A city market for tailor-made clothes
Print Edition
UNLESS you’ve been living under a Shanghai rock or you’re completely new to the city, there is a famous tourist attraction that is actually useful, the South Bund Fabric Market. And you’re in luck, in this article-guide-review, we will tell you not only about the market itself, give you advice, but also feature an actual craftswoman and boutique owner Kelly Zhao, who will teach us how to navigate as newcomers, as well as discuss her own boutique story. We asked her to give us some insider tea, like how much should you expect to pay for a certain garment, how not to get ripped off and what kind of unexpected services can you find in the fabric market.
How to find it?
First things first, how do you find the South Bund Fabric Market?
1. If you’re ordering a taxi, just put in this address:
399 Lujiabang Road, Huangpu District, Shanghai, or “上海南外滩轻纺面料市场”
2. If you’re taking a subway, Metro Line 4 Nanpu Bridge Station (南浦大桥站) is your closest one. Go out from Exit 3 and walk northeast for four minutes, you will see it on the opposite side of the road.
And by the way, it’s open from 9am to 6pm.
So, right after your arrival, what should you expect? Where to go? What to look for? To help answer these questions, we have Kelly, one of the most prominent players in the fabric market game. She’s not only an owner of a store inside the market and a boutique right next to it, but also has a lot of experience working with international clients.
CNS: So, Kelly, how would you summarize the layout of the fabric market to someone who’s never been there before? What can they look forward to?
Kelly: Yes, of course. The market has three floors. On the first and second floors you can find many men’s suits, coats and women’s clothing such as qipao (a kind of traditional Chinese one-piece dress) and regular dresses.
The third floor is different — mainly they sell fabrics. There are many kinds of silks, furnishings and some special textiles, velvet, embroidery, etc.
CNS: Okay, now could you give us an idea of the price ranges for most common garments? How much should people expect to spend on a basic, but personalized garment?
Kelly: Sure, let me explain. Now, these are just general price ranges. There might be extra costs for special customizations, embroidery, etc. But in general, for shirts, the price is around 120 to 150 yuan (US$16.6-20.7). A men’s suit usually costs between 750 and 1,800 yuan depending on if it is a two-piece or three-piece suit. Women’s dresses range widely, but the usual will be about 600 to 900 yuan. Pants are around 300 to 400 yuan, and coats or jackets can be from 700 to 1,000 yuan. But as I mentioned, it will depend heavily on the materials and cuts.
CNS: Kelly, can you tell us about some unexpected custom things that are available at the market that people may not know about?
Kelly: Certainly! You can order custom leather shoes, leather jackets and even scarves. We also specialize in some unique traditional costumes, or example, the authentic German Oktoberfest outfits. Everything is tailored to your measurements and preferences. Many stores, ours ncluded, can make beautiful embroideries on anything. Once we even had a request to make a copy of the red Superman boots by a client from California.
CNS: Anything in particular that your store specializes in?
Kelly: I have a full team behind me;
there isn’t a single thing one of my
foreign clients has asked us to make
that we haven’t been able to. It’s one
of the reasons why I love this job,
some of my laowai (expat) clients are
so creative.
Even if you don’t know what you
want, we can help you come up with
ideas.
Also, we do tailoring adjustments
for free. So we always tell clients, don’t
worry about putting on extra weight,
or needing to loose extra weight, either
way, we’ll make size adjustments
complimentary, just come down.
Oh, one other thing. I had a customer
tell me how much she loves
Shanghai because of this. Some people
just don’t have time to come all
the way to the market. No problem.
We can do face-to-face consultations
and visit you at your office, hotel or
any place you need. We know this
type of service can cost a fortune in
other countries. Not in Shanghai.
CNS: How long does it usually take for
a piece to be made?
Kelly: It can be made very fast, from
a couple of days for simple tailorings
or up to a week for more complicated
designs. We do have a 24-hour turnaround
service, which is popular
these days with tourists who are here
for a few days (or for people who need
an outfit right away).
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