There was hardly anything I knew about Hong Kong before visiting. So when I asked my friend who lives there what we should do in HK, and the suggestion "Get a custom suit made for your husband" was on the list, I immediately disregarded it. I sorta thought she was just being funny. Custom suit? What? Why? That's ridiculous!
I mistakenly left that item on the list when I forwarded her email to my husband. Naturally, he replied saying we should most definitely get him a custom suit. {Dammit, the idea had been planted!}
Then, to my surprise, when I told other people about my upcoming trip several of them also asked if my husband was going to get a custom suit. Little did I know, but apparently Hong Kong is well known for its custom clothing because it is significantly cheaper than getting custom-made clothes in the States. While I didn't think it was necessary for my husband to get a custom suit, and I would have preferred to use the time we spent going to the tailor doing something else, I knew my husband really, really, really wanted one. Getting a custom suit was pretty much the only thing he requested/suggested we do, so I would have been a total B**** if I shot it down.
He wanted to get a custom suit made in HK for several reasons. First, of course, is cost. A custom men's suit in HK can easily cost about the same as an off-the-rack/RTW men's suit in the States. At least I think that's what my husband's suit cost. However, the fit is spot on, which is another reason he wanted it and pretty much why anyone would get something custom-made.
On more than one occasion, my husband has bought a suit at Macy's or Calvin Klein's or wherever the heck he buys them and then taken it to a tailor to get it fitting better. And then there's quality. He has bought stuff from Jos A. Bank with abhorrent hemlines that I would never find acceptable in my own self-made wardrobe. Time will only tell how well his custom suit survives over the years so I can't vouch for the quality just yet. Although a nice touch was included in the inside of his custom suit; the tailor embroidered "Made specifically for [his name]" and also included his account number so he could (we assume) easily re-order since they have his measurements on file. {And when I say "file" I mean hard copy files. As in, a huge book with everything handwritten with fabric swatches attached to each customer's paper. I don't think there was a single computer in that store.}
Now, as someone who sews her own clothes, I had (and still have) some reservations about the ethics of getting a custom suit made in Hong Kong, which is one reason why I didn't get anything made. The other reason is that RTW women's suits are much more affordable than men's suits, at least in my experience so I didn't get anything made.
So you wanna get a custom suit made in Hong Kong. Here's what you can expect (based on our experience):
Day 1 - 10AM
Arrive at tailor (Sam's Tailor), pick fabric and style, and get measured. This took about 15-20 minutes. I was surprised by how quickly this took. Also, his measurements were done in inches. I totally expected it to be in centimeters.
Day 1 - 6PM
Return to tailor for first fitting.
DID YOU CATCH THAT? Just under EIGHT HOURS et voila, the suit is partially made, constructed enough for a fitting. The pants were constructed, but without the fly zipper and waistband. The jacket only had one sleeve and did not include the collar. They checked for overall fit, pants length, sleeve length, and neckline. My husband also ordered a shirt, but that was not available at this fitting.
Day 3 - 4PM
Return to tailor for second fitting of completed garments.
Everything was completely finished: pants, jacket and shirt. The jacket was perfect, but the waist in the pants was too loose. The shirt was too fitted and needed to be let out a bit. He got a fitted shirt, which had darts, so I assume they could let out the darts, otherwise I don't know what they would have done.
Also, please note: When watching your husband get fitted, don't open your stoopid mouth, like me. When he tried on the shirt it was bunching up under his arms and I was like, 'what the hell is wrong with this? Is there too much fabric at the armscye?' Of course then "Sam" came over and was like, 'who the hell do you think you are? Of course, it's fine.' Later I realized that since the shirt was too tight around the bodice, the shirt wasn't hanging properly and instead was bunching up under the arms. Should have just kept my mouth shut......{And no, those aren't exact quotes, just approximations based on tone.}
Day 3 - 7PM
Return to tailor to pick up completed garments. The shirt and pants were altered and everything was ready to take home.
Mind you, when we first got to Sam's and placed the order, the guy helping us asked how long we would be in town and assured us the suit would be finished before we left. I have heard of other people having their items shipped back to the States, but we didn't need to worry about that!
So, this whole time I kept thinking.....how in the world are all of these suits getting made so quickly and for relatively so cheap?? Obviously, I didn't ask any questions so I don't have any answers. The economics of working and living in Hong Kong are vastly different than in the States. For example, I know that daycare and hired help is considerably cheaper in HK than in the States. I don't know the exact reasons behind it, but from what I gather it has something to do with HK's agreement with other countries regarding immigrant workers. Does this also apply to the fashion/tailoring business?
