October 2019 Edition Apparel October 2019 issue | Page 48

FEATURE
Coming Full Circle
Chitra Balasubramaniam reflects on how custom
tailoring, a practice prevalent in India for decades, is
gaining newer ground today.
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I APPAREL I
October 2019
Not too long in the past, there was a time when most news pieces,
features, and write-ups on retail spoke of how standardisation
meant ease of buying clothes for customers; how it was possible
to pick up the right size and simply go ahead and wear it, without
turning to a neighbourhood tailor; how one could try a piece of
clothing at a shop and buy it. Back then, the ease of purchase
and standardisation was preferred widely for the entire spectrum
of apparel. Today, however, just like the times that preceded our
immediate past, there is a trend that emphasises the growing
need for customisation in both Western wear as well as Indian
ethnic wear. Customisation has great potential but is yet to take off
completely owing to many factors, one of them being the lack of
a comprehensive size chart for all Indian body types. Having said
that, custom tailoring is slowly picking up pace all over again as