KARACHI: The trend of wearing ready-made gents and children’s shalwar kameez has gained momentum in the last two to three years as they cost less than custom-made suits stitched by tailors.

Saddar’s Cooperative Market, the hub of ready-made shalwar kameez and mostly caters to the middle- and lower-middle income groups, is flooded with buyers these days.

Those who prefer to wear designers’ clothes usually avoid Cooperative Market as they can easily pay Rs3,200-3,600 for kurta, and Rs3,800-5,000 for shalwar kameez.

Opposite to Cooperative Market is Karim Centre which used to house around 50 tailor shops. But the situation has now changed as only five to seven gents’ tailors have managed to survive on its first floor.

After sharp drop in customers’ orders and high prices of stitching, many gents’ tailors have either given their shops on rent or converted them into ladies ready-made shalwar kameez outlets.

A shop owner in Karim Centre said he had let out his shop a year ago since the buyers had become reluctant to pay stitching cost of Rs600-800 per suit.

The stitching price for gents’ trousers also hovers at Rs600-800 and shirt at Rs500-600. Almost the same price is charged for kids stitching. Another reason of booming sale of ready-made shalwar kameez is poor stitching quality and substandard material used by tailors.

“If a buyer can easily purchase a complete shalwar kameez of boys and gents with embroidery and latest designs at Rs1,200-1,400, why would he pay Rs600-800 to the tailor for stitching only?” asked Ayaz Shah, a worker in a shop in Cooperative Market.

“Seven metres cloth for gents’ shalwar kameez cost at least Rs1,000-1,200. Add stitching cost to this and the price comes to Rs1,600-2,000 per suit.”

The cost goes up further if high quality fabric at a price of Rs1,500-3,000 is used.

Despite low-priced ready-made suits at Rs1,200, most buyers bargain to get it at Rs800.

Cooperative Market also offers high quality suit at a price hovering between Rs1,500-2,500. “We sell suits with embroidery whose cost alone comes to Rs250-400 per suit,” Shah added.

He claimed that the price of shalwar kameez (cotton and wash and wear) has not changed for the last two to three years.

When asked how shopkeepers are meeting the rising labour and stitching material cost or selling low fabric quality shalwar kameez to offset the cost, Shah said shopkeepers are surviving on bulk orders. Some shopkeepers give away orders from a minimum 1,000 to 3,000 suits to cope with huge demand of Eidul Fitr.

Another shop owner said the price of shalwar kameez has gone up by Rs 50-100 per suit in the last two years. He said people are minting money on shalwar kameez in other markets by selling a Rs1,200-1,400 suit at over Rs2,000 in markets like Tariq Road, Bahadurabad, Hyderi, etc.

On Eidul Fitr sales, shop owners said the sales have so far been brisk in view of quite satisfactory law and order situation. They hope sales will pick up momentum in the last 10 days before Eid.

Ladies tailors

A number of tailors in various areas told Dawn they have increased the stitching cost by Rs100-200 in the last three years due to rising cost of living, labour charges and high power bills.

The price of preparing a plain ladies suit is Rs600 which was Rs400 three years back, while suit with embroidery, laces and other accessories is stitched at a price of Rs1,000-1,200, which was Rs 800-1,000.

However, there are still many tailors in middle-income group areas who charge Rs400 for plain and Rs800 for fancy suits.

High quality ready-made ladies suits carry a price tag of Rs4,000-7,000 per suit while low quality suits are available at Rs1,200-2,000.

Published in Dawn, July 18th, 2014