Tailors survive tough competition

The ready-to-wear clothing business is flourishing. Name any item, be it mass produced or an exclusive houte couture, it is available. Despite this, tailors manage to survive and prosper. The Jakarta Post's team of reporters, Prapti Widinugraheni, I. Christianto, Teguh Karyanto, Ida Indawati Khouw, Dwi Atmanta, Wirasti Wiryono, Rita A. Widiadana and Mulkan Salmona, look at the issue. More stories are on Page 8 and Page 9.

JAKARTA (JP): Is your body too thin, waistline too thick or shoulders too hunched? Have no fear. People who do not have the average body can still have clothes which fit perfectly -- provided they go to a tailor.

Tailoring is a centuries old profession and remains popular amid mushrooming shopping malls, designer wear and mass garment factories.

People who are blessed with the ideal proportions -- or even those who are average -- may never need a tailor.

But others who are not as lucky or are fussy about their clothing material, color or design, may depend on tailors.

People in Western Europe and Central Asia began sewing -- using bone needles -- more than 17,000 years ago.

Most sewing was done by hand until the 1800s. In 1846, American inventor Elias Howe patented the first practical sewing machine. Since then sewing machines have been greatly improved.

In Jakarta, the earliest professional tailors can be traced back to the 1950s.

A handful have survived and become well-known businesses that serve several high-ranking officials and public figures.

Sewing machines may be the most basic and important part of a tailor's business but that is not all there is to tailoring.

Tailors say their profession is an art which requires certain skills and techniques.

An Indonesian Tailor's Association (ITA) executive, Uun F. Firmansyah, said that unlike designing, sewing or modiste, tailoring covered everything from textile production and selection to cutting, sewing, measuring and sorting colors.

The director of Srivishnu Tailor, Anil K. Adnani, said "nowadays, the outer fabric for tailored suits is as thin as the lining. The way we manage to get all the material together and make it into a comfortable, good-looking suit can only be done if we master the art of tailoring".

This is why ITA vice chairman Sunder B.C. said tailors were not in competition with -- and would never be threatened by -- the mass garment business.

Mass produced clothes come in limited varieties of fabric, style, colors and sizes, he said.

"People opt for tailors when they want particular parts of a suit to match perfectly with their bodies," he said.

Adnani agrees. "A good suit can hide fat, for instance. This is not always easy as we often see people who don't appear neat even when they wear single or double-breasted suits," he says.

Srivishnu is among the successful big tailors that cater to the middle-upper class.

But Jakarta is not only a place for the big players.

Hundreds of small tailors flourish in the city's more crowded business centers like Senen, Pasar Baru, Blok M and Tanah Abang.

Of course, their market is completely different to the bigger tailors who charge millions of rupiah for a single suit.

Buana International Tailor in Senen lives side-by-side with giants like Hariom Tailor and Isardas Tailor.

Buana's owner, Amir, said although most of his customers were middle-to-lower-income people, he also has middle-upper income customers.

On a normal day, his shop finishes four or five orders a day, charging Rp 15,000 (US$6) for a shirt and between Rp 100,000 and Rp 200,000 for a jacket.

Tough business

But not all small tailors are as lucky as Amir.

Many of them -- mostly those with poor skills -- struggle to survive.

Juhri, a 37-year old tailor with a small shop in Manggarai, South Jakarta, is among those who have to accept that tailoring can be a tough business.

His poor skills limit his work to mending torn clothes and fitting clothes to wearable sizes.

He charges between Rp 1,000 and Rp 5,000 a piece for such work.

"Sometimes I hate watching my neighbors receive so many orders. But I realize that everybody has his or her own fortune. We have to accept every rupiah earned each day with gratitude," he said.

Juhri may be envious of the bigger, more famous and more established tailors around him. But the big players are not without problems.

ITA executive Djoko Muyanto said Indonesian tailors needed to improve the quality of their work.

"They are actually already quite good. Ten years ago there were very few tailors in Jakarta and people had to go all the way to Singapore to get their suits made," he said.

"But we need to have a genuine Indonesian tailoring system which covers special cutting, sewing, color assortment and designing techniques," he said.

Most tailors adapt systems from Hong Kong, Austria and France.

Djoko said an education system for tailors was needed so Indonesian tailors did not have to go overseas to keep up with industry trends.

"Tailors are professionals, just like doctors, engineers and any other professional. This needs to be recognized," he said.

Djoko said ITA was setting up an organization to give information to tailors and to work with related associations, like the Association of Indonesian Designers.

This body will help professional tailors by giving consultations, training courses and tips on clothing accessories and techniques.

So those of you who do not have the average body shape are fussy about what you wear, or simply want to have an individual touch, rest reassured that there are tailors waiting to take your order. (team)