Video: Pistol – Agency Arms Field Glock 19; Rifle – Agency Arms Classified Rifle; Holster – Gcode; Suit – Ministry Of Supply

Intro
In adult life we acquire quite a bit of formal or business attire. For professionals or savvy dressers even more. For men specifically, the style of suits available are pretty generic. There are only a few styles, fabrics, and options. All of the suits I personally own are the standard wool box-shape suit that works for everything from business meetings to weddings. I primarily use a suit for work in executive protection which may require me to blend in or stand out; depending on the context of the detail. For anyone in this line of work or similar, that has trained in a suit, has seen its varied limitations.

Between comfort and functionality, suits have never been the most ideal attire for fighting, running, shooting, and other extreme activities. So, for training, most tend to wear attire that is more functional.


Ministry of Supply has found a link. Founded by Georgia Tech and MIT Graduates in 2010. They wanted to create better professional attire for the daily worker. They have a very unique way of making the clothing to include a 3D printer for sweaters that make seamless designs and 4-Way stretch fabrics. When I was presented the opportunity to test an outfit I was very interested because I have torn suit pants and the backs of blazers countless times. Also, they advertised that they stay wrinkle free and have “performance” oriented dress shirts. So my military mind said “Send It!”.

Photo: Jacket and Shirt – Ministry Of Supply; Rifle – Primary Weapon Systems Mk114 Mod 2 with Rail Scales, Steiner DBAL A3, Surefire Dual Pressure switch, and an Atlas bi-pod with an American Defense Manufacturing Mount 

Features
I ordered a jacket and pants (Aviator now named “Going Places Jacket”) and a Dress shirt (Apollo now named “Future Forward Dress Shirt”). The Going Places Jacket and Pants are light weight at maybe 16 oz. each. They are made with a 100% moisture-wicking polyester with a 4-Way stretch in a warp-knit construction. The jacket and pants both sport special slide button enclosures instead of the regular buttons we are used to.

The jacket includes two outer zipper pockets that are concealed with the flaps and two inside pockets; one on the right at the regular height and size and one on the left that is smaller and lower. Something the jacket does not include are larger shoulder pads, which is a feature I would have preferred.

The pants have the standard 4 pocket design and have a secondary internal lateral button enclosure. The Future Forward dress shirt is made of 57% polyester and 43% Outlast polyester, it has the same 4-Way stretch and wrinkle resistance as the jacket and pants. It has a thermolaminated collar construction and can resist sweat stains. All really awesome features, but we will see how they hold up.

Photo: Jacket – Ministry of Supply; Multitasker Twist; Surefire light with a Thyrm Switchback

Testing
I will say that I have never been a big clothing person, but I am slightly picky when it comes to certain things. When the Going Places Jacket/Pants and Dress shirt arrived in the mail I was pretty excited to get them out of the box and try them on. They were really light weight and the jacket was too small. I had to exchange it for a larger size. No big deal; just had to wait a little longer.

Customer service was quick and hassle free. I was able to take it out of the box and it only had the folds in the fabric. I decided to take it out for a range day/workout and did some sprinting, burpees, shooting, kneeling and wore it in 83-degree weather.

During testing I used an outside the waistband holster that would partly get caught on the inside flap. Not that big of a deal as long as you train to it. I am 5’10’’ and weigh around 180 lbs. and the large fit very well, but slightly too small for wearing soft armor. The outfit gave me such a great range of motion I just couldn’t tear them even with my level of flexibility. I was sweating pretty heavily during the workout and still didn’t feel over heated to the point I would have to remove a layer.

The dress shirt wicked moisture as well as any high-end workout shirts I own. I will say the white dress shirt did become see through-ish when wet. Given my mocha complexion, I was a little more “wet t-shirt contest” than I would like. Perhaps with another shirt color or a lighter complexion you wouldn’t run into this situation. The pants were great. I could have them tailored to fit better length wise. My legs are thick so I usually have problems with pants fitting and was happy to find that these were great. Running in them was a breeze and according to their website they had a runner complete a marathon in them. Overall I really enjoyed testing this outfit.

Conclusion
This is a great product line and Ministry of Supply has something truly amazing. Their clothing line is marketed towards individuals dressing for the modern look as opposed to the classic box-shaped suits.

I do believe that they can create a “Classic” line. Not because I am against modern outfits, but because blending in to business meetings, corporate settings, and in my case executive protection details can be difficult with this specific suit style.

The current modern suit available may be noticed by others and stand out in fields where the classic suit is common. For example, the slide buttons are cool and functional but a standard button can go a long way. If the shoulder pads were more predominant it could add a slight edge to looking like a classic suit as well.

I would recommend this clothing to any one with a skinny or athletic body. If you are in the market for a suit that is not restricting and gives you ample range of motion along with moisture-wicking abilities especially in tropical climates, you know where to go.

Going Places Jacket MSRP: $350 each via ministryofsupply.com
Going Places Pant MSRP: $140 each via ministryofsupply.com
Future Forward Dress Shirt MSRP: $95 each via ministryofsupply.com

Functionality: 5/5
Weight: 5/5
Durability: 5/5
Cost: 3/5
Comfort: 5/5
Overall Total: 23/25

Disclosure of Material Connection: I received the Ministry of Supply Suit via Spotter Up. I was not required to write a positive review. The opinions I have expressed are my own.

Originally published Published on: Jan 7, 2017 at 16:01

 

By Jon Dufresne

Jon Dufresne is a former US Army Ranger. He deployed multiple times with the 3rd Battalion 75th Ranger Regiment to the Middle East in a variety of capacities. He is experienced in counter terrorism tactics, reconnaissance, Airborne operations and is a certified Emergency Medical Technician. His post military experiences include executive protection and various firearms and tactics training. He is currently pursuing a degree in Business Management. You can follow him on Instagram @Mochabear_actual

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