Birthday suit Eph Apparel celebrates 15 years of crafting custom experiences with revamped downtown showroom Made in Manitoba
By: Aaron Epp Posted: 8:18 PM CDT Thursday, May. 8, 2025

Andrew Parkes is turning 40 this month. As he takes stock of his first four decades, he credits Eph Apparel, the custom suit company he and two friends started in Winnipeg, with playing a big role in making him the man he is today.

“It’s been my baby, it’s been my education — every major lesson I’ve learned in business has been a result of doing it,” he says.

Before his milestone birthday, Parkes has another party to attend. On Saturday, he and business partners Alex Ethans and Maciek Hunek will host the grand reopening of Eph Apparel’s newly renovated showroom at 190 Smith St.

The celebration coincides with the brand’s 15th anniversary.

The company spent $175,000 on the renovation in an effort to elevate each step of the custom-suiting experience — from personalized fittings to fabric selection — placing an emphasis on ease, service and personalization.

The company’s investment in its showroom is also a reflection of its commitment to remaining part of downtown Winnipeg. Last year, the partners renewed their lease for 10 years.

“We’re three passionate Winnipeggers who have been raised here and value the community,” Ethans says. “We want to see downtown Winnipeg flourishing. I think that’s a reflection of a great city: having a great downtown core.”

Ethans, Parkes and Hunek solidified their friendship while working toward their bachelor of commerce degrees at the University of Manitoba.

“We want to see downtown Winnipeg flourishing. I think that’s a reflection of a great city: having a great downtown core.”–Alex Ethans

The idea for what would become Eph Apparel — a name they came up with using the first letters of their last names and pronounce like the letter “F” — started taking shape after they graduated in 2008 and were hunting for suits to wear to their first jobs.

The menswear they found was either too expensive, didn’t fit or looked like something that belonged to their fathers, the trio say.

Parkes had been backpacking through Asia and came across westerners who would leave the continent with a nice collection of stylish, high-quality suits made by local tailors at prices far lower than in North America.

When he returned to Winnipeg, he and his friends decided to start a business where they would take customers’ measurements, walk them through what kind of suit and customized details work best for them and send the order to a tailor house in China.

Their goal was to change the way men buy suits and make it both fun and educational — teaching them about the cut of the lapel, number of buttons and why some might go with one option or another because of body type or age.

The partners held fittings at the Winnipeg Winter Club before opening a full-time shop in Osborne Village that they relocated to Garry Street in 2013. In 2017, they moved to their current location and opened a second store in Calgary.

That same year, the company broke into the online shopping market when it launched a new website featuring an algorithm that will spit out the right sizing after the customer answers eight questions about their dimensions.

In the last 15 years, the company has filled 155,000 orders from approximately 65,000 customers. It employs 20 to 25 people in Winnipeg and three to five in Calgary, depending on the season, plus three sales reps in other regions.

The company does $3 million to 3.5 million in business annually.

Ninety-nine per cent of its customers live in Canada and the suits are manufactured primarily in Dalian, a port city on the Liaodong Peninsula at the southern tip of China’s Liaoning Province.

As styles have evolved, so have Eph Apparel’s offerings.

Fits have changed significantly over the years, Ethans says. Fifteen years ago, tight fits were in, but today customers are looking for a more relaxed look. “Certainly not the early 2000s baggy fit, but more of a comfortable, happy middle,” he says.

What people wear to work has also become more casual, he adds. As a result, Eph Apparel has broadened its offerings to include off-the-rack items like chinos and polos.

Outfitting people with custom suits for special occasions such as weddings and graduations is still a primary focus. Suits range in price from $429 to $1,200 according to design specifications, Ethans says, with the majority of customers spending between $500 and $600.

Customers make around 25 to 30 choices that go into the finished product, including the lapel size, number of vents on the back of the jacket and number of buttons. The jacket lining is one of the customizable aspects. Customers can choose linings that feature everything from a beloved movie character or their favourite sports team’s logo to a photo of their pet.

Eph Apparel’s tagline is “Suit yourself,” and the company means it.

“Truly, you do get to choose all your design options and choices,” Ethans says, adding employees are on hand to give customers one-on-one service and guide them if they’re having trouble making decisions.

“It’s the product that brings you in, but it’s the experience I want you going home telling your friends about.”–Alex Ethans

While the majority of customers are men, Ethans underscores Eph Apparel is an inclusive place where people of all gender identities can shop.

“We can outfit anybody that’s looking for a custom-made suit and have had experience doing so,” he says.

Ultimately, the company wants to offer everyone who walks through the doors a great experience.

“To me, that’s the most important thing,” Ethans says. “It’s the product that brings you in, but it’s the experience I want you going home telling your friends about.”

People who attend the grand reopening celebration Saturday (10 a.m. to 6 p.m.) will get a taste of what Eph Apparel offers. They can also expect product promotions, offerings from local vendors and consultations with expert stylists.

“I love the business that I’ve created with two great friends,” Ethans says. “We started with a dream and a tape measure — three guys in a basement testing product and seeing if this is even a viable option.”

Turns out it was. Eph Apparel is doing so well the partners plan to open a third storefront, in either Saskatchewan or Alberta, in the coming years.

“(I) love that we create a product that makes people feel better and allows them to put their best foot forward when they go to their event,” Ethans says.

Parkes agrees. He is amazed a business he launched with two friends at the start of their careers is still going strong a decade-and-a-half later.

“For us to still have a really strong friendship and partnership is awesome. We have so many great team members that keep the thing running, too,” he says. “I just look at all that and I feel I’m really fortunate to have felt like work is not work. I know many people aren’t so lucky.”

aaron.epp@freepress.mb.ca