If this is the first apparel review of mine you’ve read, there’s some lore to catch up on.
My thick legs, wide waist, and long arms make shopping for attractive apparel a real pain in my (rather large) rear end.
Annoying as it may be, there’s never been a better time to be a man seeking made-to-measure elegance.
Brands like SUITSUPPLY, Indochino, and Proper Cloth allow us guys to secure customized garments from our phones.
Something about being surrounded by mirrors while an experienced tailor measures every dimension eases any fit-related worries, which is why I took advantage of Proper Cloth’s in-person services for my recent pickups.
Well, yours truly is moving to Spain—somewhere none of those brands have brick-and-mortar outposts.
Among these hybrid menswear brands, Brisk works fully remote.
They caught my eyes for two reasons: they offer a nice balance of dressy and casual pieces, and they deal heavily in a big vice of mine—denim.
Doing what any level-headed person would do, I snagged three pairs of jeans and two shirts to see if Brisk delivers when I need a perfect fit.
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What Is Brisk?
Since 2017, Brisk makes custom and ready-to-wear men’s apparel 100% online.
For the sake of simplicity, they offer two products: shirts and jeans.
Brisk denim is available in straight, slim, and skinny fits featuring a wide variety of washes, all of which are sized using the standard waist/inseam combo.
Customers can pick from shirts designed in-house, enter a few measurements that require nothing more than a tape measure, and decide between pocket vs. no pocket on most styles.
Their “Design Your Shirt” section is where customers really get to play fashion designer.
After picking out a fabric from hundreds of color and print options, Brisk produces a truly one-of-a-kind shirt based on your specified dimensions or standard sizes.
If you can’t find a neon-green oxford with a camp collar, straight hem, black buttons, and tuxedo pleats from another brand, Brisk will do it.
Sometimes you’ll run into an occasional sizing mishap when ordering custom clothing online. Brisk understands this, so customers can alter their purchases at no cost until a perfect fit is achieved.
Things to Consider Before Buying
If you’re hustling to get a custom-made shirt before the big day, Brisk isn’t a last-minute fix.
Their made-to-measure clothing ships in 10-15 days, so add on a week or two until it’s at your doorstep. Brisk denim arrives sooner as it only goes off of the waist and inseam.
My Hands-On Review
Light Wash Slim Fit Jeans – Ultra
You know how spoiled we are with every wash of jeans being a “submit order” away?
You may not know it, but until humans discovered the art of artificial distressing, it would take years to develop this shade of blue.
Brisk’s range of wash options is puny compared to what established brands offer, but their Light Wash Slim Fit Jeans in their Ultra fabric one of their lightest, and it’s super versatile.
It contrasts nicely with dark-colored tops and matching it with anything light the way to rock denim in the summer.
Because Brisk doesn’t customize denim yet, I’m stuck with the same shopping formula I use with any other brand: waist, inseam, and fit.
Waist and inseam? They’re great. Some brands can be a little off, but with Brisk’s high-stretch denim, the waist is especially forgiving.
The overall fit illustrates why I don’t like stretch denim and spring for raw instead.
The fabric hugs every contour between my waist and ankle. If there wasn’t so much elastic fiber in the fabric, I could still have the slim look without gripping my calf. This isn’t even their skinny fit, but I do realize that my body structure makes them hug my legs a bit more.
Okay, so maybe not the jeans for me, but they have the same wash in the wider fits I’m so fond of. The elastrell and lycra-infused cotton is comfortable and reminds me of “commuter” trousers that flex with every bend, squat, and lunge.
Brisk Light Wash Slim Fit Jeans - Ultra
The Light Wash Slim Fit Jeans have a pre-distressed, worn-out look and feel that would otherwise take months of constant wear to get. Plus, the stretchy denim material avoids any uncomfortable tightness when I’m sitting at my desk or hustling around the city all day.
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Light Mid Wash Skinny Fit Jeans – Rotary
The Light Mid Wash Skinny Fit Jeans are further down the spectrum with a faint blue color and slight distressing down the legs.
This is typically as light as I’ll go for most of my outfits. I love the old-school feel of this wash without looking like they accidentally wandered into a bleach load.
With an 84% cotton, 14% polyester, and 2% elastane fiber profile, the rotary fabric is even stretchier than the ultra fabric.
I don’t think I’d be able to squeeze into these without it.
The skinny fit is Brisk’s most narrow option, and based on how I felt about the slim fit mentioned before, I’m even less enthralled with how these look on me.
But tight as they might be, they’re actually not uncomfortable at all. The stretch fabric is forgiving enough for big guys like me to experience a skinny-fit jean whereas other options on the market have a similar design with a more rigid cotton fabric.
When I go true-to-size with 100% denim, it’s one step forward, two steps back. It takes weeks before they form to my waist, only to shrink back a bit after a wash.
Brisk adds two extra inches in the waist to compensate for the stretch, and it works well for bigger guys like me. Because my size 34×32 is actually 36×32, I don’t have to perform lunges around my apartment like a lunatic trying to stretch them out.
