Sewing the bleak future

CHENNAI: In a world untouched by the coronavirus, tailors worked like doctors — you only went to one in the last possible minute and they always seemed too busy then. Finding a tailor who could hear you out and prescribe what’s best for you was a long, cumbersome process; but when you did find your fit, it was a match for life. You sent his way every bride, Annual Day-laden school teacher and colleagueyou’re- trying-to-befriend with a tailoring emergency.

The grudgingly grateful tailor was left to attend to never-ending work orders. Well, that was before the pandemic showed up. Four months — and a few lockdowns and quasi-lockdowns — later, things are far from the bustling normalcy of the tailoring world. With many consumers having suffered loss of pay or even a job and several avenues of consumption being restricted (be it buying new clothes or preparing for a wedding or wanting to recycle your wardrobe for new office-wear), tailors find themselves with few orders and fewer business.

Tailor-made changes
Munir E Mohamed, the owner of Kut of Klass tailoring boutique, is one of the seasoned tailors at Fountain Plaza. For someone who set foot in the fashion industry 50 years ago and has seen his share of ups and downs, the pandemic and its effects took him by shock. It has pushed him to transform his conventional approach towards work — something he had not been willing to compromise on till then. The summer months of March to July is said to be the peak season for tailors. Munir used to get 30-40 female customers a month during the vacation season.

The number has come down to two or three per day, that too subject to luck. “The first couple of months were hopeless. I moved the work station to my house and started picking up and delivering clothes to long-standing clientele. My wife helps me with designing and stitching. With relaxations, I started visiting the store every other day, keeping it open for a few hours. We use sanitisers for customers and staff. Masks are compulsory and six-feet distance is maintained,” says Munir, who requests his customers to get a sample for measurements. Munir has cut down on his labour charges so that patrons don’t feel the pinch during these testing times. Customers from Kilpauk, Anna Nagar, Kelly’s, Poonamallee, and Purasaiwalkam drop off their clothes that need stitching at his house.

As for his foreign customers — mainly from the USA, Singapore, Malaysia, and London, he connects with them on video and WhatsApp calls. “I have got a register in which 75 per cent of their measurements are recorded. Through calls, I figure out if they have lost or put on weight and make changes accordingly. We discuss fabric, colours, and motifs, before I start working on them. I courier the stitched clothes to them or send them to their relatives in the city,” he explains. Munir has arranged a cycle and a scooter for his two staff to get to work. “The person who does embroidery is working single-handedly to complete designer clothes in time for weddings and family functions. Patrons who know me well have faith in my work. The damage is done and we are forced to reinvent ourselves,” he says.

Masks to the rescue
Empty shops, mounting financial debts, shortage of customers — small-time tailors who operate out of rented shops are feeling the heat. Rising demand for masks and survival instincts have pushed them to put their sewing machines to use for a social cause. It brought in some monetary relief too. Haneefa S, who has been running Madheena Tailor Shop in VOC Nagar for the past 15 years, has been making twolayered cloth masks at affordable prices for the past three months. “I specialise in stitching blouses and used to receive 10 orders every day. I charge Rs 140 for stitching blouses without lining and Rs 320 with lining.

With big stores like Pothys and Saravana Stores shut down, where do we go to get the lining material from? I had zero business in the lockdown and nothing has changed even after relaxation. I was forced to sell two-layered cloth masks for Rs 10 and Rs 20. I’m glad to contribute to society in some way. Three months of rent is pending and there’s no money for household expenses,” rues Haneefa. SJ Jamal of JGR Tailors in Nanganallur shares a similar feeling. He has sold 5,000 cotton masks, each priced at Rs 10-Rs 15, throughout the lockdown. “I keep the shop open from 9 am to 6 pm only to stare at the walls. Despite using a mask and sanitiser, nobody steps into the shop. I don’t know how feasible delivery options are with restrictions. People have also started purchasing online.

We cannot increase our charges, then we will lose out on even the existing customers. Selling masks is the only option now,” he reiterates. The months of June and July mark the beginning of the Aadi sale. Patrons throng the textile stores for offers and make bulk purchases. It goes without saying that things have not been the same this year. With most of his clients belonging to the working-class, Solamalai T, owner of Vicky Tailors in Aminjikarai, has no hope that the sale would work in their favour this year. “The economy is in bad shape.

