When I arrived at Sam’s Tailor at 4:30 p.m. on a Thursday afternoon, the small store was full of customers chatting away in various languages about what style of suit to go for and which material to choose.
Standing in front of the counter, owner Manu Melwani welcomed us with a big smile and started telling us the history of his tailoring business, which has been in the family for three generations.
“My father opened the shop in 1957. At that time many clients were from the British army,” he said. Before joining the family business in 1971, Manu worked as an apprentice for seven years in England, where he learned the skills of bespoke tailoring. “It was very difficult in the past; unlike nowadays, people can use lasers and other technologies to simplify the fitting process,” he recalled.
Bespoke elegance
In a world where mass production and readymade clothing prevail, Manu believes that bespoke clothing is irreplaceable, representing a completely different ideal from readymade clothing. At chain stores, customers can usually only pick suits from three typical colors –black, blue and grey – and in standard cuts and styles. In the hands of a bespoke tailor, they can decide on every aspect of the suit, from fabrics to styles to stitching. Manu explained that apart from being functional and classy, a good suit should be able to flatter the client’s body as well as perfectly accentuate his or her physique and personality. This uniqueness is basically what “bespoke” is all about.
Looking at the many photos hanging on the walls of Manu’s store, famous figures like former U.S. President George H W Bush, Earl of Wessex Prince Edward, and singer Bruno Mars, to name but a few, rank as some of his former clients. While some of the photos have faded with time, Manu’s memories are as clear as ever. He is still able to recall that out of all of his famous clients, the one who had the greatest impression on him was former Prime Minister of the United Kingdom Margaret Thatcher, who provided him lots of advice about doing business and warmly endorsed him.
Customers are always right
Hong Kong is regarded as a shopping heaven with a great variety of choices, favorable prices and excellent services. So standing out from rivals is always a big challenge. Spending money on advertising is a common approach, but Sam’s Tailor believes word-of-mouth referrals are far more effective, which he accomplishes by creating a memorable experience for customers.
“Customers want to be satisfied because they are the ones spending money. They sometimes have difficult questions, but I don’t mind. Everything that comes to me is a challenge. The more challenges I resolve, the more satisfaction I gain,” he said.
As such, Manu teaches his tailors to be calm and patient. “A good tailor has to explain every aspect to customers so that they can have a clear idea of what to expect when their clothes are ready. We also read what they want from their eyes,” he added.
Evolving slowly but surely
There is no shortage of opportunities in a sophisticated apparel market like Hong Kong, where both men and women are conscious about how they look. The pool of loyal clients for Sam’s Tailor includes many bankers, lawyers and accountants, people who wear quality clothing despite the ups-and-downs of the economic cycle. Manu said there is also a growing trend among young people to order bespoke suits. “They dress to impress in this competitive world,” he explained.
In addition, a major development that has shaken up his business operation is a surge of Mainland and short-haul business visitors. Manu has 59 experienced employees working around the clock to meet the increased demand for his suits. “Mainland visitors stay for 48 hours, so they come, buy and go quickly. We can finish in two hours at the fastest. For diplomats who stay for two or three days, we will send their suits to the consulate offices,” Manu said.
Roshan Melwani, the Director of Sam’s Tailor and Manu’s son, took up the day-to-day running of the business in the noughties. He introduced several measures to prepare for future challenges, such as building the store’s website and maintaining a constant presence on social media platforms. “I want people to see how normal people can look great wearing our suits. Not just celebrities,” he said.
He has also taken a leaf out of the cosmetic store SaSa’s book, because when he first visited the store he found staff were helpful and immediately available whenever customers needed assistance. Roshan decided to adopt this quality service for his shop. “My staff can speak eight languages: English, Cantonese, Putonghua, Hindi, Sindhi, Punjabi, Bengali and Nepalese, so they can serve everyone on the doorstep,” he said confidently.
The young and energetic Roshan was not under any family pressure to take over the reins of the family business. He was attracted by the thriving business and devotes all of his time to making it successful. He also went to major cities like London, New York, Miami, Los Angeles and San Francisco and set up roadside stalls to promote the business internationally.
A healthy, growing business should be something to cheer about, but it also means staff have to cope with an ever-growing workload, as finding skilled tailors is extremely difficult. Faced with a talent shortage, Roshan considers working hard and being an example to be the best way to motivate staff.
“Any day, whether it’s my birthday, my kid’s birthday, Chinese New Year. Every day I am here in the store,” he said. Under his leadership, sales revenue has increased significantly, which has earned him the respect of his employees.
Regarding future plans, Roshan joked that he was “short-sighted.” “This small business is busy enough that I can only concentrate on the here and now,” he said.
Company: Sam’s Tailor
HKGCC Membership No.: HKS1100
Website: http://www.samstailor.com/
Telephone: (852) 2367 9423