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Is tailoring a dying business?

Chandru Rao is a tailor. His family has been living in Coonoor in the Nilgiris district of Tamil Nadu for two generations. Now, Chandru is 60 years old and his two sons have also started tailoring business. They all have shops inside the municipal market. Likewise, there are at least 10 marathi families who have been living in Coonoor for generations and engaged in tailoring business. Generally, they all have won name amidst the residents to be excellent tailors. Recently, Chandru came to this columnist’s house early morning struck with misery countenance and pleading for some stitching work.

"Give me any work sir. I shall alter all your old suits, blazers, trousers whatever. But, please do give me something," he kept on pleading. His contention was that for almost a year now, he has not been getting tailoring work adequate enough to keep both the ends meet. He is quite good in work and unlike most tailors, he can stitch coats and blazers -- for which generally, there is a demand in hill station. How then is that he speaks of poverty arising from absolute lack of work orders?

That is a result of two major developments. One, the general recession obtaining in the tea and tourism industry which are their backbone of the district’s economy.

Consequent on this, there has been a slowdown in the purchases by the people of textiles. Shopkeepers have been generally complaining of low turnovers. The other factor relates to the pick up in the sales of readymades which have started eating into the traditional tailoring business. So, the growth of the ready-to-wear segment rings the death knell to the traditional tailoring business.

When the dresses are readily available for wearing with fashion and designs computerised and modern, there is little reason for the traditional tailors to weep that they have no business. After all, the satisfaction of the customers is the factor which determines the orders for any segment of the business. Changes in consumer preferences do affect the business of traditional tailors.

That’s where the new generation of tailors do score. "It is not right to say that people prefer only readymades. We get a good many order for stitching suits for, tailor-made dresses fit more accurately than readymades," explained Krishna Das, another tailor of old generation. His contention is that the tailors should change according to the style and preferences. Even amidst all this cries of lack of business and the tailors coming out with heavy discounts to earn a living, good tailors are charging around Rs 2,000 for stitching a suit. "We always make ours better than the readymades," contended a tailor attached to a textile shop. Such shops sell suit lengths and offer to get them stitched through their tailors if the customers wish. A number of them make their living through such connections where they get orders for trousers, shirts, two and three piece suits, blazers, salwar, churidar, blouses, tops, skirts, etc. The stitching charges are normally more than the regular tailors in the market, but the overall cost is certainly lower than the matching grades of readymades. "I always go for the combination of material purchase and stitching from a textile shop as this could help us keep control on both the material and workmanship. Tailor-made garment suits me better than the readymades," claimed an executive. Shops selling top brands of textile materials, or exclusive showrooms also provide tailoring services to their customers. Many claim exclusiveness and expertise in such stitching.

This helps the customers go for highly fitting dresses. And, instances are also known here the customers buy the textile materials from such shops because of the expert stitching available with the tailors. Progressive tailors do have a good knowledge about the fashion changes and the consumer preferences and accordingly suggest designs to their customers. Such tailors do not ordinarily lack orders. Also, tailors who use good materials, long standing accessories and attractive cuts are a preferred lot.

As for cost, there are two sides. One set of customers prefer tailors who charge more believing that a high cost tailoring means quality and fashion. Another, on the other hand, look for matching costs and believe exorbitant expenses on tailoring is a waste. But, readymades are sold through the several outlets across the country with tailors engaged by the shops themselves. It is not always that the brands of established companies alone are sold.

Many of these ready-to-wear dresses are good, fashionable and cheap to suit different budgets. Last week, in Chennai, for instance, this columnist was a witness to many young customers choosing readymade trousers from a crowded shop in Ranganathan Street of T Nagar, spending around Rs 250 a piece. The trousers wer well designed and the materials were also reasonable. The point is that they were stitched in the bac room by the tailors engaged by the shop. An added advantage is that the trousers would be altered for sizes once chosen, free of cost.

In China, this columnist had come across readymade shops run by the tailors themselves. Suits are stitched by women tailors and they could be bought for as cheap a price as Rs 1,000 equivalent. These tailors do have a taste for fashion and an eye for changes.

- P S Sundar