Fokke de Jong takes a pristine cashmere jacket from a rail in his new store, Suitsupply, in Mayfair, and in one dramatic gesture, rips out the lining. “You won’t fi nd this kind of workmanship for this price anywhere else in the UK,” he says, motioning to the fi nely stitched inner construction of cotton, wool and camel hair. “It’s made using an old-fashioned Italian technique that gives a more comfortable fi t.” The 34-year-old Dutchman is on a mission to give the cheap suit a good name with his Europe-wide Suitsupply chain. The formula is simple: high-end suits with a starting price of less than £200 for ready-to-wear and a mere £300 for bespoke tailoring – something that may have agitated a few folks on nearby Savile Row.

“They probably frown on us a bit, but I don’t really care what they think about it,” says de Jong. Business has been so brisk in the three months since the London branch launched that he confi dently predicts another six to eight UK stores will open within 12 months, eventually growing to a chain of 30. “We had absolutely no competition at all,” says de Jong. “You have all the top-end tailors and designer labels, then the low-end chains, such as Moss Bros, where a critical suit-buying customer simply wouldn’t shop.”

Suitsupply’s brand identity is way sexier than that of Moss Bros or Burton and much less fusty than Savile Row. De Jong personally designs all of the shop interiors (blue rubber floors, Scandi-chic furniture, flash plasma-screen televisions), and he is equally hands on when it comes to the brand’s raunchy imagery. In one shot, de Jong himself appears, flanked by two bare-chested babes, in the boardroom.

De Jong’s not-so-subtle attempt to apply the Lynx effect to clothing has brought bumper profits, but his success might have less to do with nubile beauties than the allure of the product itself. Sex sells, but so does cheap cashmere.

Supersoft overcoats for £230 have, unsurprisingly, been a top seller, and the swift alteration service on ready-to-wear suits (if the in-house tailors can’t do it within 30 minutes, you don’t pay) has delighted a legion of satisfied customers. Thoughtful details include breast pockets rounded to fit the contours of the body, and shoulder lines put back a little, so you don’t see the seam.

It’s the bespoke service that really gets customers salivating, however. After you have been measured up and have chosen the fabric (those in the know opt for Prince of Wales checks, fine herringbone weaves or subtle pinstripes), a suit costing between £300 and £1,400 (for pure cashmere) will be ready within six weeks. If you are wondering how Suitsuppy can do all this so cheaply, de Jong says: “I cut out the middle man. I found Italian factories that were making suits for the likes of Hugo Boss for about £90 and started working directly with them.”

De Jong’s entrepreneurial streak was evident early. He did a roaring trade in pinball machines at 13, and boasts of being the “first kid to own a mobile in high school”. These days, he is the image of the playboy businessman. “I would like to use my yacht more often,” he laments. “It’s moored in Jersey now, so I hope I’ll get to use it a bit more when I’m in England this year.”

Logistical considerations aside, there remains one small problem. De Jong’s wardrobe includes about 50 suits, but contains little in the way of leisure wear. “It’s okay,” he says, with a grin. “When I’m out at sea, I prefer to go naked.”

Suitsupply, 9 Vigo Street, W1; www.suitsupply.co.uk