the future of Hong Kong’s ‘24-hour’ suit

This text is a part of a information to Hong Kong from FT Globetrotter

For many years, Hong Kong has been town of the 24-hour go well with. Time-poor presidents and dignitaries have flocked to its tailors in quest of a garment that may be measured, made and delivered inside the house of a day or two. Michael Palin and Richard Ayoade too, of their equally hasty tv documentaries, hurried to outfit themselves in bespoke apparel earlier than the credit rolled.

Hong Kong inherited its tailoring custom from Shanghai after outfitters and their clientele fled there within the wake of the Chinese language Communist revolution in 1949. Town’s subsequent fame as a monetary hub fostered a tradition of quicker-than-usual tailoring due to a relentless stream of travellers quick on time and in quest of fits cheaper than they may discover within the west.

Nevertheless, the 24-hour go well with more and more looks like a relic of unnecessarily quick and never terribly fastidious vogue, with an increasing number of tailors now taking delight in taking their time. So the place does this depart the traveller in quest of a classy memento?

Throughout a latest week-long journey, I wished to soak up the Hong Kong tailoring expertise, but in addition come away with a go well with that had somewhat extra longevity (and structural integrity) than a postcard. In doing so, I found a youthful set of proficient tailors, much less identified to vacationers and travellers however greater than as much as the problem of outfitting them.

“While you need [a suit] in faster time than is regular, that’s if you’re compromising on high quality,” says Jerry Tong, co-founder of Prologue, a comparatively latest addition to town’s made-to-measure menswear scene and my vacation spot for a barely slower summer season go well with. Tong, a former administration marketing consultant, co-founded the model in 2016 after figuring out a spot within the metropolis’s tailoring providing for accessibly priced clothes that wouldn’t sacrifice high quality for a two-day turnaround.

For each Invoice Clinton-endorsed atelier (Sam’s Tailor in Tsim Sha Tsui claims 4 US presidents — Clinton included — amongst its purchasers through the years), guests might encounter a dozen extra providing tempo and worth tags that appear too good to be true. Prologue is certainly one of a brand new technology that received’t decide to a turnaround that dangers speeding the completed product for a decent deadline. “If it’s three days, I can’t enable you to,” says Tong diplomatically.

Velocity is simply one of many preconceptions about Hong Kong model that Prologue, amongst others, has tasked itself with quashing. See additionally: the concept that not everybody can pull off a double-breasted jacket; that providing bespoke tailoring means giving up any sort of constant aesthetic; and, in my case, that the two-piece linen affair I used to be debating would simply find yourself a crumpled mess the minute I sat down in it. Throughout my first appointment on the Sheung Wan showroom, I’m quickly persuaded of linen’s virtues, however go on the “DB”, as Tong and his colleagues affectionately check with the model.

The made-to-measure method at Prologue is a dialogue between tailor and shopper, however one closely knowledgeable by the model’s distinct aesthetic. Kinds skew southern Italian with Asian ending — suppose greater waists, broader shoulders and heavier on the pleating. None of which is compulsory, however Tong tends to search out that repeat prospects find yourself incorporating an increasing number of of the weather of the home model in future purchases. For the ex-management marketing consultant, establishing an aesthetic is extra necessary than appearing as a 3D printer.

“There are tailors who will make no matter a buyer needs,” he says. “We received’t,” provides a colleague, scarcely trying up from his pc. Not that Tong and his colleagues are judgmental. On my first go to to their Central atelier, a chic first-floor house close to Sheung Wan, they’re abundantly beneficiant with their time, recommendation and whisky assortment. Measurements are taken, however extra importantly aspirations are assessed and motivations minded.

Prologue isn’t the one model hoping to enchantment to a brand new technology looking for high quality over quickness. “It’s fascinating to witness a resurgence of youthful prospects — a marked distinction from 20 years in the past, when tailoring was on the point of extinction,” says Buzz Tang, co-founder of menswear home The Anthology, which he launched in 2018 with enterprise associate Andy Chong. Tang believes that in Hong Kong, the place residing house is especially constrained, prospects are more and more searching for high quality over amount of their fits.

