The Hong Kong BaoTou Tailors and Fabric Shops for CMT Thread

[PekingRoadHK]

This is my new suit made by Wong SY sifu. He is well known for Italian cutting. This one is full canvas, fabric is Irish Linen. It gives me a bit of casual feel.

WongSY on Instagram: "Spence Bryson, Irish Linen"

• PekingRoadHK
• Sep 29, 2024

4 likes, 0 comments - wongsy.tailor on September 27, 2024: "Spence Bryson, Irish Linen".

 

[PekingRoadHK]

I am waiting for the other suit, made by Ng sifu, he is well known for British cutting. fabric is British Gaberdine cotton.

 

[shirtingfantasy]

 

[single_origin]

Does anyone know where to find dead stock shirt fabrics in Hong Kong, particularly those from Italy or elsewhere in Europe?

 

[PekingRoadHK]

@single_origin,

golden circle is the same shop for #1,983 quoted "yoos club", my blog has mentioned this one. they sell vintage fabric for suit and old stock for shirt fabric, very limited choice. good things come and go fast!

 

[shirtingfantasy]

Does anyone know where to find dead stock shirt fabrics in Hong Kong, particularly those from Italy or elsewhere in Europe?

Regent silk company had some Atelier Romentino in the past.

Shirtmaker Master Bi had a stock from David’s Shirt Company. While the stock comprises interesting stuff such as 90 cm width vintage Alumo, the condition of the fabric is not good (water marks, mould, fading etc).

As @PekingRoadHK said, for deadstock, Golden Circle is probably the place to go.

 

[PekingRoadHK]

will add more info and update my blog soon.

 

[shirtingfantasy]

My blog post on this new maker:

New CMT Maker on the Golden Scene - Part I​

October 11, 2024

Long Time No See, Again!

It’s a bit embarrassing to start a blog post with “long time no see” for the second time, but here we are. Life has a funny way of throwing work and other less enjoyable engagements our way. But, writing about menswear? That’s always a pleasure.
Keen readers of the blog may have noticed that @shirtingfantasy has been a bit under the radar lately. Well, not entirely off the radar, but I've been operating within a new detection zone — the Rad Radar if you will — building an alternative presence under the moniker 何生今年不買鞋 on the national Instagram, also known as 小紅書 (Little Red Book).

Check out @shirtingfantasy’s Little Red Book account!

The shift in focus from shirts to shoes was a natural progression, as any true menswear enthusiast might understand. As shoe guru Gary Tok confessed in his BBC interview, his journey in menswear also began with shirts. After all, shirts are often considered the most personal of garments — so intimate that they are sometimes regarded as underwear in the strictest of menswear standards (yes, you should be covering them with a vest or jacket!).
But before @shirtingfantasy starts sliding into “sole fantasy” or, heaven forbid, “feet fantasy” territory, let’s get back to the foundation of every wardrobe: affordable makers that brighten your day, with a turnaround time fast enough to keep you coming back for more.
Thanks to my dear friendnemy @fupeichina (who, in his words, is the #1 menswear blogger in our nation), @shirtingfantasy was introduced to a new menswear factory contact — the mighty Mr Xu.

Here’s Mr Xu’s contact information. He has graciously allowed me to share it with fellow enthusiasts, which @shirtingfantasy assume you are or soon will be!

Mr Xu is our man on the ground, our key to the Kingdom of Factory-made Menswear.


Is this Kingdom Heaven or Hell? Let’s Find Out.
With the kind assistance of Daniel from Golden Circle, the local fabric merchant, @shirtingfantasy submitted a beautiful length of Marling & Evans wool-linen jacketing to Mr Xu for production at his factory. Word on the street is that his factory manufactures for a large, international brand whose name starts with "S" and ends with "y". However, after a close inspection of the final product, @shirtingfantasy can confirm that the craftsmanship and details differ subtly from the aforementioned brand. (More on that later.)
In true modern fashion, and in the spirit of our city's newfound Result-Oriented policy-making, @shirtingfantasy figured it’s best to let the photos of the finished jacket do the talking before diving into the nitty-gritty that might ruffle a few menswear feathers.

Here’s the jacket, fresh out of the box!

Handmade buttonholes, a special gift from Mr Xu to @shirtingfantasy (normally this comes with a surcharge)

And here’s our cover photo again!

Mr Xu’s factory operates in a sort of MTM (Made-to-Measure) fashion for these CMT (Cut, Make, Trim) projects. Typically, the factory only takes bulk orders from retailers. But, with the recent shift in suit culture post-COVID and a slowdown in demand, they’ve started accepting individual orders from customers like myself.
This brown jacket is actually my second commission from Mr Xu. The first was a Prince of Wales check wool-linen(also from Marling & Evans). Since the second order was essentially a replica of the first — to test consistency and Mr Xu’s new handmade buttonhole service — @shirtingfantasy will use his first commission to walk you through the ordering process.
Step 1: Size and Measurement Communication
According to Mr Xu, the factory’s pattern is based on that of the international brand they purportedly manufacture for. So, the easiest way to determine your size is to visit one of their stores, try on a jacket, and make note of any necessary adjustments.
In our case, @shirtingfantasy already owned over a dozen jackets from the brand, so sizing was a breeze. @shirtingfantasy double-checked the measurements using the brand’s online system, making a few minor tweaks before sending them to Mr Xu’s factory.

