Sew far, sew good
As traditional Hong Kong tailors find ways to reach younger audiences, avant-garde fashion designers are reinterpreting beloved staples. Rebecca Lo turns the spotlight on the current state of the city's rag trade.
At the rear of the exhibition is a mock-up of a photography studio backdrop set up for wedding photos. "Bespoke Western-style suits were out of the price range of most Hong Kong men," Cheng says during the show's preview. "As part of a package, many studios loaned suits to grooms so they could take official photos with their bride."
Second-generation tailor Tony Wong of Fu Shing & Sons sent an eight-foot-long cutting table from his Fenwick Pier store to the exhibition. The table's lower shelf used to double as a communal bed for workers to catch up on sleep, during the heyday of orders from travelers demanding a suit made in the time they were in town.
"I am moving to Central," Wong laments. "My shop in Fenwick Pier will disappear when the building is demolished. I have to move by the end of 2021."
Roshan Melwani, the third-generation representative of Sam's Tailor, removes his jacket to discuss his personal preference for wearing a silk vest over his shirt. "Hong Kong summers are very hot, and a vest looks formal while keeping me cool," he explains.
