Interpretation Of The Current Situation Of Hongkong'S Clothing Industry

The existing old tailors in Hongkong may be the last tailors: years of training, hard work, low income, and so on, which have left young people away from the industry.

Bonham Strand is a clothing custom company located in the commercial center area. There are 8 tailors, and 65 year old Zhang Yunxin Cheung Wan-sun is one of the younger tailors. He said that after retirement, no one will take over their jobs, so it's not easy to make a living as a tailor.

The salary of this profession is not high, about 10000 Hong Kong dollars (US $1290) per month, and it can not reach the median of Hongkong's wages.

Although the government allocated 500 million Hong Kong dollars as a budget to help develop the city's fashion industry, including local designers and brands, tailors chose to save themselves.

"The money is right," said Yang Yali, a 24 year old apprentice at Bonham Strand, Yally Yan.

No help.

To revitalize the industry, we must rely on ourselves.

Hongkong is subsidized by the government.

The Clothing Industry Training Authority provides a part-time basic course for men's suits. The tuition fee is HK $14000 (US $1805), which is about two months' salary for the apprenticeship tailor.

Some tailors sell to celebrities through the smart marketing or run around the world, launching marathon tailoring activities in the hotel suite.

Anthony Asaf is Empire Tailors.

His clients, including judges and executives, occasionally sell more clothes in the United States than in Hongkong.

Mark, Asaf's 26 year old son, said: "with the development of overseas business, we are doing as much work as possible, because not many young people are doing tailoring and sewing."

The demand for clothing customization is still strong, but most orders are from overseas. Busy executives send orders through mobile phones or the Internet.

10 years ago, it took 3 weeks to make a new suit, and now a new suit will take 12 weeks due to the shortage of skilled tailors.

In Hongkong, a custom made suit starts at about $600, less than half the price of Savile Row or Milan's entry-level suit.

European colleagues have successfully revived the once tailless tailoring industry by focusing on high-end consumers, brand building and investment in training projects.

The custom-made tailors say that talented tailors are scarce in this industry, and are also new talents that Hongkong needs to introduce, raising prices and attracting new generation into this industry.