Tang studied in London and labored on Savile Row, so his types for The Anthology are influenced by British tailoring however with a contemporary twist: total, a softer, lighter model with prolonged shoulders and a decrease gorge (the purpose the place the collar meets the lapel). Partly in recognition of fixing workwear tendencies and rising temperatures, and partly with a view to establishing a definite home model, Tang needs tailoring to be extra inclusive by taking a relaxed, unstuffy method.

“Sadly, the prevailing worldwide notion of Hong Kong’s tailoring scene, significantly amongst older generations, stays centred on the quick turnaround, 24-hour fits,” he says. Youthful tailors — Tang is 26, Tong is 34 — are hoping to vary that.

However in case you are in a rush, one of the best factor you are able to do is to plan forward. Earlier than a primary go to, Tong recommends having a transparent image of when and the place you’ll put on the go well with. Is it for a selected occasion? In that case, how particular is the costume code? If it’s for the workplace, do you threat outdressing your boss? Then come the specifics: two- or three-piece? Single- or double-breasted? Materials? Pockets? Lining? Lapels? And, crucially, what’s your funds? The clearer an image you will have in your thoughts from the outset, the smoother the method can be and the happier you’ll be along with your buy.

Materials ought to rely each on the look you’re after and the local weather it’s a must to take care of. For someplace as scorching and humid as Hong Kong, linen and cotton are advisable; in London, wool, flannel and cashmere could also be extra acceptable. Color is subjective, however resist the temptation to enterprise too far off piste until you will have a transparent imaginative and prescient of the end in thoughts. 

Prologue’s aesthetic leans looser and extra relaxed than you may count on, with a straight, large leg and generously notched lapels. “A man seems finest when he’s snug,” says Tong. He emphasises the necessity for “lounge” in a design — one which received’t simply look good on a model, however on a shifting mannequin too.

Most significantly, don’t forsake high quality for pace. “Don’t do it for reasonable, as it isn’t a real shortcut,” advises Tang. “One well-tailored and constructed garment with an excellent tailor who understands your model triumphs over mediocre experiences.” However, town’s tailors are priced competitively: a made-to-order two-piece go well with from Prologue begins at HK$9,900 ($1,270/£1,000), with bespoke choices from HK$12,000 ($1,535/£1,210); at The Anthology, bespoke tailoring begins at $2,500.

On my second go to to Prologue, 5 days after the primary, a work-in-progress is tried on and pins are employed: in my case, to hike up the trousers barely to keep away from an angle forming across the again of the knee; to carry the fitting facet of the jacket to appropriate a small imbalance in my shoulder peak; and to tighten the collar round my apparently significantly skinny neck. Pictures are taken for future reference. “We match what we see,” says Tong, likening the photographs to a barber drying the hair of a buyer on the finish of a reduce so as to proceed assessing the match.

As soon as the changes have been famous, the go well with is taken aside once more and refitted in line with the pin placements — a course of that takes about two to a few weeks, after which the go well with is prepared and might be shipped to prospects who’ve already left Hong Kong. In a super world, the in-person course of would take barely longer, however Tong is blissful to expedite issues for these travelling, and if any additional changes are required, Prologue has a associate in London that may help. The Anthology, in the meantime, hosts common trunk reveals in London, New York and Tokyo.

“The most effective feeling is when somebody places on a jacket and nearly forgets they’re sporting it,” Tong says. And he has a degree: Prologue’s linen go well with is fastidiously fitted, however mild and with sufficient “lounge” that it doesn’t really feel like an imposition. Once I attempt it on for the primary time, there’s not one of the stiffness that may generally accompany a brand new garment; it’s as delicate as you’d count on of customized tailoring, with out ever feeling insubstantial both. Simply don’t count on it to be prepared in 24 hours.

Chris Allnutt travelled to Hong Kong as a visitor of Shangri-La Lodges and Resorts and the Hong Kong Tourism Board

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