Being a shorter man can be frustrating when it comes to clothes. If you're under 5'10 (like me) you can often find that clothes aren't the right proportion. They look baggy, or scruffy, or just plain silly. In the past, there were two solutions:
1. Get a tailor to alter the clothing. This works for most items, but not for outerwear like jackets or coats where the pockets need to move as well. It's also an added expense - a tax on stature (doesn't really feel fair...).
2. Shop around like crazy. You never know, you might find a brand that happens to cut its shirts shorter, or stock trousers in a shorter size. Or you might not. Either way, you're doing a helluva lot of trial-and-error. You're probably sending back tons of clothing. It's a waste, no getting around it.
Luckily, all this is changing. There are now quite a few brands that cater for short men. However, in the UK, we're a little bit behind the US. And that's a problem that we're trying to solve at Ruler of London.
In general, these brands fall in two camps. Either they're standard clothing brands that offer shorter sizes (like Asket). Or they're clothing brands exclusively for shorter men (like Ruler of London). Both of them have a part to play in building out a great wardrobe.
A small note about our list: my aim is to highlight key features of each brand, not to rank them. Ultimately, fashion is subjective. And yes, I've put Ruler Of London at the top, but this is my website, so come on.
Which Clothing Brands are Best for Short Men in the UK?
Here's a list of 7 options if you're a shorter man. We looked for a number of criteria, including: quality, product range, design, pricing, and sustainability.
Ruler of London - The best for UK quality
Ruler of London is one of two UK brands exclusively aimed at the shorter man. The focus is on delivering great quality at a reasonable price.
➕ High quality, using premium fabrics
➕ High focus on sustainability in both manufacturing and packaging
➖ Limited product range in Jeans and Trousers
Designed and headquartered in the UK
🪡Manufactured in Portugal
💷 T-shirts at £20-£30
Bantam Clothing - The best for budget
Bantam is the other UK brand on this list. They've been around for a few years now, and are aimed at the budget end of market.
➕ Low-priced
➕ Good range of trousers, including chinos, jeans, and joggers
➖ Limited selection of shirts and tops
Designed and headquartered in the UK
🪡Unknown manufacturing origin
💷 T-shirts at £10-£20
Asket - The best for design
Asket make some beautiful garments, and offer shorter sizes for a number of essentials such as polos and t-shirts. However, they're certainly not cheap.
➕ Beautiful design, and high quality
➕ Transparent supply chain
➖ Expensive
🇸🇪 Designed and headquartered in Sweden
🪡Multiple manufacturing origins, including Portugal and Italy
💷 T-shirts at £35-£40
UNIQLO - The best for choice
Uniqlo are regularly mentioned as a great brand for shorter men. While they don't offer specific shorter lengths, they do offer XXS sizes, and many garments have better proportions for short guys.
➕ Great value, especially for the Supima t-shirt
➕ Huge choice
➖ Not designed especially for shorter men
🇯🇵 Designed and headquartered in Japan
🪡Unknown manufacturing origin
💷 T-shirts at £10-£20
Peter Manning NYC - The best for US formal
Peter Manning are the original brand for the shorter man. They've built up a great range for men 5'8 and under, including suits and shirts.
➕ Great range of formal wear
➖ US-based, no free returns
🇺🇸 Designed and headquartered in the US
🪡Unknown manufacturing origin
💷 T-shirts at $40
Ash & Erie - The best for US casual
Ash & Erie first appeared on Shark Tank (that's the US version of Dragon's Den) and have since developed a large range of garments for the shorter man, including button-down shirts and activewear.
➕ Great range
➕ Regular discounts
➖ Prohibitive delivery costs to the UK
🇺🇸 Designed and headquartered in the US
🪡Unknown manufacturing origin
💷 T-shirts at $35-$45
Under 5'10 - The best for US budget
Under 5'10 says it all! They're designed exclusively for the shorter gentleman and occupy the budget end of the market in the US.
➕ Low price
➖ Expensive delivery costs to the UK and no free returns
🇺🇸 Designed and headquartered in the US
🪡Unknown manufacturing origin
💷 T-shirts at $20-$25
Hope this was useful in helping you find the right brand for you. And do get in touch if I've missed any!
Jack, Founder of Ruler of London.