A Very Brief History of Hong Kong Tailoring

Bespoke tailoring has existed in Hong Kong for over a century. It is widely adopted that colonial rule is the main reason for bringing western clothing, including suits, to Hong Kong. Most of the history about tailoring in this city is based on reminiscence of dialogue thus we hardly verify its truthfulness. According to the veterans in the industry, there were Cantonese tailors coming from Guangzhou to Hong Kong before 1900. In the early days of colonial rule, some tailor shops were owned by foreigners. The immigration of tailors from Shanghai only happened after 1949. The Korean War in the early 1950s and the Vietnam War in the 1960s brought a steady supply of order for suits from the visiting military, attracting a large number of apprentices. Before the late 1970s, there were no ready-to-wear suits in Hong Kong and every tailor was still using the traditional methods to make his garments. Since the early 1980s, there were almost no apprentices in the industry as economical labour costs in mainland China limited the wage rise of tailors in Hong Kong. At the same time, most tailor shops started outsourcing their production. By the 1990s, the traditional bespoke tailors became rare. By the 2000s, most shops operated storefronts in Hong Kong while the production was completely outsourced. Changes in social economic conditions in the mainland also render a decline in traditional craftsmen. Today, very few tailors can still do a handmade suit.