PROSPECTS BRIGHTEN FOR TAILORING IN MACAO

Meng Cheong Alfaiataria has been in business for more than 30 years

The world is moving forward and we are heading towards a faster and more efficient lifestyle, allowing some businesspeople to choose to withdraw from the front line and enjoy a more relaxed lifestyle. There are also new entrepreneurs eager to propel their businesses forward by introducing new technology and strategies.

Kuok Nai Un says the shop turns out
about 20 suits a month

Meng Cheong Alfaiataria has been in business for more than 30 years in a street behind the Ruins of St Paul’s. The tailor’s shop is one of the few of its kind left in Macao. To maintain its long-standing reputation with its customers, the owner, Kuok Nai Un, insists on using only high-quality fabrics and strives to excel in every detail.

In the heyday of tailoring in the 1980s and 1990s, when business in Mr Kuok’s shop was at the peak, he was one of six tailors working there. Mr Kuok, who is in his late 60s, is the only person working in his shop today and turns out about 20 suits a month.

Most of his customers are Macanese and professional expatriates. “People who come to me are either repeat customers or new customers who were referred by others,” Mr Kuok says. “The reason my business still manages to keep going in this day and age is because of the support and recognition of my customers, and the fact that the shop is my own property.”

Mr Kuok’s work and his shop are more a way of life, rather than an ongoing business. The shop is filled with friends and loyal customers that live or work nearby and pop in to chat. The current work load best suits his age and lifestyle. “I am almost 70 but I don’t want to retire and simply stay at home. I would rather run this shop until I can no longer thread a needle,” he says.

Cut from new cloth

A passion for craftsmanship has driven Mr Kuok to continue his business and the same passion motivated two young men to establish their own tailor’s shop, giving a needed boost to the industry.

Kade Chou and his partner opened Sartor Lab in December 2014

Kade Chou and Victor Choi opened the Sartor Lab in December 2014 in Avenida do Conselheiro Ferreira de Almeida.

Having a father who was a local tailor for more than 30 years, Mr Chou has had a close relationship with the industry since a young age. He grew up seeing his father taking measurements and making suits.

Mr Chou went abroad to so that he could take courses on clothing and textiles. Following his graduation, Mr Chou returned to Macao and with his partner opened Sartor Lab. They invited Mr Chou’s father to be shop’s Master Tailor and to provide guidance and opinions on the design and quality of the products.

Sartor Lab differs from traditional tailors because of its modern and simplistic shop front and interior design. Aside from adopting social media as a channel to communicate with customers, the partners decided to focus on service quality by diversifying the services they provide.

Sartor Lab offers a wide range of tailor-made suits

For example, Sartor Lab will create lookbooks to showcase their products so that customers can have an idea of how the suit looks with the fabric they chose. “We photograph models wearing our suits and update the styles every quarter. This is different from the traditional tailor’s shop where customers can only choose the fabrics,” he says.

The shop has introduced new cutting styles to its customers and offers them the choice of different styles for different parts of their suits. They strive to achieve a balance between traditional craftsmanship and new trends and ideas.

In addition, Sartor Lab employs WeChat as a platform to keep connected to its customers. Apart from sending an electronic copy via WeChat to avoid the loss of invoices, the partners also reply to customers’ enquiries regarding styling. He believes that this helps retain customers.

The response from customers to the innovative shop has been very positive. Although Sartor Lab initially targeted new graduates as clientele, Mr Chou says the company discovered that most of its customers were professionals between 25 and 45 years old. “For some customers, wearing suits is no longer a matter of need but a lifestyle,” he says.

Mr Chou says that Sartor Lab will open a second shop this summer. They plan to introduce off the peg products at the new shop and will also set up a high-end, secluded area where customers can be measured and enjoy a beverage. This will elevate the quality of service to a new level, he says.

Mr Chou believes there is a demand for tailor-made suits in Macao and that the industry has a future. However, so few people understand this formal style that businesses have to work harder to promote their services and sell suits, he says.