As somebody who's never worn a suit in my adult lifetime, even that $1300 figure feels like staring into some absurdist alternate universe.

A suit is all about fit, and it's a lot of labor to make one fit properly.

Also, it is generally possible to charge more for products sold to folks who gotta wear suits.

Oh definitely - if you're not in a rush you can find some great deals like that. I have a couple of Hickey-Freeman suits that I got a great deal on (not as good as you though) and they have held up really nicely. I was actually surprised that they were just as nice as the some of the Italian ones that I bought and were considerably less expensive.

"not in a rush" -- that's something else worth mentioning. Most reasonable MTM tailors will still take 1mo+ to deliver your suit, and it's frequently more like 2mo. Bespoke isn't really much, if any, slower.

To your point about quality -- I'm actually at a point in my life where I can afford and am willing to spend a bit on American made products (e.g. shoes, suiting) and do where practical. Even though the mills aren't here (Loro Piana, Elgin, Isaia, etc), at least the rest is.