NEW YORK (AP) — Hunched over a sewing machine, Kil Bae is hemming a dress inside his Manhattan tailor shop when a new customer stops by with a vintage Tommy Hilfiger jacket he wants taken in.
The modeling agent paid $20 at a thrift store for his reversible bomber style that’s plaid on one side and red on the other. He’s willing to spend $280 to have it slimmed down. Alteration requests with such a price disparity would have seemed odd a few years ago, the tailor says, but are helping to keep the bobbins bobbing at his one-man shop, 85 Custom Tailor.
Bae carefully examines the cotton jacket before moving in to pin it, circling the customer like a sculptor with a chisel. He started training as a tailor at age 17, in his native South Korea. Now 63, he’s part of a shrinking breed in the U.S., where professional sewers, dressmakers and tailors are aging out of the workforce as their services find fresh demand.
Shoppers who grew up on disposable fast fashion are enlisting tailors and seamstresses to give off-the-rack purchases a custom fit or personal flair, to revive secondhand finds, or to extend the lives of their wardrobes, according to fashion industry experts. Weight-loss drugs such as Zepbound and Wegovy also lead to requests for adjusted waistbands and tapered sleeves.
Bae emphasizes, “I recommend this job to young people because this one cannot be AI’d,” referring to the irreplaceable craftsmanship of tailoring. “If I close this door, I can go out and find another one.”
An Aging Occupation
According to the U.S. Bureau of Labor Statistics, there were fewer than 17,000 tailors, custom sewers, and dressmakers working in business establishments nationwide, a 30% decline from a decade earlier. The median age for all sewers was 54 last year, significantly higher than the median for the entire employed population.
Experts note the low income level relative to the skills required discourages younger generations from pursuing a tailoring career. The mean annual wage for tailors and dressmakers was about $44,050, compared to $68,000 for all occupations.
America’s Skilled Sewers
Immigrants have continually powered America’s garment industry. Recent census data shows around 40% of tailors, dressmakers, and sewers are foreign-born, coming from countries such as Mexico, South Korea, Vietnam, and China.
To address the labor shortage, the fashion industry aims to cultivate new talent. Nordstrom has partnered with New York’s Fashion Institute of Technology for a nine-week program in advanced sewing and alteration techniques.
Retailers See a Growing Market
The fashion institute received 200 applications for their inaugural cohort of 15 students, and ten members are being hired by Nordstrom. Retailers, including Brooks Brothers, are expanding bespoke tailoring services due to increasing demand.
No One to Take Over
As he alters the Tommy Hilfiger jacket, Bae expresses concern for the future of tailoring. The art form is at risk of disappearing without young successors. He hopes to inspire a new generation with his passion for design and craftsmanship, continuing to work as long as he can.
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