Socks, meat, socks for your meat (condoms, that is); there are very few things that you can’t get a subscription for these days.

But what about what’s hanging in your wardrobe? Would you trust a stranger behind a screen to pick your threads? Well, a growing number of men are doing just that, freeing themselves of the burden of shopping and handing over all sartorial responsibility to clothing subscription services.

What Is A Subscription Box?

The phrase ‘subscription box’ can bring to mind a certain idea: a monthly delivery of stuff that you haven’t chosen, don’t necessarily want and probably won’t ever use. It’s the kind of thing that you sign up to (possibly drunk) thinking it’ll be a really handy and time-saving thing, only to be left with a regular hole in your paycheck and a pile of unopened boxes in the corner of your bedroom.

Thankfully, clothing subscription services don’t work like this at all. Rather, they are carefully curated – either to slot into your pre-existing wardrobe or specially selected ensembles for an event – and are increasingly becoming the principal method of shopping for some men.

Menswear stylist Safiya Yekwai, who has dressed grime superstar Stormzy, believes that it’s down to the fact that guys are becoming more and more interested in fashion. “Men are now interested in expressing themselves through what they wear. However, even though men’s fashion is moving on leaps and bounds from a basic T-shirt and jeans or a suit, the biggest building block for any outfit is still functionality. As a stylist, you always want to create balance between fashion-flair, comfort and function.”

Depending on the service, you’ll be asked to answer questions about your lifestyle, budget, favourite brands and (crucially) measurements, either on the phone or online. It’s like having your own personal shopper, but one that you get to chat to about your cut preferences and leg length while sat on the sofa in your best pizza-stained joggers.