The Black Tux operates an online suit and tuxedo rental service that guides customers through an algorithmic fitting process and ships garments for events. The company owns its supply chain and manages logistics in-house, including dry-cleaning, tailoring services, and inventory management, enabling higher-quality garments at lower rates than traditional rental shops. Its suits use Italian fabrics, start at $95, and the average customer spends about $140; the business has grown to hundreds of thousands of customers and has repeatedly sold out of inventory since launching in June 2013. The Black Tux ships suits a week in advance and offers overnight replacements or pays for local tailoring if items do not fit. In response to customer demand, the company plans to experiment with offering certain rental items for final sale. Financially, the company has raised a total of $40 million since 2012, including a recent Series B. The Black Tux operates a direct-to-consumer men’s formalwear rental business, designing its tuxedos and suits in-house. Since launching in 2013 the company has expanded beyond basic tuxes to include casual suits and opened a showroom in Santa Monica. Management is focused on expanding inventory and the logistics/physical footprint rather than retail stores. Planned product additions include velvet tuxes, navy suits and a new shawl-collar tux alongside existing tuxedo and grey suit lines. The company declined to disclose revenues but reports a waiting list of 20,000–30,000 for its inventory. Longer-term ambitions include becoming a Rent The Runway–style platform for its own brand, including collaborations and an expanded line of tailored, branded clothes. Black Tux, founded in 2013 by Andrew Blackmon and Patrick Coyne, operates an online tuxedo and suit rental service based in Santa Monica, California. The company offers three tuxedo options and two less-formal options, with rentals priced from $95 to $160 and each order including shoes and accessories. Garments are fitted using customers' exact measurements, via a local tailor, or by following an online measurement tutorial; Black Tux covers shipping costs for deliveries and returns. The founders worked with designers and pattern makers for the company’s initial styles and intend to launch under the Black Tux brand while remaining open to partnerships. Management has stated plans to build a large customer list and leverage the brand to disrupt the rental market. Investors view the broader rental category as attractive—Men’s Wearhouse reported $142.2 million in rental revenue for a recent quarter—underscoring market opportunity.

Total raised

$38M

Funding rounds

3

Latest round

Series B

Latest activity

Sep 2015