Hoi An is famous for it‘s tailors. There are some on every corner, in some places even entire streets, you can't miss them. Nevertheless, we weren't that interested in them before, but then...
It started with indigo, a beautiful, intense shade of blue. There is a small store near our hotel that sells hand-sewn clothing made from linen and silk. However, they caught my attention with their self-dyed fabrics, in indigo. They use the indigo plants that grow in the highlands of Vietnam and follow the production and dyeing process of the Hmong women. The process is sustainable and ecological, without the addition of chemicals.
I fell in love with a top made from this fabric. Unfortunately, the small Vietnamese size doesn't fit. 😬 They offered to tailor the top to my size. Unfortunately, the indigo fabric is no longer available as it is rare due to manual production. After one day, the tailor attended the fitting herself and suggested a small correction. After 2 1/2 days it was ready, my first tailor-made garment.
This initiated my dear husband‘s idea of having his very old, no longer attractive favorite trousers re-tailored.
How did we choose from the many tailors? Of the many hundreds of tailors, there are only four that are large enough to have their own team of tailors. With these, not only can you be sure that both sales assistants and tailors are suitably trained, but it is also an advantage to have a tailor on site during the fitting. He chose one of the 4, probably influenced a little by their “most trusted tailor” sub-line. 🙂
During the preliminary talk, we first discussed the model we wanted. The saleswoman asked a lot of questions, even though the trousers were available to copy. Then she brought two very thick fabric sample books. It's unbelievable how many fabrics are in stock. Measurements were taken and the original trousers were kept. The fitting should be the very next day, in about 24 hours. During the fitting, necessary adjustments were made directly to the clothing. Another day later, a second fitting for the alterations, buttons were selected, done. The goods are delivered to our hotel free of charge.
The process had given me a taste for have something else tailormade, too, but what? I decided on a pair of thin, wide summer trousers, as summer is still coming up at home. This time there is no garment to copy. I had chosen a quite similar pair of trousers from an online store and mainly explained my idea verbally. The saleswoman made a simple sketch with a pen and asked if I wanted pockets, which I hadn't even thought about. I was very curious to see how the trousers would turn out with so little and vague information from me. The trousers only had to be shortened a little when I tried them on, otherwise everything is fine.
We are satisfied with the tailoring and take the positive experience with us. But I'll be better prepared for the next time. 🙂
P.S.: I first became aware of natural indigo dyeing through the French photographer “Rehahn”, who I have mentioned many times before. In his art gallery in Hoi An, he maintains a self-financed heritage museum about the ethnic peoples of Vietnam. His website is worth a visit anyways.
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