Considering skinny jeans have historically been geared towards slender fellas, stretch fabric and two inches of buffer in the waist is a smart move by Brisk. They’re not my first choice if I’m building an outfit intended to compliment my frame, but I know that these answer the prayers to a whole host of men running in circles looking for skinnies to strut confidently in.
Brisk Light Mid Wash Skinny Fit Jeans - Rotary
Turns out extra room in the waist and adaptive denim means my big-boy build isn’t out of the running for skinny jeans. They’re just as easy to move around in as my boot-cut jeans with years of break-in behind them—all with a distressing pattern to match.
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Rinse Dark Wash Straight Fit Jeans – Sage
As somewhat of a denim historian, my Brisk jeans thus far have been a modern interpretation of the trouser with slim fits, retail-ready distressing, and stretch fabric.
The Rinse Dark Wash Straight Fit Jeans are a return to form.
Only 1.5% of the 11.5 oz fabric is lycra. With the rest being cotton, it feels more durable than the other jeans I tested. I prefer the genuine denim personality these have over the previous two.
They have enough stretch to make a difference, however. I wouldn’t say these could endure the splits, but they’re effortless to move around in. Trading in stretch for durability is an exchange I’m happy to make.
With a fit that’s firm in the thighs and seat, loose through the calf, and an opening wide enough to slip over a pair of boots, I can safely say these look the best on me.
I think the dark wash is the best of Brisk, not only because the uniform blue color can be dressed up or down, but I’ll get a unique fade as I continue to wear the jeans.
Every pair comes with some neat details, but they look especially good on these boys.
The leather patch along with a branded metal tab on the coin pocket give the straight fit jeans a designer-esque feel.
Depending on the wash, these will be colored differently, but the brown and brass finishes contrast nicely with the deep blue dye here.
The Rinse Dark Wash Straight Fit Jeans nail everything: feel, fit, and a gradual fade that no other pair of jeans will have. Other Brisk’s pairs are neutral enough to fit into a multitude of looks, but considering these mesh well with boots, blazers, and button-ups, I can safely say that these get the most use.
Brisk Rinse Dark Wash Straight Fit Jeans - Sage
A dark indigo wash, straight fit, and 5-pocket design check all of my classic denim boxes. I value durability over stretchiness with jeans, and with the fabric being almost 99% cotton, I’m not as concerned with rips, frays, or meticulous garment care.
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Denim Medium Wash Shirt – Band Collar
No disrespect to the other Brisk pickups, but I was most excited to get my hands on the Denim Medium Wash Shirt.
A good 50% of my outfits incorporate a denim shirt—all of which are western style.Brisk deviated by iterating on one of my favorite menswear motifs: a band collar, AKA a Mandarin collar.
They’re usually only seen on linen shirts. Featuring them on a denim shirt is a genius application, and it wasn’t until I saw Brisk’s that I realized very few brands are making them.
My affinity for raw denim borders addiction. To me, the smell of indigo dye is like the spicy aroma of rum to a pirate.
I picked up on that smell here. It’s slightly musty, but not bad, and goes away after a wash regardless. Point being, I appreciate Brisk is using the real stuff instead of cheap dyes that fail to match the beauty of indigo’s natural blue pigment.
Brisk calls it a denim shirt, although it feels a lot closer to chambray to me. The fabric’s thin feel is the main cause. At only 4 oz., it lacks the rugged substance that denim is known for. On the bright side, it still looks like denim and surely wears better on warm days.
Brisk includes extra buttons sewn on the inside bottom of the shirt—one each for the collar and placket. I like that I have backups should one pop off after much loving use, but they were stitched on loosely enough to remove with a careless tug.
The Denim Medium Wash Shirt’s collar size, sleeve, and shirt length are sewn to the customer’s dimensions. You also get to select pocket or no pocket and fit type.
I tend to wear denim shirts untucked, and as you can see here, it’s well past where a casual shirt falls. A slightly long button-up shirt is hardly a deal-breaker, but it wasn’t what I requested.
Despite a fixable sizing disappointment (for free), I’m stoked with this shirt. Denim shirts are timeless, yet they’ve also gone virtually unchanged since their inception. The band collar is a meaningful style choice that stands out from several others in my closet. A standout, handsome, custom-made piece of menswear for less than $90 is nothing less than an investment.
Brisk Denim Rinse Wash Shirt - Band Collar
I love band collars almost as much as I love denim shirts. Brisk having combined the two couldn't make me more stoked. It'll only look better as the authentic indigo dye begins to fade with each wear.
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White Feather Soft Piqué Full Sleeve Polo Shirt
Last week I wore the Feather Soft Piqué for the first time—75°F and sunny in beautiful NYC.
Everything about the White Feather Soft Piqué Full Sleeve Polo Shirt’s shirt is perfect for this kind of weather.
First, the white colorway gives off total Wimbledon vibes—straight class. But actually, combined with the piqué fabric, it’s the only long-sleeve (that isn’t made of linen) that I would still wear in this kind of heat.
