Tailors survive tough competition<\/p>\n
The ready-to-wear clothing business is flourishing. Name any
\nitem, be it mass produced or an exclusive houte couture, it is
\navailable. Despite this, tailors manage to survive and prosper.
\nThe Jakarta Post's team of reporters, Prapti Widinugraheni, I.
\nChristianto, Teguh Karyanto, Ida Indawati Khouw, Dwi Atmanta,
\nWirasti Wiryono, Rita A. Widiadana and Mulkan Salmona, look at
\nthe issue. More stories are on Page 8 and Page 9.<\/p>\n
JAKARTA (JP): Is your body too thin, waistline too thick or
\nshoulders too hunched? Have no fear. People who do not have the
\naverage body can still have clothes which fit perfectly --
\nprovided they go to a tailor.<\/p>\n
Tailoring is a centuries old profession and remains popular
\namid mushrooming shopping malls, designer wear and mass garment
\nfactories.<\/p>\n
People who are blessed with the ideal proportions -- or even
\nthose who are average -- may never need a tailor.<\/p>\n
But others who are not as lucky or are fussy about their
\nclothing material, color or design, may depend on tailors.<\/p>\n
People in Western Europe and Central Asia began sewing --
\nusing bone needles -- more than 17,000 years ago.<\/p>\n
Most sewing was done by hand until the 1800s. In 1846,
\nAmerican inventor Elias Howe patented the first practical sewing
\nmachine. Since then sewing machines have been greatly improved.<\/p>\n
In Jakarta, the earliest professional tailors can be traced
\nback to the 1950s.<\/p>\n
A handful have survived and become well-known businesses that
\nserve several high-ranking officials and public figures.<\/p>\n
Sewing machines may be the most basic and important part of a
\ntailor's business but that is not all there is to tailoring.<\/p>\n
Tailors say their profession is an art which requires certain
\nskills and techniques.<\/p>\n
An Indonesian Tailor's Association (ITA) executive, Uun F.
\nFirmansyah, said that unlike designing, sewing or modiste,
\ntailoring covered everything from textile production and
\nselection to cutting, sewing, measuring and sorting colors.<\/p>\n
The director of Srivishnu Tailor, Anil K. Adnani, said
\n\"nowadays, the outer fabric for tailored suits is as thin as the
\nlining. The way we manage to get all the material together and
\nmake it into a comfortable, good-looking suit can only be done if
\nwe master the art of tailoring\".<\/p>\n
This is why ITA vice chairman Sunder B.C. said tailors were
\nnot in competition with -- and would never be threatened by --
\nthe mass garment business.<\/p>\n
Mass produced clothes come in limited varieties of fabric,
\nstyle, colors and sizes, he said.<\/p>\n
\"People opt for tailors when they want particular parts of a
\nsuit to match perfectly with their bodies,\" he said.<\/p>\n
Adnani agrees. \"A good suit can hide fat, for instance. This
\nis not always easy as we often see people who don't appear neat
\neven when they wear single or double-breasted suits,\" he says.<\/p>\n
Srivishnu is among the successful big tailors that cater to
\nthe middle-upper class.<\/p>\n
But Jakarta is not only a place for the big players.<\/p>\n
Hundreds of small tailors flourish in the city's more crowded
\nbusiness centers like Senen, Pasar Baru, Blok M and Tanah Abang.<\/p>\n
Of course, their market is completely different to the bigger
\ntailors who charge millions of rupiah for a single suit.<\/p>\n
Buana International Tailor in Senen lives side-by-side with
\ngiants like Hariom Tailor and Isardas Tailor.<\/p>\n
Buana's owner, Amir, said although most of his customers were
\nmiddle-to-lower-income people, he also has middle-upper income
\ncustomers.<\/p>\n
On a normal day, his shop finishes four or five orders a day,
\ncharging Rp 15,000 (US$6) for a shirt and between Rp 100,000 and
\nRp 200,000 for a jacket.<\/p>\n
Tough business<\/p>\n
But not all small tailors are as lucky as Amir.<\/p>\n
Many of them -- mostly those with poor skills -- struggle to
\nsurvive.<\/p>\n
Juhri, a 37-year old tailor with a small shop in Manggarai,
\nSouth Jakarta, is among those who have to accept that tailoring
\ncan be a tough business.<\/p>\n
His poor skills limit his work to mending torn clothes and
\nfitting clothes to wearable sizes.<\/p>\n
He charges between Rp 1,000 and Rp 5,000 a piece for such
\nwork.<\/p>\n
\"Sometimes I hate watching my neighbors receive so many
\norders. But I realize that everybody has his or her own fortune.
\nWe have to accept every rupiah earned each day with gratitude,\"
\nhe said.<\/p>\n
Juhri may be envious of the bigger, more famous and more
\nestablished tailors around him. But the big players are not
\nwithout problems.<\/p>\n
ITA executive Djoko Muyanto said Indonesian tailors needed to
\nimprove the quality of their work.<\/p>\n
\"They are actually already quite good. Ten years ago there
\nwere very few tailors in Jakarta and people had to go all the way
\nto Singapore to get their suits made,\" he said.<\/p>\n
\"But we need to have a genuine Indonesian tailoring system
\nwhich covers special cutting, sewing, color assortment and
\ndesigning techniques,\" he said.<\/p>\n
Most tailors adapt systems from Hong Kong, Austria and France.<\/p>\n
Djoko said an education system for tailors was needed so
\nIndonesian tailors did not have to go overseas to keep up with
\nindustry trends.<\/p>\n
\"Tailors are professionals, just like doctors, engineers and
\nany other professional. This needs to be recognized,\" he said.<\/p>\n
Djoko said ITA was setting up an organization to give
\ninformation to tailors and to work with related associations,
\nlike the Association of Indonesian Designers.<\/p>\n
This body will help professional tailors by giving
\nconsultations, training courses and tips on clothing accessories
\nand techniques.<\/p>\n
So those of you who do not have the average body shape are
\nfussy about what you wear, or simply want to have an individual
\ntouch, rest reassured that there are tailors waiting to take your
\norder. (team)<\/p>",
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"sponsor": "Okusi Associates",
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