Busiest days for tailors, dressmakers in UAE

Tailors and dressmakers across the city have been putting in overtime during the past few days to meet the Eid Al Fitr rush, with many working three hours extra per day.
Hunkered over their sewing machines for hours on end, the usual lull of a quiet Ramadan is lost on these talented artisans. Instead, the last 10 days of the holy month prove to be one of their busiest.
Inundated with intricate orders from demanding customers, most residents have chosen to bypass their wardrobes in exchange for something a little more unique from these tailors. Preferring to wear a one-of-a-kind bespoke ensemble instead of dusting off their Eid best for the upcoming celebrations, these customers are paying as much as Dh4,000 to look extra sharp this weekend.
When Khaleej Times visited the popular Meena Bazaar on Tuesday evening, many customers were seen waving fabric over the shop counter, verbalising their design preference to staff.
Holding hordes of material in a host of different colours, Kamal Makhija, owner of Dream Girl Tailors, said in terms of colour trends this year, there is no one standout that his staff have picked up on.
From "yellows to purples, and pinks to greens", he said it's clear his customers want to stand out and not be camouflaged by certain colours or styles deemed "on trend". And in terms of preferred style, it really varies from customer to customer.
"When you ask about style, this is a very big question because even God cannot satisfy the ladies. They are very particular, they know what they want and we try to make them happy. What works best is when they bring in their own material for us to work with."
This year, Makhija said the most popular fabrics have proven to be Georgette, a sheer, lightweight, dull-finished crêpe fabric, as well as satin and pure silk.
Compared to previous years, the run up to Eid has been a little quieter in his shop. But that could be because he has increased his manpower.
"In this one shop, we have 120 staff. So they are handling the busy period very well. We have 86 tailors and 14 cutters."
And in years gone by, the shop would take orders way in advance; sometimes 20-25 days ahead of the first day of Eid Al Fitr. But that order period has decreased dramatically this year.
"Now, we are taking orders just a week before the celebrations begin and we are turning items around in 2-3 days. Price varies. They start from Dh100 and can go into thousands, depending on the customer."
On average, the shop receives about 50-60 item orders per day, with the evening hours proving most hectic, and staff work an average of 10 hours per day.
With the shop's main customer demographic being Indians, Pakistanis and Westerners, party dresses, palazzo pants and kameez have proven most popular.
While over at 800 Tailors, another tailoring shop in Dubai Design District, ball gowns and kaftans are most in demand.
"We get really busy around the end of Ramadan and towards the last two weeks we hit our peak. Embellished dresses, ball gowns and kaftans are high on our order list," Sara Al Dimachki, general manager, told Khaleej Times.
Given that it is wedding season, Eid and the approach of the summer holidays where many customers are preparing to travel, Al Dimachki said it's the season where "everything coincides".
"We cater mostly to Emiratis and other Arab nationalities during the Eid period and our dresses usually range from Dh1,500 up to Dh4,000."
In terms of colour trends, they are seeing "mostly bright colours, especially greens and reds". But in terms of style, there is a big divide among customers.
"We are using a lot of satin, taffeta and tulle and we're getting a lot of orders for hand or machine embroidered and embellished items. Although some customers are going for the super simple, clean cut look, others are picking very intricate designs."
Increasing the working hours slightly on the approach of Eid, Al Dimachki said her 12 employees (two cutters and 10 tailors) usually work from about 8am to 6pm, but they never work "post Iftar".
"That's a rule we have set. In an average day we make about five full gowns and we usually turn them around within a few days. Home orders are very popular during this season too."
kelly@khaleejtimes.com

• Dubai