17.534.5, 36, 385046.5

Interview with Christian Benedict shirts

I spoke to Christian McAleenan of Christian Benedict shirts about his new shirt business. A summary of our discussion is below.

Shirtdetective [SD] – so why did you move from law to shirts?

Christian [CB] – I knew that the law wasn’t for me and was discussing shirt buying with Benedict, my brother. Typically, I went every six months into a shirt retailer and bought the same shirts. Often it meant taking time out on a lunch break or having to go shopping on a weekend. It was a boring task I had to do and it struck me that it was probably the same for many other men. The more we discussed it, the clearer it became that shirt buying could be a subscription service. The business would offer a subscription service where men could sign up and receive shirts through the post regularly. It would take the hassle out of buying shirts, freeing up time for other more enjoyable tasks.

SD – I can see that would make sense for many men who find it a chore to buy shirts. How did you find your supplier?

CB – I went on Alibaba and contacted a number of different shirt suppliers. I then narrowed that down to around five suppliers that I felt I could work with. I then investigated them in more depth until I found a supplier that I felt offered the best deal.

SD – Is that a supplier based in China?

CB – Yes, I found that the best quality of shirts were made in China, with good lead times on delivery too.

SD – Did you look at UK suppliers?

CB – I did look for British suppliers, but there were none that I could find that could offer shirts at the prices that my customers would be willing to pay. I’d like to work with a British supplier and offer my customers British shirts, but I didn’t find any. If you know of any please let me know!

SD – The shirts are half-fused as far as I can tell. Is that correct?

CB – Yes. Half-fused at the collar and the cuff.

SD – Looking at the range, you are initially focusing on the more common sizes, with collar sizes from 15 inches to 17.5 inches and sleeves from 33 to 38 inches?

CB – Yes. We’re focusing on the most common sizes first, as that will mean that our range fits the majority of men. As the business grows it’s likely we will expand the range.

SD – And your range is just the three colors at the moment?

CB – Yes. That’s the starting range. At the end of June we will expand the range and introduce three striped shirts. In the future we’ll expand further to include other options, like French cuffs.

SD – Will you expand into non-iron in the future?

CB – We’re considering it but the cotton is treated to make them non-iron. I think that treatment weakens that shirt and makes it more likely to tear. I’ve gone through many elbows of non-iron shirts. I don’t want that happening to my customers.

SD – And you have gone for the typical range of cuts: regular, slim and extra slim?

CB – Yes. That’s standard in the market at the moment and we wanted to offer a range to our customers.

SD – I compared Christian Benedict shirts sizing to that of your competitors. You’re pretty close to other firms like Charles Tyrwhitt and TM Lewin.

CB – Again it’s about offering a range of shirts that will fit the majority of men. We’re really looking to provide the sort of shirts worn in the office, so to start with we’re avoiding really tight fitting shirts. I did some research on the different sizes available in the market and the measurements are my decision. Talking to men about sizing, I found out that many men are unaware that the chest and waist sizes of shirts increase as the collar size increases.

SD – Strange. The standard approach in the industry is that for every half inch increase in collar size, the waist and chest measurements increase by two inches.

CB – Exactly. That’s the approach I have taken.

SD – And how are you attracting customers?

CB – A number of different approaches. I’ve been doing some PR which is proving productive and we’re pushing the brand on social media. We’re also looking at partnering with other brands to include our inserts with their packaging.

SD – And how does the subscription service work? Do you email the customer?

CB – Yes. When customers join Christian Benedict shirts we take their details including their preferred frequency of delivery and ask them to pick their first shirt. For subsequent shirts we send the customer an email giving them options on which shirts they can order. We have the blue, white and pink shirts at the moment, but will expand the range over time. The customer clicks on the shirt they want and we send it through the post to them. They can also skip deliveries (through the same e-mail) or cancel any time. The aim is to make shirt buying easy.

SD – I hope it goes well. Good luck!