October 2019 Edition Apparel October 2019 issue | Page 49

FEATURE
for a nominal fee. As most spokespersons put
it, “We do not employ tailors but we have them
associated with us. They are into customised
stitching of blouses, lehengas, and other items for
our clients.”
This arrangement has lasted many in the
business for generations. While some tailors
come and go, there are also those that remain
associated with a brand for decades. The quality
of the tailor’s work is controlled so that it does not
THE CONCEPT
The concept of custom tailoring is not new
in India. Since time immemorial, it has been
a regular feature in womenswear as well as
menswear. When it comes to the latter, most
retail outlets for suiting fabrics had tailors stitching
suits according to the customers’ requirement.
Alternatively, well-known tailors usually operated
out of a franchise that had fabrics for trousers,
suits, and shirts. There were floors dedicated
to fittings and trials. For womenswear, too,
many renowned brands that sold garments for
wedding trousseau offered tailoring facilities. In
India, iconic brands such as Ushnak Mal Mool
Chand, Chhabra 555, and Ram Chandra Krishan
Chandra among others offered these customised
options as a gesture of goodwill. Typically based
out of Chandni Chowk and Karol Bagh, most of
these brands are hugely popular with customers
coming from several small towns in and around
Delhi. These customers usually shop for the
entire wedding party—from the bride and groom
to their respective immediate families and even
guests invited to the wedding. So it made sense
to be able to provide customised stitching for all
under one roof. Some brands even offered free
tailoring services with the lehengas or some such
BRANDS INCLUDING TANEIRA,
RAYMOND, AND BINKS HAVE BEEN
ACTIVELY PURSUING CUSTOMISED
TAILORING OPTIONS.
@Shutterstock.com
more and more customers seem to be looking at
this trend with a fresh eye. Has the Indian market
come back full circle? It seems so, as even
brands including Taneira, Raymond, and
Binks have been actively pursuing customised
tailoring options.
APPAREL
I
October 2019
I
47