The Hong Kong BaoTou Tailors and Fabric Shops for CMT Thread

[eyeofthek9]

does anyone have a recommendation for someone who can make a velvet tang jacket similar to this:

Velvet Tang Jacket With Dragon Jacquard Silk Lining

One of Shanghai Tang's most iconic styles, this Tang Jacket is crafted from deluxe velvet with a plush touch. Beautiful details are abound - the signature

www.shanghaitang.com

 

[eyeofthek9]

duplicate

 

[PekingRoadHK]

does anyone have a recommendation for someone who can make a velvet tang jacket similar to this:

Velvet Tang Jacket With Dragon Jacquard Silk Lining

One of Shanghai Tang's most iconic styles, this Tang Jacket is crafted from deluxe velvet with a plush touch. Beautiful details are abound - the signature

www.shanghaitang.com

1) Tang sifu,
2) Kam Ma,
3) Chinese Arts & Crafts in China resources building Wanchai, they got in-house tailors to work with all these kind of China design garments.
4) Shanghai tang, they got in-house tailors to do the job.

 

[eyeofthek9]

@PekingRoadHK - do the in house tailors at Chinese Arts and Crafts work with garments I bring them or only make alterations ?

also, of the fabric suppliers you’ve listed, which are some that might carry dark navy blue velvet?

thank you!

 

[PekingRoadHK]

@eyeofthek9

For Chinese Arts and Crafts, they can do custom made all kinds of Chinese designs, they got many tailors and factories behind, and they are state-own. They can make garment more fancy than shanghai tang. they got a few different showrooms in the same north wanchai platform. you have to visit them for how they charge. they might charge more than Shanghai tang.

both Chinese Arts and Crafts and Shanghai tang are retailers. Baotou are invisible tailors. we should assume different charges.

 

[eyeofthek9]

@PekingRoadHK

of the baotou tailors, it wasn’t clear to me upon reading your blog what each of them do by machine vs hand. do you have any thoughts on this given your experience? most posts seem to focus on cut and
general quality of workmanship. but i am curious who does the most by hand and what is being done by hand?

 

[PekingRoadHK]

@eyeofthek9,

That might make you confusing, I was putting their words together when they answered my same question: what's the differences between your products and other baotou products? I see different price, different products, and different cutting style, what else have you got? Some say only his products are handmade, all others are manchine made.

For me, I only see 3 types: full canvas, half canvas and fused. Just go to 3/F D1 or 4/F A4, both got a machine that can press on the canvas for fused and half canvas in high temperature. You can stay there for awhile and ask what sifu are doing with their fabrics and the machine. They will tell you the same, they do cutting in Mirador workshop and they put the fabrics together before they pass them to their Shenzhen workshops to work on. The 2 machines from both 3/F and 4/F are doing the same thing, the machine presses on the farbic for fused and half canvas in high temperature. For full canvas jacket, there is no need for the machine to press, the sifu pass on the full canvas jacket to their workshops to work on (handmade only). That is the different between handmade and machine made.

 

[eyeofthek9]

@PekingRoadHK thx - just feel there’s a difference between a bao tou who does more by hand (eg buttons and lapel) than one who does this by machine, and I would generally be willing to pay more for more hand work.

regarding fabrics, I’ve visited a number of the shops on your list. I’ve noticed some are willing to offer the tailor price and others will not. do folks have any experiences to share about which fabric suppliers are willing to offer the tailors pride to retail customers?

 

[PekingRoadHK]

@eyeofthek9,

A) handwork Vs machine work:
a) this is the major different: 1) full canvas (handwork on the canvas), 2) half canvas and fused (machine press on the canvas).
b) 1st minor different: 1) handwork: 米蘭扣 Milanese buttonhole, 全珠邊 handwork lining for the whole jacket (not limited to the lapel), 2) machine work: ordinary buttonhole, machine work lining.
c) 2nd minor different (HK sifu handwork Vs Shenzhen sifu handwork): There is a difference between handwork from Shenzhen sifu (made in Shenzhen) and handwork from HK sifu (made in HK). When we go to top grade bespoke in Central, they offer suits for HK$35k+ $50+, this is made in HK. Very few Mirador baotou offer retired HK sifu handwork from those top grade bespoke, those retired HK sifu are now working in their HK home (made in HK). When we go 2nd tier HK bespoke or Mirador baotou that offer Shenzhen made suits, the handwork is not as good as HK sifu. This is made in Shenzhen. Made in HK Vs made in Shenzhen, price tells the handwork quality difference. I am happy enough for made in Shenzhen. I would look at the "cutting style" more than the "HK made Vs Shenzhen made". The cutting is my major concern, ie. style different.

