Tailor says his craft will never go out of style

Tailor says his craft will never go out of style

By I. Christianto

JAKARTA (JP): Just eight or even three hours for a new
tailored suit? No joke, according to some tailors in the capital.

Despite all the gloomy predictions, the garment and ready-to-
wear apparel sectors are unlikely to sound the death knell for
the tailoring business. Tailors say the creative process of
sewing and designing involves taste and artistic values, and will
never go out of style.

Anil K. Adnani, director of Srivishnu Tailor in Jakarta,
believes there will always be customers for tailors.

"This is about service and quality," he said. "Suits and other
clothing must fix the body. It's made to measure. The result will
prove the expertise of the maker."

"Some people are fond of buying branded suits. But many of
them usually see tailors for alterations as, frequently, particu
lar parts of the suits do not match perfectly with their body
shapes."

Vice chairman of the Indonesian Tailor Association (ITA),
Sunder B.C., agrees that tailors will always have a place.

"Mass production usually has the same model, limited choice of
colors and sizes," he said.

Customers who understand more sophisticated apparel or who
want to dress up to the nines will seek out tailors for their
clothing. "They will have more choices in color, types of
material. The clothing will, of course, fit perfectly with their
bodies.

"People will have satisfaction at tailors," he said.

ITA, set up in 1981, now groups 165 tailors, 63 out which are
located in Jakarta.

"Through the association we can participate in worldwide
tailor-related activities including events held by the Federation
of Asian Master Tailor and the World Tailor Congress," Sunder
explained, adding that members of the association could also
learn new tailoring methods and other developments in the busi
ness.

"We will also participate in a tailor congress on July 29 in
Valencia, Spain. There we can share our experiences and observe
the tailoring development."

According to Sunder, ITA members now comprise only "high
level" clothes-makers. "We also want the medium and small tailors
to join the association, but financial issues often hinder them
from joining."

Another executive of the association, Uun F. Firmansyah, said
tailors and fashion designers were not in competition.

"Tailors and designers go their own ways. We also have good
prospects for the future. People will always see tailors for good
clothes."

Sunder said that although the tailoring business has
flourished in the country, Indonesia, unlike other countries,
does not have any institutions for teaching the craft.

He touched on the difference between a tailor and modiste, who
deals with only designing or sewing. "Tailoring includes raw
material making, textile selection, choice of colors, cutting,
sewing and measuring."

Process

Professional clothes-makers, according to Adnani, will usually
need some eight hours to make a suit or four hours for a pair of
trousers.

"I don't know if there are tailors who can guarantee that they
could tailor a suit within three hours," he said, referring to
the promotional gimmicks of some tailors, including several in
the Pasar Baru area in Central Jakarta, who claim they can turn
out a suit in that time.

Adnani said tailoring begins when customers come for a new
suit.

"If they don't have their own materials, customers will first
select the sort and colors of the cloth and then ask for the
price. After pricing is agreed, they will have themselves
measured. After the material is cut by a master tailor, it is
delivered to a chief who is responsible for preparing the sewing
equipment.

"The suit is then tailored. This means that 75 percent of the
work is done. Then the almost-finished suit is returned to the
master who will ask customers to fit it. If everything runs
smoothly, the suit will be just completed."

As a business, tailors have to offer quality services, Adnani
added, stating that professionally tailored suits could cause
dramatic changes in appearance, such as making an overweight
person appear slimmer.

"A good suit can hide fat, for instance. Sometimes we see
gentlemen wearing single or double-breasted but their appearance
is not neat.

"Nowadays the main material is as thin as the lining material.
So how we tailor the materials together into a comfortable and
good suit is also an art," he said.

He said suits presently cost about Rp 8 million (US$3,265)
depending on the materials and that many people still hunt for
the expensive international brands like Scabal, Dormeuil, Minova,
Mario Zegna and Dunhill.

Quality

Srivishnu was set up in 1965 by Adnani's father, a Pakistan
native. The tailor now operates three outlets in Jakarta.

"As a small tailor with three branches, we have to keep our
quality," Adnani said. Several high-ranking government officials
and celebrities, such as Governor of Bank Indonesia Sudradjad
Djiwandono, tycoon Sudwikatmono and the chief of National Police
Gen. Dibyo Widodo, are among his customers.

Srivishnu never loses customers because of the adherence to
quality, he said.

"We'll apologize to our customers to be patient when we need
more time to finish their suits. There are times when we find
something has to be fixed after the fitting session. Or, we'll
ask them to return it to us after they've used the suit for a
quick repair. This is to keep our quality."

He said their suits could also be altered if the owners got
fatter or thinner. "Ready-made ones usually cannot be renewed."

Adnani usually travels abroad to keep up with fashion-related
developments.

"Sometimes I buy a suit and examine it just to know how to
make it. If we succeed in breaking it down and returning it to
the original form, we will be able to make something like it."

He said that Srivishnu currently receives at least 60 suit
orders per month, some 15 out of which are for women.