For the first commission, @shirtingfantasy opted for a self-facing, unlined, unstructured jacket. Mr Xu’s factory doesn’t charge extra for unstructured designs (more on that later) or for self-facing if you provide your own fabric. The non-discounted price for this service was RMB 980 (or RMB 880 if you drop @fupeichina’s name).
Step 2: Shipping and Payment
In my case, Daniel from Golden Circle kindly handled the shipping of my fabric to the mainland factory and took care of the payment in RMB, since I had purchased the fabric from his store. For other readers, shipping and payment will be something you’ll need to discuss directly with Mr Xu.
After a short wait of about two weeks, the first jacket was completed. As any good Italian maker would, Mr Xu graciously sent over some factory shots of the finished product.

Factory shots: they know what we menswear enthusiasts love!

And here’s @shirtingfantasy's own shot (okay, with Daniel's help as well ) of the first commission, fresh out of the box. The fit was, quite frankly, perfect for an MTM project.

The Not-So-Perfect Bits​

In the interest of objectivity, I feel obliged to point out a few quirks with the service.
1. The jacket’s construction isn’t exactly the same as the brand’s MTM product.

See the factory label? It’s formatted differently from the brand’s.

2. There’s a thin fused membranebehind the fabric. This is part of their “unstructured” construction, but it’s absent in the MTM products of the international brand they claim to produce for.

The membrane is noticeable but doesn’t affect comfort significantly.

Membrane is absent in real MTM product from the brand (that Mr Xu's factory claims to make for)

3. The lapel buttonhole wasn’t cut open!

Oops! A small oversight, but easily fixed.

So, with all these “issues,” why did @shirtingfantasy go ahead and order a second jacket? That’s a story for Part II. Stay tuned!
Until then, goodbye!

Mr Xu (aka 大牌西服代工廠)
Minimum order: 1 MTM jacket / 1 pair of MTM trousers
Price range: RMB 980 (RMB 880) for making of a half-canvassed or unstructured jacket, RMB 400 for making of a pair of trousers
Handmade option: Milanese buttonhole for lapel (+RMB 100), handmade buttonholes for whole jacket (+RMB 200), handmade pick-stitching (+RMB 100), handmade bar tacks (+RMB 80), full-canvassed construction (RMB 650)
Contact: Mr Xu (WeChat ID: ww742809593, Instagram: @xuxin6134)

 

[PekingRoadHK]

I am making a new section in my blog for China factories, this #1,988 Xin xu factory from Shangdong province will be on the list. This China factory list will include factories accepting CMT order from individual consumer and/or accepting order from fashion brands (including European and US famous brands), for suit for male and female, for fashion for female (e.g. beautiful evening dress for female), for winter fashion for male and female, for leather jacket for male and female, etc.

will talk about pros and cons of direct factory deal.

 

[PekingRoadHK]

just added 10H) factories in mainland China

I will add more when I find more good factories.

 

[PekingRoadHK]

This is my 2nd year anniversary of 50 lbs weight loss success in 8 months by fastering. I am still keeping the same weight, body checked, perfect health! Jogging 10k is a piece of cake. That's why I ordered 3 full canvas suits this year, I like vintage fabrics, very low cost.

#1,981 is my new linen suit. This one is my new suit of vintage British cotton gabardine made by Ng sifu:

Ng Sifu on Instagram: "British cotton gabardine."

• PekingRoadHK
• Oct 16, 2024
• mirador baotou tailor mirador mansion ng sifu

4 likes, 0 comments - ngsifu on October 16, 2024: "British cotton gabardine.".
British cotton...

This one is my new suit of vintage Holland and Sherry worsted wool made by Ng sifu:

Ng Sifu on Instagram: "Holland and Sherry, worsted"

• PekingRoadHK
• Oct 16, 2024
• hong kong baotou tailors mirador mansion ng sifu

2 likes, 0 comments - ngsifu on October 16, 2024: "Holland and Sherry, worsted".
worsted suit...

 

[Eddienewking]

Thanks for the generous sharing from PekingRoadHK and shirtingfantasy. I tried Baotao and Mr. Xu's services, and they are both great for the price. Looking forward for the part 2 sharing from shirtingfantasy

 

[single_origin]

Kwong Hing is the authorized retail distributor for Fintex of London and E. Thomas in HK. Therefore, this one has more stocks for this 2 brands than other fabric shops.

The lowest price I found for wool is $200 something / yard for VBC and Giorgio Vallino.
Good linen fabrics and good cotton fabrics cost more.

I'm looking for Fintex of London fabric is Hong Kong. Does Kwong Hing still exist? How do I get in touch with them? Is there any other store that sells Fintex fabric?

 

[PekingRoadHK]

I'm looking for Fintex of London fabric is Hong Kong. Does Kwong Hing still exist? How do I get in touch with them? Is there any other store that sells Fintex fabric?

For Fintex of London, try Kwong Hing. Kwong Hing is still there, you need to walk around in the street to find the front door of their office building in TST. If not Kwong Hing, try Golden Circle, I saw Golden Circle was selling Fintex of London around 2 months ago.

 

[almerickso]

Thanks for the generous sharing from PekingRoadHK and shirtingfantasy. I tried Baotao and Mr. Xu's services, and they are both great for the price. Looking forward for the part 2 sharing from shirtingfantasy

Do you mind sharing photos of your commissions?