Tailors reaping windfall profits ahead of Eid
A tailor stitches clothes at his shop in Rawalpindi. Photo: Express
With a handful of days left in Eidul Fitr, tailors in the garrison city have begun basking in profit’s sun due to an overwhelming demand for stitching Eid outfits on time.
Making hay over the customers’ quandaries, tailors of Rawalpindi have raised rates for stitching gents’, ladies’, and children's suits. On Friday, a majority of tailors announced that they have stopped taking new orders to deal with existing ones.
On the other hand, the tailors have hired more workers and begun stitching clothes around the clock to meet the demand. Separate teams for day and night shifts have also been formed while some tailors have started outsourcing new orders. The trend has created a golden opportunity for home-based tailors, especially women, to earn additional income.
Moreover, youngsters who have been employed for the job of buttoning clothes are making Rs100 per suit.
According to a survey, the charges for sewing men's suits have been increased from Rs1,000 to Rs1,300, while well-known tailors in major markets have raised their charges from Rs1,400 to Rs1,500. The cost to stitch ladies' suits has been fixed at Rs1,200 and the cost to stitch women's suits with a design on order has jumped to Rs1,500.
Similarly, the tailors are charging Rs1,100 to Rs1,200 for children’s suits.
The rise in demand for sewing clothes has created an opportunity for home-based seamstresses who are now generating money from the comfort of their homes.
Due to high rates and skyrocketing inflation, clients are increasingly relying on home-based seamstresses who get the job done at relatively low prices.
These housewives charge Rs1,200 per women's suit and Rs1,000 per men's suit.
Following the tailors' decision to stop taking additional orders, the sale of unstitched suits in the open market has begun to decline after the first 15 days of the holy month of Ramazan. The historic high inflation is also being blamed for the drop in sales.
Moreover, sources said tailors who are accepting new orders are now charging an additional Rs300 for custom-made suits.
Tailors have said that they will accept new orders till the 20th of Ramazan with an additional Rs300 and after that, the additional amount will be increased to Rs500.
According to the Rawalpindi Tailors Association Secretary General Wajid Ali, the total number of registered tailors in the city and Cantt of Rawalpindi is approximately 9,792.
Each tailor has received 200 to 350 suits as Eidul Fitr and Eidul Adha is the time when people associated with the profession earn extra money, he said.
“The cost of buckram has jumped by 300pc as have the expenses of labor and suit buttons”.
The cost of everything has gone up and it is now impossible to stitch a suit for Rs1,000, he added.
“We have issued strict instructions to all members to complete the orders and hand them over to the customers before Eid eve.
This year, a normal quality men's suit is being sold at Rs1,500, a medium quality suit between Rs2,000 and Rs2,500, and a good quality suit is being sold at Rs3,500 to Rs4,500.
Published in The Express Tribune, April 8th, 2023.