Walking around the streets of Hoi An, it is not difficult to come across lovely tailor shops located next to ancient pagodas, on the banks of the poetic Hoai River. According to statistics from the local cultural sector, in Hoi An there are about 350 establishments providing garment-related services such as tailoring, ready-made sales, fabric and accessories distribution… Whether it is a grand store on the street, or a small, humble stall in Hoi An market, the common point of these tailors is that they can tailor almost all designs in old style or current trends to customers’ requests. In addition, the attentive and enthusiastic attitude of the staff.
According to the owner of Chiba Hoi An Tailor Shop, Tran Thi Thuy Binh (34 years old, Minh An ward), the express tailoring process for tourists usually takes 4-6 hours, depending on the product. Each step such as consulting, cutting fabric, sewing, attaching buttons… is specialized to ensure speed and quality. Customers come to measure and then comfortably continue their sightseeing schedule, while the shop will complete the order on time when the customer returns or deliver the goods to the customer’s place of stay.
Ms. Binh also said that for about two years now, clips with the keywords “tailoring in one day in Hoi An”, “going to Hoi An to experience tailoring a dress” by tourists have received millions of likes on many social media platforms, causing the number of visitors to increase steadily. On weekends or during peak tourist seasons, the shop can welcome hundreds of visitors every day, in which European and American visitors often choose to have suits and evening dresses tailored, while Vietnamese visitors or visitors from some Asian countries such as Japan and Korea often order ao dai, beach dresses…
The tailoring profession was formed quite early in Hoi An, which used to be a bustling trading port and an important link in the “Silk Road on the Sea” in the 16th and 17th centuries. Then, in the early 20th century, European tailors began to appear. In 2006, the tailoring profession in Hoi An witnessed important milestones. It was the Quang Nam National Tourism Year and for the first time, the tailoring profession was recognized as one of the 50 official local tourism products. In the same year, the prestigious American magazine Time honored Hoi An as one of the places with the fastest and cheapest fashion tailoring services in the world with diverse designs.
The tailoring industry has the opportunity to develop strongly in terms of the number of establishments, attract human resources, invest in improving skills and focus on grasping shopping preferences and tastes of tourists. Some tailor shops in Hoi An have been chosen to tailor costumes for royal family members, politicians, and famous artists from many countries around the world. Express tailoring so that those staying for a short time can get their clothes in time, but still ensure neatness and fit, that is the core factor that makes tailoring services in Hoi An conquer tourists. Normally, when traveling to many other places, tourists can only buy ready-made clothes, but in Hoi An, they can experience the process of hand-tailoring, the feeling of having a piece of clothing tailored for them in the place they visit is a beautiful and memorable memory.
In addition, it is undeniable that social networks such as TikTok and Facebook have had a huge impact when continuously promoting to international friends the perfect tailoring service at a reasonable price in Hoi An. Thousands of clips sharing experiences, most of which are satisfactory, have made “good news spread far and wide”, many foreign tourists through which have learned about Hoi An and Vietnam. To serve customers, tailors also have to continuously add new designs, from luxurious gentlemen’s suits to elaborate dresses, even swimsuits, all of which are quickly sewn within a few hours. Experiencing the tailoring process is also a time when customers and tailors, mostly women in Hoi An and some neighboring localities, chat together, share knowledge about fashion, about the old town lifestyle… Thanks to that, although ready-made clothes are increasingly abundant and cheap, tailor shops in Hoi An still have their own place in the market.
According to many cultural research experts, the tailoring profession in Hoi An is a special brand that not only brings economic benefits but also preserves many traditional beauties, “telling” humane stories. The tailoring profession is the core of a value chain, creating jobs for thousands of direct and indirect workers, such as: Tailors, embroiderers, mulberry growers, weavers, fabric sellers, delivery people, tour guides…
The tailoring profession is also a part of the heritage of the old town, every year there is a festival to commemorate the ancestors of the profession recognized by the government, creating conditions to honor them. That is on the 12th of December every year, when tailors in Hoi An solemnly hold a ceremony to commemorate and show gratitude to their ancestors who have contributed to building and passing on the tailoring profession to many generations, along with competitions of skills, folk art performances…
At the same time, a generation of young artisans has both inherited and created many new styles and products to preserve the profession. In the craft village established in 2023, currently operating in Cam Nam ward, although still new, it has gathered nearly 10 creative craft stalls, including young people who are the 2nd and 3rd generation in families with a tradition of sewing.
Traveling allows you to experience beautiful scenery, delicious food, and convenient services and bring products back home. It is not difficult to explain why tailoring in Hoi An has become a prominent trend in recent times. The graceful Ao Dai and beautiful fashion outfits from the UNESCO-recognized World Cultural Heritage have been following tourists from all over the world to distant lands, bringing with them the talented needlework of Vietnamese artisans and promoting the destination of Hoi An in particular and Vietnam in general.
Source: nhandan.vn ( MY HANH )
Source: Vietnam Insider