Chandni Chowk, Gausia, Priyangon Market and New Market are exceedingly familiar to Dhakaites. Despite the rise of innumerous plush markets nationwide, these markets have been popular among the masses for generations. From finding the right fabric to matching embellishments, these markets make the perfect places for shopping. Although haggling may be tantamount, the day long struggle of finding a dress of your choice is well worth it. Mehrin Mubdi Chowdhury visits the tailoring hubs in the city to find out how they tackle the fervour of Eid
ven after picking out the necessary details, tailoring remains a dilemma to many. But thanks to the prevalent dressmaking culture in Bangladesh; the standard of stitching and tailoring has gained recognition internationally.
Over the years, local fashion has changed immensely given the wide range of global influences. While we pick out and chuck out all our choices, the tailors prepare themselves to bear the brunt of our numerous demands. With Eid right around the bend, the work for these craftsmen increases tenfold.
Despite the change in trends, the relationship between tailors and customers remains the same. Some of the deshi tailors were asked how their ways of interacting with the customers changed over the years. Upon speaking to a few tailors at the previously mentioned markets, it was found that the tailoring business in itself has been a blessing for both vendors and customers.
Anwar, owner of a prominent tailoring store at Priyangon Market, prides upon being a tailor. “My father used to be a tailor and so was my grandfather. The tradition of making clothes has definitely changed; during my grandfather’s time women barely came out of their homes to get their clothes stitched. Either they did it by themselves or they called us to come to their house and pick up their unstitched clothes,” he recalls. Anwar also states that back in the day, men too had their clothes picked up in order to have their suits or Panjabis stitched.
His apprentice Jafar too looks at the work pressure and the dramatic shift of trends today during Ramadan. “People today are more conscious about what they wear during the week of Eid. Hence the demand for having a new dress daily follows for a week or more,” he shares.
A store owner at Chandni Chowk who sold materials and tailor-made dresses discussed customer preferences for certain types of fabrics. “We work with many different fabrics from cotton to georgette to chiffon and even brocade. However, recently, ladies have turned to Pakistani lawn pieces based on comfort and superior designs. Every season, the markets stock up with Pakistani lawn pieces which apart from being stylish, is available at a reasonable price. In addition to that, the dresses are adorned with nitty gritty details such as laces and yolks as a final touch to the ensemble. As a result, ladies do not have to wander around to get the superfluities.”
Shamim, a master tailor, at a famous New Market tailoring store was asked how they handled the rising pressure of international trends when it hit the local market. He added, “Whenever there’s a new Hindi movie or even Bengali movie release, ladies want to copy the exact style of the heroines in those films. We ask our clients to provide us with a picture, either they print it for us or they show it to us via Whatsapp, Viber or Facebook and we sketch it for them. Then we style the dress according to the drawings.”
Despite the rush of Eid, these craftsmen muster up the patience to complete all their tasks before Eid. “We never worked on the day of Eid; all of us follow a system; if we have too much work on our plate, we refrain from taking new orders from clients. We know that being unable to meet deadlines would decrease our goodwill. Even if we take some orders and cannot make them on time, we call up our clients and apologise to them by returning their clothes so that they can go to another tailor. Some of us work till the wee hours of midnight before the Eid day popularly known as ‘chaand raat.’ But for Eid, we take a breather, no matter what. Most of us go back to our hometowns. For those of us who do not celebrate the festivities, take a break on that day and at least three days afterwards.”
*Some identifying details have been changed to protect the privacy of individuals