How does the market support so many tailors?

[arunsakda]

The last time I went into an Indian tailor to inquire about making ONE pair of trousers I was shown some synthetic fabric the man called imported 100 percent wool. The price quoted was so outrageous (like 6000 or 7000 baht or something) that I just smiled and walked out.

In Chiang Mai here there are dozens of these shops in the tourist areas. They don't seem to have much custom, even in high season mostly empty, with idle men reading magazines inside. Comparatively little touting like BKK which has hundreds of these storefronts.

Is it just another scam of scams? Money laundering? Or that the mark-up and overcharging is just so high that they need only one or two pigeons a day to eke out a living?

In Chiang Mai there is no need for locals to patronize these establishments of course as there are plenty of Thai dressmakers and seamstresses who make make or mend whatever one needs on-site for a low price.

Edited February 24, 2015 by arunsakda

[KarenBravo]

Because of all the hotels and restaurants needing uniforms, linen (possibly).

[gerry123]

that' good to know next time i need some bespoke work apparel and maybe the odd 2 dozen napkins

[CharlieH]

Most are just "fronts" and the items are all made centrally in one factory/shop so they are working on commission basis for the factory.

[KarenBravo]

Most are just "fronts" and the items are all made centrally in one factory/shop so they are working on commission basis for the factory.

Very true.......

[arunsakda]

I know they are all fronts but keeping the lights on, rent in central tourist areas, there has got to be something going on? These shops have almost no custom.

I got in a bind once and had to rush order a white pilot shirt from some place at Chiang Mai night bazaar. It was so ill fitting and cheap I wore once and threw it away. The price same as quality shirts I order online that last for years.

Edited February 24, 2015 by arunsakda

[pmarlin]

four of them on my soi close to my condo. During the four years living on this soi I have never seen a customer in one of them. One I can see across the soi from my living room window. Lights are on and one or two Indian guus inside is all you see.

Edited February 24, 2015 by pmarlin

[arthurwait]

What Charlie says.

Anyone remember that popular hit ?

Yes they are known for overpriced scams, turning up with many more items than were ordered and trying to intimidate the person into paying for them all. Someone I know had this in Hua Hin, the hotel threw the scam artist out.

Also see the prices they use to tempt people and the real price, had this myself, wife insisted on trying for a wedding suit, I knew what was going to happen but oh well. Told us a low price and then kept adding stuff and kept ignoring me when I asked the price or said no. Eventually he realised I was better at intimidation than him, told us a price over 20,000B, immediately halved it as I continued to walk out.

Also many Indians are in the loan shark game so some are probably fronts for that and you also have to remember Indians are used to living on a lot less income than westerners.

As with small Thai shops especially in the likes of platinum they are fronts/offices for their export sales.

[richardathuahin]

It's called 'laundering' not tailoring. If they are not tax relief spin offs they are launderers of currency. Simple really. So why not investigated? Well tea money from an Indian business is peanuts.

Edited February 24, 2015 by richardathuahin

[Cylon]

Ive always wondered how they get work permits, surely Thais can do this job.

[Pheat123]

It's called 'laundering' not tailoring. If they are not tax relief spin offs they are launderers of currency. Simple really. So why not investigated? Well tea money from an Indian business is peanuts.

How do you have so much inside info?

Are you involved in the Indian suit game ?

[stgrhe]

Actually, there are very few shops in Thailand selling tailor-made garments; what they are selling is made-to-measure, which is a complete different ball game. There are, however, some shops that can do real tailor made clothings and they are usually the 'high end' shops.

In Hua Hin, where I live, we have one shop that can do real tailor made clothings and it is Mike & Co. Their prices are higher but so is also the workmanshop. In Bangkok you have Nickermann's in the basement of Landmark Plaza to name one. These high-end shop usually do not have someone outside their shop trying to catch customers.

[ozyjon]

Because of all the hotels and restaurants needing uniforms, linen (possibly).

That's not it,, i met a girl (sister of my friend) in Bangkok,,in Bang Na who worked

in a textile factyory that made uniforms for Hotels etc.

I still ponder the question as why so many Indian tailors in a hot country like

Thailand.

[mike324]

read an article on a English paper that did an investigative report, most of these tailors measure you and bring your measurement to another area where they use cheap foreign labors to make your clothes, not a "pro" tailor as they claim. Yes fabrics that they market as "Italian" are usually not Italian also.

[KarenBravo]

Because of all the hotels and restaurants needing uniforms, linen (possibly).

That's not it,, i met a girl (sister of my friend) in Bangkok,,in Bang Na who worked

in a textile factyory that made uniforms for Hotels etc.

I still ponder the question as why so many Indian tailors in a hot country like

Thailand.

