On this day, November 21 in the year 1948, the man who delivered well-fitting tuxedos for millions of men was born in New York City. His name is George Zimmer, the founder of Men’s Wearhouse, ztailors, and Generation Tux.

George Zimmer was the son of an American Jewish couple who owned a clothing manufacturing business. He attended Washington University in St. Louis City and graduated with a degree in economics. He joined the family business after a stint as a teacher. In 1971, he was sent to Hong Kong to open a sale’s office for his family coat business.

In 1973, George Zimmer and his former roommates in college founded Men’s Wearhouse in Houston. By 1980, there were twelve stores in Houston. Since then, it has opened branches all over the United States. In 1986, George appeared in his first TV commercial. In 1992, with over 100 stores, the company conducted an initial public offering (IPO) which brought in $13 million new capital.

In 1999, the company made its international foray by acquiring the Canadian men’s wear retailer Moores. In 2013, members of the board of directors dismissed George as executive chairman due to disagreement about control of the company’s direction. At that time, the company had sales of over $2.48 billion with more than 1,100 stores.

Two years after his dismissal, George Zimmer founded zTailors, a nationwide network of on-demand tailoring service provider. Several months later, he launched Generation Tux as a high-end online tuxedo and suit rental service.

George Zimmer is married with two children.

References
https://www.menswearhouse.com/mw-story
https://www.generationtux.com/our-story/our-founder
https://www.forbes.com/sites/walterloeb/2013/07/02/mens-wearhouse-a-storm-in-a-teacup/#14c7fc524b9a
https://www.inc.com/magazine/201606/tom-foster/george-zimmer-mens-wearhouse.html
http://www.huffingtonpost.com/2013/06/19/george-zimmer-fired_n_3465060.html?1371650527