Hyderabad: Traditional tailors, who were once in high demand everywhere, are struggling as younger and even most middle-aged people prefer ready-made clothing. The tailors recall fondly the time when they were in demand, particularly during the Dasara-Diwali festive season.
"I'm sitting free without any work right now," laughs Babu Rao, a 78-year-old tailor in Lalapet. He claims that for the past 10-15 years, people have clearly preferred ready-made clothes because they do not want to go through the hassles of buying the fabric, having their measurements taken, and collecting the clothes.
Rao's only customers are those who have been coming for a long time, and there is no increased demand due to the holiday season, as there was previously. "Orders used to start pouring in a month before Dasara, and we'd have to work through the night," he says.
Sai Baba, a tailor at a Raymond's store in Kalasiguda's Chenoy Trade Centre, said that if tailors do good work, they can still build a loyal clientele, but the business won't be booming. He, too, admitted that stitched clothing is not popular among young people. Some tailors, however, are still in business thanks to a loyal clientele. Brahmarouthu Ramaiah, 62, of Excello Tailors in Kalasiguda, is one of them, thanks to about 100 loyal customers, including MLA G Sayanna.
On Thursday, Ramaiah was taking measurements of one his most loyal customers, Narsingh Rao, who has been coming to him since 1982. Narsingh Rao says he despises readymade clothes and has been getting most of his clothing stitched by Ramaiah since 1983. “Clothes stitched by Ramaiah have the perfect fit,” he says, “which will not be the case with readymade clothes”.
Ramaiah's family business has always been tailoring, but his children have chosen to become engineers instead. On Friday, Ramaiah's father's store will celebrate 45 years in business. He admits that things have changed, such as how wedding parties now provide the best business rather than festivals, or how none of his customers are under the age of 30. He is, however, content with his loyal customers.
