The best example of a fashion startup I've seen is Indochino (www.indochino.com). They were faced with many of these issues and have gone and taken full control of their end to end supply chain. They are selling "physical fucking product" but they are making it more personalized and custom tailored (pardon the pun), direct to the customer. I don't have much need for wearing a suit these days, but the moment I do, they will be the first and only place I go.
In the beginning they even offered education to their customers around things like 1) selecting the right suit for the occasion 2) various types of ties/ways to tie a tie 3) type of cuffs, etc. They seem to have gotten rid of the education aspect of the business but I found it really helpful as someone who like fashion but doesn't know much about it.
I actually think Indochino is an example of someone focusing too much on the "physical fucking product" and missing some chances to do some real innovative stuff. They could potentially offer some really neat customizations, possibly even a full "internet bespoke tailor experience" kind of thing, but they avoid that in favor of more dumbed down aspirational product that tries to sell itself as something it isn't.
As for wanting to learn more, I'm currently teaching a university of reddit course on menswear customs, history, and how tos. Its under menswear 101. Go check it out.
I don't really agree. Maybe it's "dumbed down" experience comparing to a private tailor. But at that price range just getting out of the "standardised sizes" and getting details you want is worth it. Kind of like what http://www.tailorstore.co.uk provides. Barely anyone has actually heard about online stores like that. Amazon is the default. Why offer more customisations when people are not really ready for the basic customised experience?
I think Indochino would benefit from pushing the customization angle though. As it stands now they are simply offering a product not unlike Banana Republic with a bit more customization in the lining and a bit in the sizing. I think the number of people who want custom suits is a lot higher than you think (not to mention, Indochino's business model is highly dependent on return customers) and aiming more for the market currently only filled by traveling Hong Kong tailors might be in their better interest. I do think they are going in that direction though.
In the beginning they even offered education to their customers around things like 1) selecting the right suit for the occasion 2) various types of ties/ways to tie a tie 3) type of cuffs, etc. They seem to have gotten rid of the education aspect of the business but I found it really helpful as someone who like fashion but doesn't know much about it.