Luxire Review: The Best Made to Measure Gurkha Trousers?

Looking for information on Luxire? We take a look at some of their products in this hands-on review.

Even as the world continues to go casual, there’s been a delightful proliferation of ‘in between’ garments. In particular, made-to-measure shirting, unstructured jackets, and tailored casual trousers are becoming more widespread.

As someone who still most often works out of my home but has long moved beyond pajamas and joggers, I jumped at the chance to offer an unsponsored, objective review of Luxire’s Gurkha trousers, as well as their made-to-measure shirting and unique jacket. 

Below, I’ll cover Luxire as a brand, a little history of the Gurkha trouser, detail their fit and finish, and demonstrate a few ways to style these unique pants. 

About Luxire

As I’ve written about previously, India has become a hotbed for clothing and footwear. 

Skilled craftspeople who honed their trade cutting and sewing for big-box brands have gone on to work for boutique firms producing highly specialized, custom goods– using some of the world’s finest fabrics.

With no retail infrastructure or significant overhead, these companies are able to offer these fabrics to consumers at much lower prices.

Luxire, conceived in late 2011 by Ashish Arya, is one of the forerunners of bringing this kind of clothing to the wider world. 

What began as a shop focusing mostly on shirting has expanded to a full lineup, to include made-to-measure jackets, suiting, and literally thousands of custom trouser combinations. 

The company still makes their products in India, but headquarters appear to be out of Munich, Germany (which is why, if you look closely, you’ll see Luxire: Munchen branded on the buckles).

Luxire also claims to be the world’s fastest made-to-measure service, offering turnaround times of as little as 72 hours. Such speed has, sometimes, come at the expense of customer service and experience. 

With these kinds of MTM brands that advertise super quick delivery, it’s unspoken, but it’s kind of agreed upon that your first garment isn’t going to be right. In some cases, it turns out comically off. 

Previous Experiences With Luxire

My first experience with Luxire was getting a pair of heavy flannel trousers made back in 2020 to my body measurements. 

The rise was a little lower than I’d hoped for, but not horrible. (And truth be told, I may have screwed up the request, too). The waist was the correct size and the leg opening was in the right ballpark, too.

That said, the thigh and seat were so big I had to have a couple of inches taken out.

However, my next pair, a cream linen/cotton/canvas in a medium high rise, was borderline perfect. 

I built it using my best-fitting pair of trousers and then adjusted the front and back rise to dial in what I wanted. I’d strongly suggest measuring a well-fitting pair in a similar cloth as the one you wish to have made, and going from there. 

The reason why you want to compare with trousers of a similar fabric is that, for example, 3” of thigh tolerance is going to look and feel much larger in linen than it will in wool. 

At one time, Luxire did have an option for a ‘trial’ pair of trousers. For about $25, they’d make you a pair to specs using inferior cloth-much the way a bespoke suit or shirt fitting works. Then, you dial in the fit from there. 

But that’s no longer available. Bummer. 

I think it would be a small price to pay to get an exact fit, especially if you get into higher-tier fabrics from Fox Brothers or E.Thomas.

I’d also had one shirt done through Luxire. 

It largely fit well with the exception of the armholes which, unfortunately, were just too tight for me. This was largely my error in measuring armholes incorrectly on an existing shirt. 

I did learn, though, that Luxire’s shirting is far more exacting than most “custom” tops — they’re not just S/M/L or 15/33 pattern cut down to spec. So, I was interested to try a shirt as well. 

Luxire allowed me to build Gurkha trousers and then add a shirt and an interesting piece of outerwear for a complete outfit in exchange for my honest, unbiased review. 

What are Gurkha Trousers?

The Gurkha trouser is a truly unique piece of historic menswear.

Named for early 19th-century Nepalese military units defending their homeland from bloody British imperialists, and then adapted by those same bloody imperialists defending the free world from fascism in the 20th century, Gurkha trousers are identifiable by the unique method of getting them on and off. 

I’m abridging Ben St. George’s excellent piece for The Rake Magazine, but these particular pants feature a distinctive high waistband and, instead of belt loops, deploy a buckle and closure system with two elongated tabs.

The right to left tab is the ‘under’ and the left to right is the ‘over.’ Both slip through separate brass buckles to cinch neatly at the natural waist. 

Traditional Gurkha trousers are fuller-cut through the hip and thigh, with double reverse pleats for maximum mobility and comfort. Cuffs appear to be optional. 

