Tailoring trade of bespoke suits will reemerge again

[Der Zuschneider]

USA has decoupled from China because of the Tarifs and security reasons.

Lucky is the one, who has prepared his tailoring business during Covid time and has ordered enough material.
The time of 100$ suits of China in USA is over very soon. The leftover rags will be sold fast in the stores before they go bankrupt here, when the storages are empty.

The USA has very limited apparel industry, almost nothing. Nobody has learned the trade anymore. Chinese and Asians will be mostly deported from our soil, the endtimes are on the horizon.

Production is moved to Vietnam and Cambodia but they will be cut off as well from our USA markets. Every nation needs to produce their own garment. Made in USA is the new deal. In China, customers avoid made in USA and go back to Made in China. The time of cheap shit is over.

[jruley]

From ca. 1825 - 1900 the universal male "uniform" in Europe and America was a black frock coat, top hat, and trousers.  Every man had at least one, and tailors knew how to make them.  Details of style varied from decade to decade, but the basic concept was the same.

And from ca. 1890 - 1975 the universal male uniform became the sack or lounge suit.  Every man had a least one, and tailors knew how to make them.  Details of style varied from decade to decade, but the basic concept was the same.

But now we are living in the second quarter of the 21st century.  Outside of major metropolitan centers and below a certain economic class, who wears a suit?  And very few tailors are left who know how to make them.

The entire industry will have to be recreated from scratch - and how much demand is there, really?

Who wore a frock coat in the 20th century?  They became formalwear, and then costume.  Is the same thing happening to the classic suit today?

I truly wish all bespoke tailors the best.  Making my own jacket using traditional techniques has taught me they earn their money.  As if I ever doubted it.

But maybe it would be better to aim lower and hit a sure target than aim high and starve to death?

I think we are more likely to see successful bespoke shirt and trouser businesses than a lot of new bespoke suit makers.

[DrLang]

I suspect that, assuming the tariffs stick, and that's a big if, this is more likely to be a final death blow to the lounge suit for anyone below high economic status. I already get interviewees for engineering jobs who don't wear a suit. They seem to have been relegated to the finance industry, weddings, and fancy dates. I have family who have their "dress jeans". I've noticed that local MTM "custom suit" places around me market heavily to grooms wanting to look sharp at their wedding. But how long can that last? I am inclined to agree that tailor made shirts and trousers are probably a more viable long term business. Overcoats might make for something to offer alongside that. Maybe the frock coat could make a comeback. It's so completely unknown here that I think it could return from costume status to niche fashion. To my eye it just looks like a very fitted overcoat.

[Schneiderfrei]

As a matter of fact, a number of aged Italian immigrant gentlemen fish for garfish off the Grange jetty, South Australia, who wouldn't be seen in anything else but black worsted suits.