Yuletide: Tailors battle pressure to meet customers’ deadlines
Ahead of the Christmas and New Year celebrations, fashion designers and tailors are under pressure, as they work round the clock to meet the demands of their customers, Weekend Trust reports. Benue In Benue State, fashion designers spoken to said they were working under intense pressure to meet the growing demand from customers eager […]
Ahead of the Christmas and New Year celebrations, fashion designers and tailors are under pressure, as they work round the clock to meet the demands of their customers, Weekend Trust reports.
Benue
In Benue State, fashion designers spoken to said they were working under intense pressure to meet the growing demand from customers eager to collect their outfits before travelling for the yuletide.
Across Makurdi metropolis, tailoring shops have become hives of activities as designers struggle to beat delivery deadlines and avoid disputes with customers during the festive rush.
A tailor at Ankpa quarters, Ojo John, said the season comes with enormous pressure, particularly as families prioritise new clothes for children ahead of Christmas Day.
“There is a lot of pressure, but I am determined to complete my work, especially children’s clothes, before Christmas,” he said.
John added, “I resume very early and work until about 6pm daily. To avoid disappointments, I stopped collecting new jobs long ago so I can finish what I already have.”
He noted that although, the workload is heavy, he has managed to avoid harassment from customers by sticking strictly to agreed timelines, adding that he still gets reasonable rest and maintains cordial relationships with his clients.
For Oinem Monday, the yuletide period poses serious challenges as tailors struggle to balance customer expectations with time constraints.
“This period is very demanding. Although patronage is not as overwhelming as in previous years due to financial constraints faced by many families, the pressure is still high,” she said.
Monday disclosed that some customers become quarrelsome and impatient as deadlines approach, but she adopts a calm approach in handling them to prevent conflicts.
“I work both day and night now to meet the demands of my customers. I am doing everything possible not to disappoint anyone,” she added.Apart from John and Monday, many tailors across different locations in the state expressed hope of completing most of their orders before the festivities despite the pressures as they brace for long hours and minimal rest in order to satisfy customers and sustain their livelihoods during the yuletide season.
Kano
As Christmas approaches in Kano State, the sound of sewing machines becomes a familiar rhythm in neighborhoods, markets and other areas inhabited by the Christian communities especially the cosmopolitan area of Sabon Gari, Dakata quarters, Jaba quarters and Zangon Dakata.
For tailors in these areas, November to December are often the most demanding periods of the year in terms of sewing clothes. For many of them, Christmas is not just a festive season, but it is a test of patience, endurance and skill.
According to a tailor at Zangon Dakata, Isma’il Ashana, weeks before December 25, customers began to troop in with colourful fabrics they intended to wear during the festival. He added that some come with clear designs inspired by social media, while others come with only one instruction: “Make it fine, I want it ready before Christmas.”
He further revealed that initially, the rush is relentless as orders pile up faster than they can be completed. He explained that this year, the trend seems to be different as many customers preferred what is termed as ‘Already made’ clothes.
“Years back, the orders used to pile up, but this year, we have recorded less demand due to the fact that many people have opted for already made clothes that flooded the online market and other outlets. Tailors no longer work late into the night,” he said.
Another tailor, Nasiru Gaga, told our reporter that the season is usually a period they make most of their money. He added that patronage was relatively high compared to last year stressing that despite the fact that missing deadlines can anger customers, damage reputation, or outright refusal to pay, tailors still miss deadlines.
However, another tailor in Sabon Gari, Mr Sunday Bashir, the proprietor of Sotec tailoring services, said, though, the patronage this year fell less compared to last year, he described the patronage as still impressive. He revealed that people have resorted to booking early and requested simple designs that do not take much time.
“Last year, we recorded a higher number of customers than this year, but the turn out this year is impressive. As a formal tailoring services firm, we ensure that we work with deadlines and try as much as we can to meet up with the deadline,” he said.
It was gathered that a normal ‘Senator’ design costs N8, 000 to N10, 000 for adults and N4, 000 to N6, 000 for children. Another tailor, Silas Batta said there were also emotional pressures as some clients arrive with urgency and impatience, demanding ‘miracles’ within impossible timeframes adding that in such cases they usually return repeatedly to check progress, as they get worried their clothes won’t be ready for church services, family gatherings, or Christmas outings.
According to Mar Benjamin Jonathan, a businessman and a father of three, he didn’t take any of his clothes to the tailor as he made his purchase online and it was delivered to him on time. He stated that with the recent development, he had since bid farewell to tailors.
For Madame Esther Hakuri, she has already collected her clothes from the tailor because she had submitted her materials very early adding that she had also ordered readymade clothes for her children online. She claimed that she had devised this trend to play safe and be away from the tailors’ disappointment.
Kaduna
Lawali Umar, popularly known as Albani, is a professional fashion designer at Sa’a Fashion Design, located opposite the Kaduna State Traffic Law Enforcement Agency (KASTELIA). He said that truly, he got many jobs during Christmas because of his good relationship with his customers.
He said that some tailors do not always get many jobs, because work depends on the kind of people they relate with.
He said that this year he got almost 100% success because his shop is well established now.
Talking about how he meets customers’ deadlines, he said everyone has their own way of working. For him, his area has stable electricity, and that helps him to complete jobs on time. He always tries his best to fulfill promises and finish work as agreed.
He said that tailors who fail to meet deadlines often blame it on lack of electricity.
About his working style, he said it depends on the type of job. He said, “Once you accept a job and prepare yourself, God will help you to finish it.
“You are not working alone; there are apprentices and fellow workers who help. Your duty is to supervise them and make sure the work is done properly, then release everyone on time. “This has being my working method”.
On sleep, he said it is important to rest well. “Sometimes I gets home around 10 p.m., finish what I needs to do before 12 a.m., and then sleeps. After waking up early for morning prayers, I may rest again until around 8 or 9 a.m., then go to the shop to continue work”, he explained
On nagging customers, he said truly there are such customers, and they tolerate them. Some customers need patience, while with others you may need to show seriousness or even anger before understanding each other. You must understand people’s different behaviors.
He also said many people are sewing clothes, but it depends on the kind of people you deal with. Some customers also need to be handled very carefully.
From Hope Abah, Makurdi, Ibrahim Musa Giginyu, Kano & Mohammed Ibrahim Yaba, Kaduna