Funny that. I used to have a girlfriend that owned a tailors shop.

Most of her work consisted of making uniforms for hotels.

In Phuket there are NO textile factories, maybe Bangkok and Pattaya.

Hey, here's a thought. Maybe some hotels get there uniforms made in bulk at tailors when there isn't a textile factory close by.

[samsensam]

a thai business friend explained it to me once. as said by others the shops are just fronts or agents to get orders and many are connected.

take a close look at the samples they have on show; the styling is often terrible, the fabric and stitching low quality.

of course they use the cheapest labour and materials to maximise profit

and guess what... your suit or dress will be ready to be collected the day before or day you depart meaning you have little time to kick up a fuss.

i'm sure that there are some reputable tailors but you need to know what you are buying

[squarethecircle]

They are also big time in Hong Kong. Wondered about it myself.

[timendres]

The tailor I use on Sukhumvit does good work with quality materials, so his walk-in business is decent. But the real money is made when he travels to Europe and picks up many custom orders that he brings back to the shop, gets done at the factory, then ships back to Europe. Huge profits there.

However, this shop is an exception to the many you see on Sukhumvit.

[ericnoodeeka]

i had my wedding suit made in bkk by some old litthe thai tailor, it was about 6 years ago, and it fitted perfectly, he even made me a shirt, as all the ones he had were too small. no pressure selling, no gimmick, and first class product. i do know what to look for as my granddad was a master tailor.so the good shop are out there, but that was not in a tourist place in bkk, and i paid about 5000 baht.

[ericnoodeeka]

as a earlier poster mentioned, can anyone shed any light on how they get the work permits?? it does also baffles me. the indians i mean.

Edited February 24, 2015 by ericnoodeeka

[KarenBravo]

as a earlier poster mentioned, can anyone shed any light on how they get the work permits?? it does also baffles me. the indians i mean.

Thailand has an Indian community that hold Thai citizenship. No work permit needed.

[Stjohnm]

Most of the cheap $99 for a suit and a couple of shirt tailors can only make money on that deal if they're finishing off a roll of cheap fabric. It's far poorer quality than the high thread count Eyptian cotton's or Italian wools. You can easily tell by feeling the fabric. If you go to a decent tailor & ask for a quote on the decent stuff & they'll only be marginally Cheaper than a Jermyn Street Tailor.

I have to have my suits & long sleeve shirts tailored because of a physical handicap, off the shelf clothes look ridiculous on me. I've used the same Burmese guy in the Royal Orchid Sheraton for 10 years. He's not the cheapest in town & but he is one of the best. Even my old man who made a fortune in the Rag trade over a long career told me I was never to let anyone else make my clothes.

[bangsaenguy]

It's called 'laundering' not tailoring. If they are not tax relief spin offs they are launderers of currency. Simple really. So why not investigated? Well tea money from an Indian business is peanuts.

This is an awfully strong allegation. What proof can you provide?

[kinmaew]

For many years I have had excellent quality suits made from a Tailor on Khao San Road. No BS, good quality suits. But I have not bought one in about 6 years as my work style has changed and we are not required to suit up just casual clothes so huge saving in shirts, suits, leather shoes etc. With the growth of new tech companies I would expect a drop in demand for the more formal type work clothes which means those taylors can expect a big fall in income. Suffer, most of them piss me off and probably you too.

[maswov]

Many of the tailor shops only measure. The actual tailoring of the garments is done at a different location with many shops providing specifications.

[NoshowJones]

Ive always wondered how they get work permits, surely Thais can do this job.

No. Thais are very non confrontational, there is no way they will grab you as you walk past their shop.

[thefactoryoutlet]

Make anything for 300 and sell it 3000, very easy !

Just like the optical shops scammers.

[SoiBiker]

Ive always wondered how they get work permits, surely Thais can do this job.

No. Thais are very non confrontational, there is no way they will grab you as you walk past their shop.

The women seem to manage it pretty well as you walk past their bar or massage shop.

[wvavin]

Which tailor shops along Bangkok's Sukhumvit Road have a real tailor inside? A show of hands please.......

[Bob12345]

The tailors in busy tourist areas make a decent living by selling low quality products with huge profits margins.

You would think that does not happen often anymore as the "tailored-suit" scam is as old as Rome, but you can get a good grasp of the numbers of people still falling for the scams by opening a topic here, or on the FB group Bangkok Expats, and asking for a good tailor. Foreigners will fall over each other to post about their high-quality Italian woven suits they bought at prices below 10K baht.

Many shops now also have websites where you can give your measurements and they send you your clothes. This online ordering is pretty big also and as all the untrustworthy shops make use of sweatshops the profit margins are still large.