Foo Shi Tailor: This 50 year-old Chinatown suit maker is not calling it a day yet

Tucked away in various parts of Singapore are four fiercely independent establishments that have gained a loyal following despite the challenges of operating a business in a small city. What keeps them going? In this four-part series, we have a chat with the owners to find out.

With fast fashion brands churning out copies of runway looks at breakneck speed, it’s hard for independent retailers – or even high street chains – to keep up. Left in the e-commerce dust are Singapore’s suit and dressmakers, many of whom are ageing out of their trade without successors to pass the baton to.

Quietly operating in a sleepy Chin Swee estate is Foo Shi Tailor, a suit maker that is frozen in time. Dusty windows and faded blue signage frame its haphazard interior, which is cluttered with various sewing equipment, piles of cloth samples, and bags of clothes waiting to be altered. Amid the seemingly chaotic scene, 75-year-old Goh Jiah Fong and his long-time employee, 68-year-old Lai Yu Wen, tend to their work without fuss.

Jiah Fong, a second generation business owner, has been plying the trade since 1975, about a year after his father opened the shop in 1974. In 1978, Yu Wen joined as a seamstress.

“Being a tailor is all I know. I started learning the craft of suit-making after National Service, and was manning the shop together with my father. After my father passed away in 1995, I took over the business,” says Jiah Fong in Mandarin. He pauses in between answers when recounting specific dates, sometimes turning to Yu Wen to help jog his memory.

Despite their age, retirement is not on the cards for the pair yet. The shop operates from 12pm, and work goes on late into the night on most weekdays. On weekends, they are open from 12 to 6pm.

“We sometimes have to rush orders, so we might work until dawn, which is why I’m used to an erratic sleep schedule. I have nowhere else to go [during my free time] even if I retire. My children are not interested in the business,” adds Jiah Fong, who has two adult daughters, one of whom is in the civil service.

Over the years, Foo Shi Tailor has relied solely on word-of-mouth and references from a fabric shop in People’s Park Complex. They also work with other tailors and bridal shops to produce suits. Nothing is too out of the ordinary for Jiah Fong and Yu Wen. They have even made costumes for TV productions and Resorts World Sentosa.

“That’s how we get by,” he explains, “The location here isn’t great, so we don’t get a lot of walk-in customers.”

It is heartening to note that the shop is also attracting a younger clientele: working professionals who go to them for tailoring garments and making alterations. Among them are a handful of expatriates – some of whom are Japanese hairstylists from the Kizuki+Lim chain of hair salons.

“Yes, we do have younger customers. How else have we survived all these years?” chuckles Jiah Fong.

#01-101, 51 Chin Swee Road

Photography Athirah Annissa
Art Direction Adeline Eng