Khulna tailors face slump in Eid orders

Tailoring shops across the Khulna city and district this year are not witnessing the usual rush of customers ahead of Eid-ul-Azha, thanks to the escalating cost of living, with orders falling by around 25 percent from the last year.
Many tailors claim they are receiving fewer orders every year and this year they may have to continue taking orders even in the 10 days of Eid. “We used to see huge rush of clients in our store in the past. We used to get so overburdened with work that we had to stop taking new orders within the two weeks before Eid,” said Azibor Rahman, a tailor of Bangkok Tailors at Railway Hawkers Market. Besides, they appear to have slowly lost ground to the readymade garment stores and boutiques that are now brimming with the latest collections of dresses ahead of the festival. “People look for new outfits when they have enough money. But the middle-class does not get any chance to save after paying off their basic expenses,” said Bidhu Sardar, proprietor of New Fops’ Tailors in the city. Bidhu said, “On the occasion of holy Eid, a good number of men turn out at their favorite tailoring shops to place orders for sewing shirts and pants with good fitting.” “We are charging Tk 400 for sewing a pant and Tk 250 for a shirt.” Bidhu added.
“Cheap readymade garments from China are to blame for the drop in orders,” said Nazmul Haque, cutting master of Red Rose Tailors in Khulna. Rafiqul Islam, proprietor of Shital Tailors at Esha Chamber in the city blamed the rise of readymade garment shops and boutiques for their slack business. “I have so far received around 350 orders for this Eid, down from the 500 orders of last year,” he said. Most of the tailors at Railway and New market area were sitting idle, an unlikely scenario in the lead-up to Eid, Rafiqul further said.
So dismal is the situation that many owners are struggling to pay their employees, according to Rafiqul. “We pay our tailors as per their production, and that depends on the clients’ orders. But people are spending less on clothes this festival,” he said.
Some customers admitted they were interested in ready-made clothes rather than tailor-made items. “My target is to earn Tk15,000 this month to go to my village,” said Omar Faruk, who works on subcontract at Goborchaka Main Road. Usually, during festivals I work at night as well to meet the orders. But this year, the day is enough to fulfill the clients’ orders. Most of the tailors who work on subcontract are now looking for second jobs to make ends meet. However, many tailoring stores in some other areas of the city said the customers in their area were still enthusiastic about tailor-made clothes. Anika Tabassum, a regular client of Pinky Tailors, said she still prefers tailored clothes over readymade ones as she likes to wear dresses with specific designs. Many customers opt for tailor-made clothes as these are more comfortable to wear and fit perfectly, she added.

Khulna tailors face slump in Eid orders

Tailoring shops across the Khulna city and district this year are not witnessing the usual rush of customers ahead of Eid-ul-Azha, thanks to the escalating cost of living, with orders falling by around 25 percent from the last year. Many tailors claim they are receiving fewer orders every year and this year they may have to continue taking orders even in the 10 days of Eid. We used to see huge rush of clients in our store in the past. We used to get so overburdened with work that we had to stop taking new orders within the two weeks before Eid, said Azibor Rahman, a tailor of Bangkok Tailors at Railway Hawkers Market. Besides, they appear to have slowly lost ground to the readymade garment stores and boutiques that are now brimming with the latest collections of dresses ahead of the festival. People look for new outfits when they have enough money. But the middle-class does not get any chance to save after paying off their basic expenses, said Bidhu Sardar, proprietor of New Fops Tailors in the city. Bidhu said, On the occasion of holy Eid, a good number of men turn out at their favorite tailoring shops to place orders for sewing shirts and pants with good fitting. We are charging Tk 400 for sewing a pant and Tk 250 for a shirt. Bidhu added. Cheap readymade garments from China are to blame for the drop in orders, said Nazmul Haque, cutting master of Red Rose Tailors in Khulna. Rafiqul Islam, proprietor of Shital Tailors at Esha Chamber in the city blamed the rise of readymade garment shops and boutiques for their slack business. I have so far received around 350 orders for this Eid, down from the 500 orders of last year, he said. Most of the tailors at Railway and New market area were sitting idle, an unlikely scenario in the lead-up to Eid, Rafiqul further said. So dismal is the situation that many owners are struggling to pay their employees, according to Rafiqul. We pay our tailors as per their production, and that depends on the clients orders. But people are spending less on clothes this festival, he said. Some customers admitted they were interested in ready-made clothes rather than tailor-made items. My target is to earn Tk15,000 this month to go to my village, said Omar Faruk, who works on subcontract at Goborchaka Main Road. Usually, during festivals I work at night as well to meet the orders. But this year, the day is enough to fulfill the clients orders. Most of the tailors who work on subcontract are now looking for second jobs to make ends meet. However, many tailoring stores in some other areas of the city said the customers in their area were still enthusiastic about tailor-made clothes. Anika Tabassum, a regular client of Pinky Tailors, said she still prefers tailored clothes over readymade ones as she likes to wear dresses with specific designs. Many customers opt for tailor-made clothes as these are more comfortable to wear and fit perfectly, she added.