Tailor shops abuzz with female customers

Ranjan Das, the owner of Subarna Fashion Ladies Tailors in the capital’s RK Mission Road, was busy handling customers on Thursday afternoon. There were several women who all came to order custom-made clothes.

One of them was Farzana Afroz, who lives in that area. She said she had bought fabrics for her and her daughter and they would wear the dresses made of the fabrics on Eid-ul-Fitr.

“If I do not place the orders now, I cannot receive the dresses before Eid,” she told The Business Post. She also said she had to pay the tailor more than the usual time because of the upcoming festival.

Ranjan said he has been working as a tailor in the area for about 13 years.

He said he is charging Tk 450 for a salwar kameez and Tk 700 for a blouse ahead of Eid. “Also, I am charging Tk 300 to make a kameez and Tk 150 for a salwar.”

It was Tk 50 less in normal times but still he is getting orders, he said. “We will stop taking orders within a few days. This is to ensure that we are able to deliver all dresses on time before Eid.”

This is the picture in tailor shops not only in the RK Mission Road but also in other neighbourhoods of Dhaka. Tailors in different localities said clothes of different designs have started arriving in markets and various local fashion houses are also offering their products.

But many women still prefer wearing made-to-order clothes as they can choose the designs as well as the fabrics, they said, adding there is still a lot of demand for such attires.

According to tailors, dressmaking costs depend on how attires are made as per customers’ preferences. During normal times, costs vary by Tk 50-100 depending on where the tailoring shop is located.

Elina Mahbub, a private university teacher who lives in the Hatirpool Bazar area, told The Business Post she has two daughters.

She said her daughters have grown up and feel comfortable buying fabrics and then going to tailor shops to have their clothes sewed as those will reflect their chosen designs.

Elina also said she spent Tk 500 on a salwar kameez, including Tk 350 for the kameez and Tk 150 for the salwar.

“I also had to pay the tailor some extra money. He demanded it to customise the dresses according to my daughters’ wishes. But what is shocking for me is that I had to pay Tk 800 for a blouse.”

The owner of Shapla Ladies Tailor in Green Road, Rahmat Ullah, said he could not do good business in 2020 and 2021 due to the coronavirus pandemic.

“Business started recovering last year, and I am expecting very good sales this year though I am not sure whether people would spend a lot on Eid dresses as the prices of daily commodities have skyrocketed amid the economic crisis and soaring inflation. Nonetheless, I am getting customers, and they are placing orders,” he explained.

Sabuj Patwari, the owner of Shilpi Tailors in Dhanmondi-11, said women and teenagers from wealthy families usually buy ready-made clothes from various fashion houses.

“That is why our customers are mostly from the middle class. There are women who bought fabrics earlier but did not get time to make the dresses. They are now coming and placing orders as they want to wear the dresses during Eid,” he said.

He said Eid customers started arriving at his shop a week before Ramadan. “I hope to have good business this year.”

Banker Salina Rahman, who lives in Moghbazar, said she had bought some salwar kameez fabrics six months ago and wanted to make the dress to wear in the office.

“But as I could not get the time to go to a tailor back then, I am doing that now. I can wear the dress on Eid.”

Not only in Dhaka but tailor shops outside the capital are also passing busy times as they are getting lots of customers too. Tailoring charges in villages are almost half compared to Dhaka city.

Nasir Ahmed, the owner of Nasir Tailor in Manikganj’s Saturia upazila, said he is charging Tk 200-250 for a salwar kameez, including Tk 100-150 for a kameez and Tk 100 for a salwar.

“Generally, everyone knows everyone in a village. So there is less opportunity to overcharge customers.

“We usually keep the same charges till the first week of Ramadan. But after that, if we ask for Tk 50-100 more, customers do not mind,” he added.