Sewing machines rumble away incessantly as dressmakers slave away day and night to deliver stitched clothes. Eid is around the corner and there is no room for mistakes and delays. With Eid knocking at the door, people of all ages are on the move to get new clothes to wear at the festival and tailors and embroidery workers have become high in demand. Women especially choose to go for designs that entail elaborate embroidery.
With the mushrooming of tailoring shops, the owners have become complacent and insubordinate at times, not just with regard to prices but the specific nitty gritty details that are part and parcel of most ladies’ stitching demands. Despite this, tailors around the city are busy round the clock, working late into the night, making quick money in markets big and small and people have no option but to give in and have their Eid suits stitched, regardless of the soaring prices.
Karachi Company (G/9), Melody and Aabpara Market (G/6), F/10, F/7, and F/6, G/10, and F/10 Markaz attract the most customers. “I have already taken so many orders that I cannot spare time until Eid,” Hafiz Nazir Ahmed, a tailor at Karachi Company, G-9 Markaz, said. He said Eid was an important festival when people were forced to disregard the inflation and buy new clothes. “I have visited several tailor shops but was unable to find anyone ready to take an order,” said Shahrukh from Sector I-10/2. He said, “If I fail to get my clothes stitched, I will have to get a readymade dress on Chaand Raat.”
Customers complained that tailors were short of time and could not stitch clothes with full concentration. On the other hand, the prices of readymade garments are too high for customers to afford. “Readymade clothes cost almost three times more than tailored,” said Kashif Pervaiz, a customer at Melody Market. He said a ‘shalwar kameez’ that cost Rs 1,000-1,500 last year cost Rs 2,500 – 3,000 this year.
A tailor at Aabpara Market, Tariq Raja, said almost 70 percent of clients were not happy with the price hike. He said, “We did good business last year but things have changed a bit this year because of people’s shrinking purchasing power.” People complained that stitching charges were too high. “Last year, stitching of a suit cost Rs 300-350 but now it is Rs 500-550,” a customer said, adding that there was no mechanism to fix prices.
Women complained that tailors and embroiderers were fleecing customers. “A design of embroidery that was done for Rs 300-350 almost two months ago is now done for Rs 500- 550,” said Maira Shakil. She said embroiderers were taking advantage of Eid and exploiting customers. “Actually they are aware of the fact that they are going to get orders no matter how much they charge at this time of the year,” she said. However, an embroiderer said prices of all commodities had increased which was why they had increased their charges.
Women are seen upset with their dressmakers throughout the market and say the latter’s behaviour of demanding exorbitant payment close to Eid should not be condoned. “We have been reading the famous proverb stating that everyday is not Sunday but these tailors enjoy everyday as Sunday throughout the holy month of Ramadan, especially the last few days before Eid,” said Hadia Aftab, holding a weighty bundle of suits while making entreaties to a stubborn tailor to get her suit prepared.
On the other hand, dressmakers’ income has also been hurt by frequent load shedding, especially on days when tailors have to wait for what seems like years to get on with their work. Suffering hardships and a decline in their income due to a demand decline during lean seasons, people in this line of work need to temporarily work at other jobs, but a majority of them is full time professional tailors.
