Shanghainese Tailoring

Hong Kong is known for its tailors and its bespoke suits. The traditions stem from Chinese migrants from Shanghai, known as “Paris of the East” at its heyday in the 1920s. Shanghai was the main trading port in China and through its connections with the West the city absorbed the latest fashion trends, clothing, style, and lifestyle, including the British tailoring culture.

In the second half of the 19th century, the seaport cities of Zhejiang province  were occupied by Great Britain and an influx of affluent expatiates settled in the region. These expats began to crave the comforts from home, including clothing. British master tailors followed and settled in Shanghai and Ningbo, and they recruited local staff, mostly young boys to help out as as apprentices.

In the following decades, these apprentices developed into world-class tailors. Meticulously crafting each suit according to the principles they had been taught, these tailors kept the attention to details and craftmanship. Soon did they rival their British counterparts in skills. Even better, their hand-sewn garments came with a lower price tag. As a group, they became known as the hong bang cai feng or “Red Group Tailors”. Today, its a mark of excellence to be a Shanghainese Tailor, and a suit made according to these principles will be both well cut, durable, and of high quality in both fabric and craftmanship.

Changing political and economic fortunes sent many of the best tailors from Shanghai fleeing for Hong Kong in the first half of the 20th century. Before long, as the Western tailoring culture began to take root in the ex-British colony, a cottage industry revolving around the workmanship of these master craftsmen flourished too.

Unfortunately, much of the craft has been lost over the years but in Hong Kong, there is still a small group of craftsmen skilled in the art of Shanghai tailoring.

At BlueWardrobe we exclusively use Shanghainese tailors for all of our customer's orders. If you would like to meet one of our custom tailors in person, please check out our tour schedule.