Not everyone is going to make their own clothes. I certainly don't make all of my own clothes. Not everyone is going to shop ethically for their clothes. Not everyone may be able to afford to do so. Not everyone may "buy into" the need or make the effort to shop ethically. I know I don't make an effort to shop ethically. Instead I buy whatever fits best and is in my price range. Thinking about the logistics of all these tailors in HK made me wonder if my BR or Ann Taylor suits were made in any better conditions. I don't know, so I probably shouldn't judge. If I'm not making such a big effort changing my own shopping habits than why was I having all these feelings about getting a suit made in HK on the cheaps?
I don't know exactly why, but it just felt odd. Maybe it's because I perceive a custom suit as a luxurious item that isn't necessary. Or because the big retailers are no longer in the picture and instead we, the customer/consumer, are so much closer to the garment makers. Or because I know how long it takes me to make a garment and there's no effing way I'd be able to make a suit that looks that good in such a short amount of time. I'd like to think these tailors have blocks, special cutting mechanisms, and/or other systems in place to streamline the whole process since they've been in business for so long. They obviously have a lot of experience, so I probably shouldn't compare myself to a professional tailoring business.
Overall Thoughts
Sam's Tailor is located in a really small store with walls that are lined with bolts of fabric. There are also a whole bunch of fabric swatch books so you can see and feel the type of fabric you want. There's a really old Asian man (Chinese, I presume) who does all the measurements and several "sales" guys who take the orders and show fabric swatches. Every time we were in the store, there were at least 3-4 customers placing orders, getting fitted, and/or picking up clothes. One guy picked up at least 5 custom shirts. One lady came in hoping to get an existing jacket copied. Most of the customers were men ordering custom suits.
If you ever find yourself in Hong Kong and want to get a custom suit made, my husband did have a very good experience at Sam's Tailor. It's easily accessible on the Tsuen Wan MTR train line at the Tsim Sha Tsui Station. Exit the station at Exit B1 and go right. It should be a block up the street along Nathan Road. There are a bunch of tailors on this road vying for business, but Sam's Tailor received a good recommendation from the guidebook I bought, which is why we went there. We received excellent customer service from all the employees we interacted with. They even dole out light (very light) beers to customers who are waiting so really, how could you not like them?
What do you think....would you have gotten a custom suit?
I mistakenly left that item on the list when I forwarded her email to my husband. Naturally, he replied saying we should most definitely get him a custom suit. {Dammit, the idea had been planted!}
Then, to my surprise, when I told other people about my upcoming trip several of them also asked if my husband was going to get a custom suit. Little did I know, but apparently Hong Kong is well known for its custom clothing because it is significantly cheaper than getting custom-made clothes in the States. While I didn't think it was necessary for my husband to get a custom suit, and I would have preferred to use the time we spent going to the tailor doing something else, I knew my husband really, really, really wanted one. Getting a custom suit was pretty much the only thing he requested/suggested we do, so I would have been a total B**** if I shot it down.
He wanted to get a custom suit made in HK for several reasons. First, of course, is cost. A custom men's suit in HK can easily cost about the same as an off-the-rack/RTW men's suit in the States. At least I think that's what my husband's suit cost. However, the fit is spot on, which is another reason he wanted it and pretty much why anyone would get something custom-made.
On more than one occasion, my husband has bought a suit at Macy's or Calvin Klein's or wherever the heck he buys them and then taken it to a tailor to get it fitting better. And then there's quality. He has bought stuff from Jos A. Bank with abhorrent hemlines that I would never find acceptable in my own self-made wardrobe. Time will only tell how well his custom suit survives over the years so I can't vouch for the quality just yet. Although a nice touch was included in the inside of his custom suit; the tailor embroidered "Made specifically for [his name]" and also included his account number so he could (we assume) easily re-order since they have his measurements on file. {And when I say "file" I mean hard copy files. As in, a huge book with everything handwritten with fabric swatches attached to each customer's paper. I don't think there was a single computer in that store.}
Now, as someone who sews her own clothes, I had (and still have) some reservations about the ethics of getting a custom suit made in Hong Kong, which is one reason why I didn't get anything made. The other reason is that RTW women's suits are much more affordable than men's suits, at least in my experience so I didn't get anything made.
So you wanna get a custom suit made in Hong Kong. Here's what you can expect (based on our experience):
Day 1 - 10AM
Arrive at tailor (Sam's Tailor), pick fabric and style, and get measured. This took about 15-20 minutes. I was surprised by how quickly this took. Also, his measurements were done in inches. I totally expected it to be in centimeters.
Day 1 - 6PM
Return to tailor for first fitting.
DID YOU CATCH THAT? Just under EIGHT HOURS et voila, the suit is partially made, constructed enough for a fitting. The pants were constructed, but without the fly zipper and waistband. The jacket only had one sleeve and did not include the collar. They checked for overall fit, pants length, sleeve length, and neckline. My husband also ordered a shirt, but that was not available at this fitting.
