Eid preparations: Pret wear — a threat to tailors

ISLAMABAD: It is a rather known phenomenon that when Eidul Fitr draws near, Eid shopping gains immense momentum.
Over the years, one business that has been benefiting from high turnover all through Ramazan is that of tailors. However, the trend seems to be changing this year in the capital where people have varied demands and expectations pertaining to their clothes.
Tailors across the twin cities seem to have lost ground to various pret wear clothing options available to women. Catering to different economic segments, readymade clothing stores display their Eid collections way ahead of the big day to attract customers.
The days when tailors had immense workload during Ramazan and started refusing orders from the month’s first week because of pending work are long gone.
“Ready-to-wear has become extremely common these days. People prefer it over the option of buying unstitched cloth and getting it stitched. Readymade kurtas and shirts have not only become common but are in fashion and are considered a status symbol too. This is why the business is suffering,” said Naseer Ahmad a tailor who has a shop in Sector F-11.

Ready-to-wear has always had a prominent place in the market but its sales have increased over the years particularly because it has become quite affordable. “Getting clothes stitched used to be an economical option but now it is a luxury. One needs to take time out to purchase the cloth, get its embroidery done, buy laces and then go through the hassle of getting it stitched, whereas local brands offer beautifully embroidered kurtas that can be worn with pants or tights at a rather economical price,” said Sana who prefers pret wear over customised clothes.