Bespoke apparel social enterprise Bonham Strand is crowdfunding to come to Philly

It’s happening. Bonham Strand, the Hong Kong-based social enterprise that employs at-risk populations as artisan tailors, is setting new roots in Philadelphia this month.

The company, founded by Penn grad Jong Lee, is starting its U.S. expansion here in Philadelphia, where it plans on eventually employing returning citizens. The Philadelphia launch will be followed by Chicago in March, San Francisco in April and Los Angeles in May.

But first, the social enterprise needs to raise some money. To do that, Lee and company have launched a “crowdfunding campaign” on Bonham Strand’s website: Rather than donations, the purchases are pre-orders for actual bespoke suits, tuxes, shirts and the like.

Catch the Philly Bonham Strand crew at one of their “Happy Hour Suit Parties” every day from Feb. 9 to 14 to learn more about the company, its future in Philadelphia — and of course, get fitted for some bespoke apparel.