While they come in almost any colorway and fabric you can think of (and Luxire can do that for you), Gurkha trousers are, first and foremost, military garments for warm weather. 

Warmer climates call for linen or cotton. Jungle or desert warfare means browns, greens, or stone color palettes. 

Of course, variants do exist. Single tab. Single pleat. Even single tabs with two buckles. But, as St. George wrote, such an adornment seems superfluous-even for a trouser like this.

I agree — a single tab does not equate with Gurkha trousers (and they should have two pleats).

Luxire Gurkha Trouser Review

 My style leans fairly classic, with blues, browns, greys, and greens predominant.

As a shorter guy who prioritizes versatility, functionality, and comfort in my clothing but still likes a modern touch, I tried to dial in a slimmer (but definitely not tight) fit while acknowledging the heritage of the original garment. 

Here’s my take on what Luxire delivered:

Fit

While Luxire offers a way to put in both your body and trouser measurements, I’ve become a firm advocate for the latter.

Since fabric tolerances for what is defined as a ‘skinny’, ‘slim’, or ‘classic’ fit can vary quite a bit, I based my measurements on my previous pair of custom pants. 

Lo and behold, even with thigh measurements largely set going in, we still had a few hurdles to overcome. The first challenge came with the higher rise. 

While we shorter guys can use a higher rise to elongate our silhouettes and show off our legs, it can descend into “Urkel” territory pretty quickly. 

I knew the double-high waistband was going to be a factor in the overall measurement, so I went a bit higher on the rise, 11.5”. 

It turned out to be borderline perfect. This is high enough to show the intent but keeps me visually proportional. 

Next, the pleats. My first pair of flannels had double pleats. While the creasing was sharp and well done, the fit was ‘okay.’ As I mentioned earlier, the rise was a little low.

And, the double pleat was in such a heavy fabric it actually made my hips look unnaturally wide in comparison. 

So, not the best option there. But, the single pleat I built into the linen/cotton/canvas worked beautifully.

To get a good fit even with the double pleat a true Gurkha requires, I went for a slightly narrower hip and seat. To my delight, it appears to have done the trick. These are slim and modern, but definitely not tight.

Fabric

I attribute the great fit partially to the flexibility of the fabric (which is lovely, by the way). True to the originals, these are 100% lightweight, breathable linen in a deep ‘tobacco gold.’ 

I’d argue the cloth is a little darker in the hand than on the screen — much to its credit. The fabric has a subtle nubby texture characteristic of good linen. 

It wrinkles wonderfully. As it’s 100% linen it will wrinkle much more than a blend of linen with other fabrics. It also doesn’t drape quite as well as a heavier cloth might. In this case, I embrace the ‘flaws’ of linen as breathability is what I’m going for with this pair. 

One potential drawback with this kind of cloth is that pleats and creases won’t be as crisp as I’d like. While that may bother some people, it’s a compromise I’m willing to make for lightness and breathability. 

However, if you crave sharp pleats and drape for days, the heavier linen/cotton/canvas may be the fabric to go with.

Styling

Outside of perhaps truly bespoke trousers, Luxire offers one of the widest ranges of styling options I’ve come across.

With over ten varieties of trouser closures, seven different front pocket styles, and nine varieties of waistbands (belt loops, multiple kinds of side adjusters), one can quickly run headlong into decision paralysis. 

But, as I was being asked to design Gurkha trousers, I knew generally what I was going to go for. 

I did have a few details built in.

First, as I was looking for a modern interpretation of a classic pant and wanted to mitigate any blousing effect from the double pleat, I elected for an on-seam pocket rather than a standard slanted one. That worked very well. 

Second, while I can understand the case for going without cuffs on linen trousers, I chose to add them. Personally, I find it a more balanced look with pleated trousers.

Third, I went with the recommended “Gurkha” style rear pockets with a triangular flap. While I suppose it makes for a balanced look with the front detailing, I don’t think I’d do it again and would instead go for rear pockets without buttons. 

After a few months of wear, I found it a little annoying, as I tend to keep my phone in my back pocket when I’m walking around. But, this is just a minor point. 

Recommendation: Luxire Gurkha Trousers Are a Winner

I’d wholeheartedly recommend Luxire’s Gurkha Trousers. The quality is quite good, and the nearly limitless customization options and the ability to get what you want is well worth it. 

Pricing is extremely competitive as well, even if a Gurkha waistband does come with a $30 upcharge. My pair was a little over $200. But, looking at similar products from other brands, it is a little less. Of course, you can spend quite a bit more for truly premium cloth.