Why will people prioritise clothing over food when they are not going to even step out for work? On regular days, I used to get eight blouse and 16 churidar orders every day. The stitching cost for each of it would fetch me Rs 400 to Rs 600 with which I have to pay two of my tailors. Neither am I getting customers nor can I employ tailors. My wife and I are working from home and this is the only job we know. Shop rent of Rs 40,000 has been pending for the past four months,” says Solamalai worriedly.

Stitching sentiments
Owning a shop without having to pay rent has lifted a major chunk of the burden for a few tailors in the business. Re- Stitch Point in Royapettah has garnered a reputation for its alteration services for 30 years. The shop is known to have customers round the clock. However, business over the past few months has been dull. “The shop was completely shut for two months; we re-opened it only in June. Only three out of eight employees have returned to work. We tried paying them as much as we could for the first two months, from our savings, even when there was no business.

When we had eight tailors, that was still not enough to cater to orders. Now there’s no job even for one,” narrates M Sasikala, owner. “We specialise in cloth alterations. We usually get business worth Rs 75,000 to Rs 1 lakh a month. A lot of foreign customers haven’t been able to come this year and that’s a major loss for us. Our only priority, for now, is to take care of the employees,” assures Sasikala. S Ramalingam, a Porurbased mobile tailor, has not been able to commute with the lockdown restrictions. He collects clothes from nearby areas for stitching and delivers them.

“Having your own shop is fine but that isn’t going to save you from financial woes. All my regular customers have gone to their native place. I used to earn Rs 600-Rs 700 a day; this has come down to Rs 200 or even nothing sometimes. I use a mask and sanitiser but who sees all that? They are afraid that the virus would stick on to the clothes. When customers wash the clothes after collecting it from me, I wonder where the fear is coming from. We have no financial packages or monetary benefits from the government. Even the bank refuses to give us a loan. The plight of dhobiwalas and istriwalas is the same as ours,” shares Ramalingam.

Halted dreams
With the big fat Indian weddings taking a backseat, tailors who specialise in bridal blouses have suffered much more. Madhumathi of Maya’s Bridal Boutique in Velachery takes us through the expensive affair of stitching the piece of garment. “A bridal blouse is as important as make-up. Soon after purchasing the wedding sari, the whole family of the bride comes to the shop to stitch their blouses a month in advance. Each blouse takes 50-70 hours, depending on the work required. The prices range from Rs 1,000 for a simple blouse to Rs 15,000 for that of the bride. I have a seven-member team. Now, there are no grand weddings and I’m sitting all alone in a shop.

I’m optimistic that there will be business as long as there are weddings,” says Madhumathi. A large part of work in bridal blouses involves Aari embroidery that require a lot of deftness and finesse. Most of these workers (including north Indian artisans) are employed on a contract basis in the city’s shops. Neethu Kishore, the owner of the Aadai boutique in Aminjikarai that specialises in bridal wear and blouses, has such workers under her employ.

“North Indians have a knack of doing things and their work is commendable. Their labour charges would cost me Rs 800 to Rs 900 a day during wedding seasons. Now, all the bridal work has come to a halt. Even the wedding dates haven’t been confirmed in many families. We depend on north Indians, especially Bihari artisans, who have an eye for detailing when it comes to embroidery techniques. We cannot resume work without them,” reveals Neethu, who has been providing doorstep deliveries.

Mending ways
Known for offering a personalised experience based on customer demands, tailors are grappling with the need to find alternative ways to keep the business going. “We’re not denying the availability of Dunzo and other courier services. The business and our value for it are beyond words. The happiness on a customer’s face when he or she is satisfied with the stitching is our reward. Not everybody has access to the Internet, so the digital world is definitely not a solution to our kind of business,” says Solamalai. Social distancing, ventilated space, tailoring room with bathroom facilities, virtual consultations, and door-to-door delivery — as tailors find new ways to mend their business in the post-COVID world, the future holds little to no reassurance for them. But their battle continues.