Size Recommendation for Made-to-Measure Brands

Size recommendation helps made-to-measure brands by picking the right starting size, or block, from your own chart before you adjust it to the client's body. The client gives a photo and their height, the recommendation points to a base size, and your measurement process handles the final changes.

Made-to-measure (MTM) means each garment is adjusted from a base pattern to one person's measurements. That sounds like it doesn't need sizes at all, but most MTM brands still cut from graded blocks. For the general method behind photo sizing, see our guide to AI size recommendation for fashion stores.

Why would a made-to-measure brand need a size recommendation?

Most MTM brands don't draft every pattern from nothing. They keep a set of base patterns in standard sizes, called blocks, and alter the nearest one.

Picking the wrong block makes the alteration bigger and riskier. A jacket started two sizes too small needs more changes at the chest, shoulder and sleeve, and each change is a chance for error.

A size recommendation gives you a sensible starting point. It answers "which block do we start from?" so your pattern cutter only fine-tunes.

It also helps the client. Many people shopping MTM online feel unsure about measuring themselves. A quick size step on the product page gives them something to work with before the detailed measuring starts.

How is MTM sizing different from ready-to-wear sizing?

Question	Ready-to-wear	Made-to-measure
What does the client receive?	A garment in a fixed size	A garment adjusted to their body
What does the size label mean?	The final fit	The starting block
How many measurements matter?	A few key ones, such as chest or waist	Many, including length, rise and shoulder
What happens between sizes?	Pick one size	Start from one block and adjust
Who checks the fit?	The shopper	The brand, through a fitting or review

Because the label is only a starting point in MTM, a recommendation can be useful even when it isn't the final word.

How does photo-based sizing work for an MTM brand?

With ZeDaq.ai, the client taps "Find my size" on your product page. The flow is short:

1. The client uploads one photo and types their height.
2. Measurements are taken on the client's own device.
3. The measurements are matched to your size chart for that garment type.
4. The client sees one size from your chart. If they are between sizes, the scan sizes up.

Sizing up suits MTM well. It is usually easier to take a garment in than to let it out, especially at seams with little allowance.

You set up one chart per garment type: tops, outerwear, dresses and bottoms. For an MTM brand, that chart can mirror your block sizes rather than a retail size guide.

How do you build a size chart from your blocks?

Turn your block measurements into body measurement ranges. The chart should describe the person each block fits, not the flat garment.

Here is an example for a made-to-measure jacket brand. It is an example chart only, so build yours from your own blocks.

Block	Chest (cm)	Waist (cm)
36	88 to 92	74 to 78
38	92 to 96	78 to 82
40	96 to 100	82 to 86
42	100 to 104	86 to 90
44	104 to 108	90 to 94

Follow three rules as you build it:

• Make ranges meet. If one block ends at 96 cm, the next should start at 96 cm, so no client falls in a gap.
• Use body measurements. Take ease out first. Ease is the extra room a pattern adds over the body.
• Keep one chart per garment type. A jacket block and a trouser block grade differently.

Denim brands face a similar problem with rise and inseam. The guide to sizing for denim brands covers how to handle lower-body charts.

What happens after the size recommendation?

The recommendation gets the order started. Your normal MTM process still finishes it. A good order flow looks like this:

1. The client picks a style and gets a starting size on the product page.
2. You confirm the order and the style details, such as lapel or hem.
3. You collect full measurements for the custom adjustments.
4. Your cutter adjusts the recommended block.
5. You confirm the fit at a fitting or by video call before finishing.

Step 3 is where MTM needs more than a size. You may need sleeve length, shoulder slope or seat for trousers. These come from your own measuring process, not from a size label.

Keep the recommended size on the order record. If the final garment fits badly, you can check whether the block or the adjustments caused the problem, and fix your chart over time.

How do you collect full measurements from remote clients?

ZeDaq.ai's tailor tools include measurement links. You send a link, and the client opens it on their own phone, with no app to install. The results go to the client's record in your CRM.

From there, you can track the order and its delivery date on a calendar, and send an invoice in the client's currency. Invoicing supports multiple currencies, including NGN, GBP and USD.

You can also run all of this from the ZeDaq Business app for iOS and Android. For more on the tailor side, see the tools for tailors and designers.

Which MTM brands get the most out of size recommendation?

Some MTM businesses benefit more than others:

• Online-first suit and shirt brands whose clients never visit a shop.
• Brands with ready-to-wear and MTM lines that want one sizing step for both.
• Uniform makers that size large groups from fixed blocks. Our guide on uniform supplier sizing goes into group orders.
• Modest fashion brands that offer adjustments to sleeve and hem length. See sizing for modest fashion stores for chart tips.

A bespoke tailor who drafts every pattern from scratch gains less. In that case, full measurements matter more than a starting size.

What does it cost to add?

ZeDaq.ai's Free plan includes 3 measurements a month, enough to test your chart on real clients. Paid plans are Micro at $14 a month, Starter at $49, Growth at $129 and Scale at $299.

Every paid plan has a 3-day free trial with no card required. Check the current pricing for each plan's monthly try-ons and measurements.

FAQs

Can a size recommendation replace full measurements for MTM?

No. It picks the starting block. You still need full measurements for the custom adjustments.

Should my chart use garment or body measurements?

Use body measurements. Remove the ease from your block measurements first, so the chart describes the person each block fits.

Why does the scan size up between sizes?

A garment with extra room is easier to take in than a tight one is to let out. That suits MTM, where you adjust the block anyway.

Do clients need to install an app?

No. Find my size runs on your product page, and measurement links open on the client's phone without an app.