Day 3 - 4PM
Return to tailor for second fitting of completed garments.
Everything was completely finished: pants, jacket and shirt. The jacket was perfect, but the waist in the pants was too loose. The shirt was too fitted and needed to be let out a bit. He got a fitted shirt, which had darts, so I assume they could let out the darts, otherwise I don't know what they would have done.
Also, please note: When watching your husband get fitted, don't open your stoopid mouth, like me. When he tried on the shirt it was bunching up under his arms and I was like, 'what the hell is wrong with this? Is there too much fabric at the armscye?' Of course then "Sam" came over and was like, 'who the hell do you think you are? Of course, it's fine.' Later I realized that since the shirt was too tight around the bodice, the shirt wasn't hanging properly and instead was bunching up under the arms. Should have just kept my mouth shut......{And no, those aren't exact quotes, just approximations based on tone.}
Day 3 - 7PM
Return to tailor to pick up completed garments. The shirt and pants were altered and everything was ready to take home.
Mind you, when we first got to Sam's and placed the order, the guy helping us asked how long we would be in town and assured us the suit would be finished before we left. I have heard of other people having their items shipped back to the States, but we didn't need to worry about that!
So, this whole time I kept thinking.....how in the world are all of these suits getting made so quickly and for relatively so cheap?? Obviously, I didn't ask any questions so I don't have any answers. The economics of working and living in Hong Kong are vastly different than in the States. For example, I know that daycare and hired help is considerably cheaper in HK than in the States. I don't know the exact reasons behind it, but from what I gather it has something to do with HK's agreement with other countries regarding immigrant workers. Does this also apply to the fashion/tailoring business?
Not everyone is going to make their own clothes. I certainly don't make all of my own clothes. Not everyone is going to shop ethically for their clothes. Not everyone may be able to afford to do so. Not everyone may "buy into" the need or make the effort to shop ethically. I know I don't make an effort to shop ethically. Instead I buy whatever fits best and is in my price range. Thinking about the logistics of all these tailors in HK made me wonder if my BR or Ann Taylor suits were made in any better conditions. I don't know, so I probably shouldn't judge. If I'm not making such a big effort changing my own shopping habits than why was I having all these feelings about getting a suit made in HK on the cheaps?
I don't know exactly why, but it just felt odd. Maybe it's because I perceive a custom suit as a luxurious item that isn't necessary. Or because the big retailers are no longer in the picture and instead we, the customer/consumer, are so much closer to the garment makers. Or because I know how long it takes me to make a garment and there's no effing way I'd be able to make a suit that looks that good in such a short amount of time. I'd like to think these tailors have blocks, special cutting mechanisms, and/or other systems in place to streamline the whole process since they've been in business for so long. They obviously have a lot of experience, so I probably shouldn't compare myself to a professional tailoring business.
Overall Thoughts
Sam's Tailor is located in a really small store with walls that are lined with bolts of fabric. There are also a whole bunch of fabric swatch books so you can see and feel the type of fabric you want. There's a really old Asian man (Chinese, I presume) who does all the measurements and several "sales" guys who take the orders and show fabric swatches. Every time we were in the store, there were at least 3-4 customers placing orders, getting fitted, and/or picking up clothes. One guy picked up at least 5 custom shirts. One lady came in hoping to get an existing jacket copied. Most of the customers were men ordering custom suits.
If you ever find yourself in Hong Kong and want to get a custom suit made, my husband did have a very good experience at Sam's Tailor. It's easily accessible on the Tsuen Wan MTR train line at the Tsim Sha Tsui Station. Exit the station at Exit B1 and go right. It should be a block up the street along Nathan Road. There are a bunch of tailors on this road vying for business, but Sam's Tailor received a good recommendation from the guidebook I bought, which is why we went there. We received excellent customer service from all the employees we interacted with. They even dole out light (very light) beers to customers who are waiting so really, how could you not like them?
What do you think....would you have gotten a custom suit?
I'm consistently in awe of how quickly foreign tailors and dressmakers work. I hear it's the same in Nigeria and China, too. I wonder if it's a matter of small economies of scale, and degree of expertise, or maybe shortcuts that trim time. Ponder. It's not as if Sam will tell us his secrets.
ReplyDeleteThe perception of luxury and price-value correlation is really interesting. I think a lot of people who sew believe that a custom suit should not be a luxury, and that we should move away from mass manufacture. But, as you mention throughout the post, that's not always an indicator of fair treatment. I suppose there's no way to really *know* most of the time, is there?
Yes, definitely agree on all fronts. I have so many questions about these foreign tailors! If I ever go back, maybe I'll ask.
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