B) fabric shops:
1) too many local fabric shops and online fabric shops for suits and shirts. Pick whatever you prefer.
2) I wouldn't go fabric shops for their in-house tailors. I would buy the fabrics from fabric shops and go Mirador for the right baotou (tailor).

 

[eyeofthek9]

I am not asking the fabric seller to make suits for me.

To clarify… some of the shops on your list offer me the same price they offer the tailor shop, which is the very best deal you can get. Others, will not offer that low a price. In your experience, do you know which shops will offer a retail customer the same price as the tailor shop?

 

[PekingRoadHK]

@eyeofthek9,

yes, some of them offer good price and good value to retail customers. pick whatever you prefer. don't just look at the price, buy what you need. british fabrics, Italian fabrics, wool, linen, cashere, summer fabrics, winter fabrics, traveling fabrics, etc.

I am planning to buy 450g wool for the winter jacket.

 

[eyeofthek9]

which in your experience are offering the tailor/trade price?

 

[PekingRoadHK]

@eyeofthek9,

some tell you they offer you tailor price, they actually give different discount to different tailor shops. they will never tell you how many discount they give to each tailor.

 

[PekingRoadHK]

too many different fabric shops with different prices, they will never tell you everything. they might show you one invoice for one tailor to tell you one example, they will never show you all invoices for all different tailors. examples:

1) one high price to all, this famous fabric shop is raising price every 2 years.
2) whatever fabric shops: $80 for tailors, $100+ for retail customers.
3) many fabric shops:
a price to tailors and retail customers, cash only.
b price to tailors with closer relations + 1 month term (they have opened accounts with fabric shops), and selected retail customers with closer relations + cash only (they are buying all the time), e.g. 10% off.
c price to tailors with important relations, e.g. 20% off + 1 month term (they have quota, a contract, to buy large volume every month).

40% - 50% off for old old stock or vintage, cash only for all.

If you get 10% off, and the fabric cost is HK$1.8k, that's not a price that will change your need. Don't just look at the price, buy what you need! why buy things that you don't need?

Exception: when I see good fabrics for low low price, e.g. vintage. I might buy it for my future suits. Look at #1,991: 1) vintage British cotton gabardine (british factory made, might be for H&S or Dugdale), 2) vintage Holland and Sherry worsted wool. Both are old old stock vintage, might be over 30years old, I got them for around HK$200/yard a few years ago (I forgot the price). If they are new lines from H&S or Dugdale in 2024, they cost over HK$1k+/yard. How to pick vintage? Pick plain color for easy matching all time!

How to open an account with fabric shops and get tailors discount?
I heard an example:
Make a deposit of HK$20k with a fabric shop, sign a contract to buy at least one roll of fabric every 3 month. You get a discount with 1 month term. They will deduct an amount from your deposit every 3 months if you can't fulfill the min purchasing amount. You can discuss with your desired fabric shop for your deposit amount, payment term, purchasing amount, and your discount rate, if you run a tailor shop. That's why, we are retail customers only, we can't ask for the same tailor terms.

 

[Warrant_Buffet]

Merry Christmas IA to all.

Since we do talk about mainland makers now, I think I'll share my latest project here: a cashmere teba.

Fabric: ~USD13 / 3yds (crazy I know. I got this 100% cashmere in Kowloon somewhere)
Snailspeed shipping to workshop: ~USD10
Craftsmanship: ~USD100

At a time when spending on clothes is a cardinal sin, this is good enough. The maker has an ccount on taobx (look up "太" and "胜") and makes leather and casual jackets too (simpler styles start at USD~75, shipping costs within China inclusive)