The piqué is 60% cotton and 40% polyester, which is more breathable and lightweight than polos with a higher cotton content—think Ralph Lauren or Lacoste.
Because this shirt is one of their existing designs, getting the right fit wasn’t super complex.
I only needed to provide my general size (S, M, L etc), sleeve, and shirt length.
Brisk offers the same material in their “design your own shirt” section in more than the nine colors available in their current lineup.
I think the featherweight piqué would be just as dashing on a button-up (Brisk’s only full-custom silhouette), so I definitely see myself throwing on my choice of buttons, collar style, and monogram very soon.
The soft extreme spread collar looks like a dress-shirt collar with the comfort of a polo shirt, which is a neat feature that I haven’t really seen before.
The band-collar denim shirt was slated to be my #1 pick, but the piqué polo has it beat. The fit didn’t need any revisions, and the white goes with everything. While it’s a basic polo that doesn’t say make any statements about my personal style, a proper fit is just as important as self expression.
Brisk White Feather Soft Piqué Full Sleeve Polo Shirt
Few garments ooze springy sophistication like a long-sleeve polo. There aren’t any crocodiles or ponies on the chest that indicate what I paid. I get asked on the fit alone.
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What Do Other Reviewers Say?
Whether it be style or service related, customers have mostly good things to say about Brisk.
A host of shirt reviews rave about the price. Tons of customers say that Brisk’s value has made them their go-to any time they want a custom-fitted shirt, and they don’t find the 10-15 turnaround to be such a wait.
Denim customers are largely pleased with how accommodating the denim is. I rarely spotted any customers saying that the fit was way off, but the simple return process seemed to be a silver lining.
It seems like there’s a 50-50 mix between jeans with and without rips. A few reviewers (including myself) would like to see more style diversity among the jeans.
Brisk Alternatives
SuitSupply
If you want that 1/1 fit on more than just denim and shirts, SuitSupply is the spot.
The brand’s selection of menswear is enormous. Most of it leans formal, so while they can obviously fit you for a black-tie event, they’ve got you covered with shorts, vests, coats, and more.
Suitsupply
Suitsupply brings an impressive amount of expertise and quality to the sub-$1000 custom suiting experience. I’m most impressed by the number of customization options they offer, from fabric choices, to jacket fits, and even button styles. While their suits cost more than competing brand’s offerings, the craftsmanship, quality and fit makes it well worth it for me.
Shop SuitsupplyRead Our Review
Indochino
If there’s an upcoming formal event where you’re really looking to impress, I’d point you to Indochino.
Getting the right fit on a suit is crucial, and Indochino can get it done online or in-person at one of their standalone showrooms or in select Nordstrom locations.
INDOCHINO Custom Suits
I like that Indochino offers a huge selection of customization options, like lapel style, buttons, linings, and monograms. However, the suit I had made didn’t fit as well as I’d hoped from a custom fitting. That said, the brand offers a Perfect Fit Promise and is still a solid choice for custom-made, affordable suits.
Shop IndochinoRead Our Review
My Thoughts Overall
What I Like
- For the most part, Brisk nailed sizing their shirts to my measurements.
- The piqué material is breathable enough to rock a long sleeve in the summer heat.
- Brisk’s ultra and rotary fabric has enough stretch to make a skinny-fit pair of jeans comfortable.
- Leather patch and metal tab details deliver a more premium feel to their denim compared to similarly priced options from other brands.
- The sage denim seems the most durable while retaining enough stretch for easy movement.
- I’m more likely to buy custom-made shirts from Brisk with their free alteration policy in mind.
What I Don’t Like
- The slim fit looks and feels like a skinny fit, and the skinny fit doesn’t flatter my thick legs.
- Brisk’s customization is accurate but limited to just shirts.
- All of their denim has a certain amount of stretch that results in a skinny fit on anything slimmer than a straight cut on me.
Who Is Brisk For?
Brisk is worth checking out if you’re willing to wait for shirts that form to your unique shape.
Customization is held just to shirts, but they get it right the first time based on my experience and they have a balanced selection of formal and casual options.
The Verdict
If a custom fit was easy, the service would be available everywhere.
I find Brisk’s shirts-only personalization restricting compared to what other brands offer, but they make up for their narrow assortment with accuracy and convenience. Only the length of the denim shirt was off, and I plan on sending it back for a complimentary alteration.
Plus, you can design your own shirt from the ground up—something unavailable from household names within sartorial menswear.
While their denim selection was underwhelming, I found a truly nice pair of jeans that I actually see myself wearing: the straight-fit jeans. They drape wonderfully over my favorite sneakers.
Otherwise, I’d like to see Brisk move into DYOD—design your own denim. That way I have more to play with than their stretch denim and numerous rip motifs.
Brisk Shirts
Brisk’s shirts rarely skip a beat for a web-only tailored menswear company. All but one measurement was off across everything I got, which I can get altered for free. As a brand, Brisk’s product is stylish and affordable, but their options are limited in the context of who they’re competing with.
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