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Tailoring takes off in city where style and price matter
By Xu Wenwen |
January 31, 2012, Tuesday
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Print Edition
Print Edition
TAILORING has a long and honorable history in China, and fine tailors have been much sought after by the well-to-do. Tailoring languished in the days when everyone wanted store-bought clothes but today demand is growing for good tailors in both small shops and fabric markets.
This winter, 27-year-old Hangzhou local Jiang Xiaolan went to a tailor for two woolen overcoats, a pair of trousers and a skirt. She has been going to a tailor for several years and around a third of her clothes are tailor-made "because of their affordable prices," she says.
Wang Meiyan, Jiang's tailor, says that in her small store, a woolen overcoat costs around 1,000 yuan (US$158), including the cost of material, but in a department store, an equivalent coat usually costs several thousand yuan.
Wang has been a tailor for nearly 20 years, opening her own store in the northern part of Hangzhou in 2000.
"The business was just so so at first but it got better every year," Wang says. "In the past most customers turned to me because of their special figures, but today most look for clothes that are chic and inexpensive."
The tailor's costs are rising these days, the number of customers is increasing even more, Wang says. This winter so far her revenue has doubled that of last winter.
Many clients also want her to copy high-end clothes of noted brands.
In Hangzhou Fabric Market on Fengqi Road, a number of stores hire their own tailors. One owner, Cai Xiaoying says many customers want her to copy clothing. She shows two similar overcoats - the luxurious original bought in Hong Kong 10 years ago for 10,000 yuan at the time, the other is an exact replica for a bit more than 2,000 yuan.
"From material to workmanship, the two are equivalent," Cai says. "This kind of business is a large piece of the cake; last month I received dozens of orders to copy."
Many women also take pictures from fashion magazines and photos they themselves took of clothes in stores.
Around the city, tailor shops are open in fabric markets, commercial blocks and communities. The tailor is usually in charge and often has several young assistants.
They have all the familiar tools - sewing machines, needles, scissors, measuring tape - but some have added computer technology. CAD, computer aided design, is a software widely employed by modern tailors to estimate all dimensions from one photo.
"Software makes the work go faster and ensures accuracy," says Chen Huamei, director of Hangzhou Fabric Market.
The number of professional tailors has increased, but not all have been trained professionally. Some begin as tailor's assistants, or work in clothing factories.
So, what makes a good tailor?
"A good tailor is basically a good pattern maker," says Wu Xiaoyun, secretary general of Hangzhou Clothing Association.
"Only skilled tailors can transform a design pattern into a pretty garment," she says. "Tailoring is between technique and art, and it takes a long time to become a good tailor, no less time than to become a doctor."
A good tailor needs to study a client's body by measuring; some are able to make accurate visual assessments. Clothes should compensate for flaws and flatter the body, making someone seem slimmer or taller.
Tailors should also know how the body moves so that garmentsare comfortable.
"Many tailors can copy high-end fashion, but there are only a few who can make clothes that are comfortable and always look good when worn, that's an important standard," says Wu from the clothing association.
Starting in 2006, Hangzhou initiated a system of evaluating tailors based on their pattern-making and other skills. Several hundred tailors have been certified. An experienced, middle-level pattern maker with a certificate is eligible to apply for permanent residence in Hangzhou; permanent residence offers various education, medical and residential benefits for a family.
The Hangzhou Fabric Market was recently renovated into a large market containing more than 200 stores. Wu believes more tailors will be lured to the city.
Hangzhou has two fabric markets, the Hangzhou Fabric Market and Hangzhou Sijiqing Fabric Market on Qiutao Road N., which contains more than 1,300 vendors.
This winter, 27-year-old Hangzhou local Jiang Xiaolan went to a tailor for two woolen overcoats, a pair of trousers and a skirt. She has been going to a tailor for several years and around a third of her clothes are tailor-made "because of their affordable prices," she says.
Wang Meiyan, Jiang's tailor, says that in her small store, a woolen overcoat costs around 1,000 yuan (US$158), including the cost of material, but in a department store, an equivalent coat usually costs several thousand yuan.
Wang has been a tailor for nearly 20 years, opening her own store in the northern part of Hangzhou in 2000.
"The business was just so so at first but it got better every year," Wang says. "In the past most customers turned to me because of their special figures, but today most look for clothes that are chic and inexpensive."
The tailor's costs are rising these days, the number of customers is increasing even more, Wang says. This winter so far her revenue has doubled that of last winter.
Many clients also want her to copy high-end clothes of noted brands.
In Hangzhou Fabric Market on Fengqi Road, a number of stores hire their own tailors. One owner, Cai Xiaoying says many customers want her to copy clothing. She shows two similar overcoats - the luxurious original bought in Hong Kong 10 years ago for 10,000 yuan at the time, the other is an exact replica for a bit more than 2,000 yuan.
"From material to workmanship, the two are equivalent," Cai says. "This kind of business is a large piece of the cake; last month I received dozens of orders to copy."
Many women also take pictures from fashion magazines and photos they themselves took of clothes in stores.
Around the city, tailor shops are open in fabric markets, commercial blocks and communities. The tailor is usually in charge and often has several young assistants.
They have all the familiar tools - sewing machines, needles, scissors, measuring tape - but some have added computer technology. CAD, computer aided design, is a software widely employed by modern tailors to estimate all dimensions from one photo.
"Software makes the work go faster and ensures accuracy," says Chen Huamei, director of Hangzhou Fabric Market.
The number of professional tailors has increased, but not all have been trained professionally. Some begin as tailor's assistants, or work in clothing factories.
So, what makes a good tailor?
"A good tailor is basically a good pattern maker," says Wu Xiaoyun, secretary general of Hangzhou Clothing Association.
"Only skilled tailors can transform a design pattern into a pretty garment," she says. "Tailoring is between technique and art, and it takes a long time to become a good tailor, no less time than to become a doctor."
A good tailor needs to study a client's body by measuring; some are able to make accurate visual assessments. Clothes should compensate for flaws and flatter the body, making someone seem slimmer or taller.
Tailors should also know how the body moves so that garmentsare comfortable.
"Many tailors can copy high-end fashion, but there are only a few who can make clothes that are comfortable and always look good when worn, that's an important standard," says Wu from the clothing association.
Starting in 2006, Hangzhou initiated a system of evaluating tailors based on their pattern-making and other skills. Several hundred tailors have been certified. An experienced, middle-level pattern maker with a certificate is eligible to apply for permanent residence in Hangzhou; permanent residence offers various education, medical and residential benefits for a family.
The Hangzhou Fabric Market was recently renovated into a large market containing more than 200 stores. Wu believes more tailors will be lured to the city.
Hangzhou has two fabric markets, the Hangzhou Fabric Market and Hangzhou Sijiqing Fabric Market on Qiutao Road N., which contains more than 1,300 vendors.
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