Sizing ended up being right on-which, as previous readers of my reviews know, can be a challenge for me. 

I did take a slight risk by going slimmer on the thigh and seat, but it ended up being the right decision.I believe the lightweight and flexible fabric made “trimming off some of the fat” in these areas work. 

If I was going with wool for the cloth, I’d probably add an inch to an inch and a half on the thigh. 

Other Clothes and Recommendations

While the Gurkha trousers turned out well, what about the other garments from Luxire? 

The Poplin Shirt

The shirt is largely based on previous shirt models I have in my closet. 

The ‘pale blue’ poplin is a touch livelier than I was expecting, but it ended up being a good fit for this outfit.

It’s an almost ideal shade of blue for the collar I was hoping to execute. It would’ve fit well for the kind of collar I was hoping for. 

Luxire is one of the few companies, outside of bespoke, that is able to build a one-piece collar. 

Also known as a ‘Hollywood’ or ‘Cooper’ collar-after Gary Cooper, who used to have his shirts built this way, this type of collar is longer, with hidden buttons under the points.

The collar also extends in one largely seamless (or invisible) piece from the placket. This creates an elegant, S-shaped roll and frames the face beautifully. 

Luxire offers two varieties of this kind of collar. One’s labeled “one piece hidden button band collar and neck band” and the other is called “One piece hidden button collar and placket.” 

Perhaps this would have been a good time to contact customer service and send them a photo of what I wanted and have them advise me accordingly. But, I went for the first option without clarifying. 

Whatever the collar I got is, it wasn’t the right choice. 

It’s indeed soft — which is absolutely what I wanted, and it rolls, which is also what I wanted. But, the collar points sit quite high on the body of the shirt. This position looks odd under a jacket and especially with a tie. 

Aside from collar, the fit and feel of the shirt are nothing short of excellent. 

Shoulder seams sit where they should. The arms are slim, but far from tight. The extra inch of give added through the torso to reflect my current fit preferences and helps the fabric drape well, but not billow. 

The mother-of-pearl buttons are slim and nicely proportioned, not as chunky as some of the corozo ones I’ve recently encountered. The poplin breathes very well but is far from transparent. All in all, at just under $90 USD, I think it’s a shirt that will hold up well. 

The Noragi Jacket

I’ve leaned hard into the overshirt/’shacket’ trend the last couple of years. I find them fantastically versatile, easy to slip over a tee or an Oxford shirt as I hop on a work call. But, a Noragi is something I’d not tried before. 

Once a symbol of poverty in feudal Japan, this piece of Oriental workwear is surprisingly easy to style. Mine is a deep navy with a subtle herringbone pattern woven in. I’ll wear it with solid tees in white and grey, and occasionally a Breton stripe. 

Medium-weight Oxfords in the essential colors also get frequent wear, although I suppose a pale pink could look nice as well.

The tobacco linen Gurkhas are a natural pairing, and so are breezy, easy-fit pants in fatigue green. Substantial, workwear-weight chinos in both of these colorways work quite nicely, too. 

About the only items in my closet not getting much wear with the Noragi are jeans and smart trousers.

Lighter wash and white denim are ok to pair, but I don’t find myself gravitating toward the combination. At $130 USD, this isn’t especially cheap, but I’ve already gotten good use out of it. 

Frequently Asked Questions

Here’s what people are asking on the web about Luxire: 

Where Are Luxire Shirts Made?

Luxire shirts, like all of their clothing, are made in Bangalore, India. 

How Fast Does Luxire Make Custom Clothing?

Luxire has turnaround times of as little as 72 hours, though be sure to take your time submitting your measurements! 

Does Luxire Offer Free Returns?

No. Luxire does not accept returns of garments that were made correctly. For incorrectly made items or for alterations, you must pay for return shipping. 

Final Thoughts

Overall, a positive experience with Luxire. The fit on all of the garments was excellent, and the quality was on par or exceeded the expectations I had coming in.

If you’re considering Luxire for any pants, measure against a well-fitting pair in a similar fabric rather than skin or body measurements.

Opt for a little extra room, especially in the waist and thigh, if you’re uncertain. Fabric can always be taken away; you can’t put it back! 

The company will alter a garment for you if you ask. But, given you’re on the hook for shipping as well as alterations costs, it’s probably cheaper and faster to head to your local tailor. 

While the company does have a wonderfully broad range of fabrics to choose from, I’d resist the urge to go for the cricket white flannels until the fit is dialed in.

Questions? Comments? Leave them below!