The History of American Tall: Creating Clothing for Tall People

This month, we’re celebrating our sixth anniversary at American Tall – and what better way to celebrate than with a stroll down memory lane? Read on for the full history of American Tall and how we became one of the top brands when it comes to fashion for tall people. 

Where It All Started 

It all began with a lack of options for fashion for tall slim people. While manufacturing clothing for big and tall clothing stores, our co-founder Saul discovered that there weren’t any options for guys that were tall and slim. If tall guys needed the extra length, they had to settle for the extra width, as well. Even though tall men over 6’3” represented such a small portion of the market, he knew that it was important to fill that void and serve a group that had been left out for far too long.  

The rise of e-commerce made it easier to develop a niche business without having to rely upon the geographic limitations of brick-and-mortar stores. American Tall was registered in June 2015 and on March 17, 2016, we were officially open for business. We started with eight core styles in a variety of colors and after three sales on our first day, we never looked back. Options when it came to clothing for tall people were so limited that we were welcomed with open arms. 

We weren’t just focused on making clothes that were long enough, though. Tall guys had gone for far too long without clothes that fit properly, and we wanted to make sure that the quality was as good as the fit! All of our styles had to be as comfortable as possible. Our very first dress shirts were long enough and were made of a stretchy fabric that our customers would want to wear all day long.

Family Ties

American Tall is a multi-generational family business, and family is at the heart of everything we do. For the first couple of years, most of the company was run out of the family home. The kitchen table was the design studio, the marketing department and the customer service center all in one. A family member had generously offered up warehouse space to store the product, and all of the design work and returns processing took place at home. What started as a family business grew into a larger team – but family values are still at the core of everything we do. 

Bigger Spaces 

After quickly outgrowing the small warehouse (and the kitchen table), American Tall moved into a bigger warehouse in April 2018. The company was growing rapidly, and within a year and a half we’d expanded within that same complex before finally moving to our existing warehouse in March 2020 right before the pandemic hit. As we continue to grow our range of clothing for tall people, we’re adding even more space with a second warehouse opening this summer.

More Styles for Tall 

While our collection started as basic staple pieces, we gradually started to expand our line to include items beyond the essentials. When we realized how popular pants with extra-long inseams were, we added chinos and sweatpants in 2017 that flew off the shelves. 2019 was the year that we really began to expand beyond the basics. We launched swimwear so that guys could finally own swim trunks that fit their long legs, activewear and performance wear to help our customers sweat it out in clothes that were as comfortable as they were capable and jackets and outerwear designed for longer arms and torsos. 

Expansion Into Women’s Clothing 

After spending a few years developing our men’s clothing collection, we decided it was time to give our tall girls some love. Our first items for tall women dropped in April 2020 but it wasn’t until the end of 2020 that we really began to expand our catalogue. At the end of that year, we expanded into offering joggers, crewnecks, leggings and more in a range of styles. Our women’s line has only continued to grow, including the recent addition of a range of trendy denim styles including our Britney Bootcut Jeans, Jada Mom Jeans and Lola Slim-Fit Jeans. 

Building the American Tall Team 

As American Tall continues to grow, so does our team. We have some of the best designers, planners, warehouse employees, digital marketers and finance professionals working at American Tall to help us take our team to new heights. And the feeling of being a family business hasn’t changed as the company has grown bigger! In October 2021, we hired a chef who cooks fresh vegetarian meals every day at our head office so that all of our employees can enjoy a meal together. 

Style Namesakes 

Have you ever wondered where some of our style names come from? Most of them have actually been named after people who were instrumental in getting the company off the ground! Our popular Oskar Button-Up Shirt was named after Saul’s father Oskar, a legend in the industry who taught us everything we needed to know about shirting. Our Carman Jeans were named after Joel Carman, an icon in the Canadian denim industry that helped us get our start in creating jeans for tall men. And our J1 Jeans pay homage to the company’s first model, James, who still models for us today! Some of our other denim styles including our Lola Jeans and our Georgia Jeans have even been named after employee family members.  

First Brand Collaboration 

In the winter of 2021, we launched our first brand collaboration with an outside party. We collaborated with Point Zero, Canada’s foremost expert on premium outerwear, to design the best parkas for tall men and women. Made of a polyester shell with a polar fleece lining, they’re designed to withstand the coldest climates of up to -31° Fahrenheit (-35° Celsius) with a removable faux fur hood for added warmth. We’d been selling outerwear since 2019, but our parkas were an instant hit, since tall men and women have struggled to find parkas that were long enough for their arms and torso for years. 

What’s Next 

We've come so far over the last six years, and we have lots of exciting plans for the future! Keep your eyes out for more styles for tall men and women in the near future (including options you can wear from head to toe – hint hint). Here's to many more years of creating the best clothing for tall people!