Dear Tailors and Seamstresses,
It’s me your customer. Delete that. it’s me your former customer; the same guy who always fights with you when he comes for his clothes.
The relationship we have is a purely business one; simply put, I place an order, you state your charge, I make payment and then you deliver per our agreed timelines. I honestly feel you’ve taken advantage of our friendship to constantly break my heart, if not disrespect me. It’s about time I told you how I feel about your service. And please, whatever you read from here, don’t take it personally; it’s simple feedback about your quality of service.
Lemme digress a little. I honestly don’t know what it is with artisans in this country; it seems the art of telling lies or disappointing is a core subject in their apprenticeship manual.
Let’s enter the matter well well.
Dealing With The Tailors
Breda Tailor (or its Taylor rather. Lemme tell my story). You used to be the most reliable dude I knew in the trade. I was always awed by your frankness, prompt delivery, beautiful design and finish.
This Christmas and New Year, you didn’t hear from me cos I grew tired of your stories all of a sudden; I mean the plenty ignored calls, countless aired WhatsApp message and telling your apprentice to tell me you’re not around. This Christmas, I took my lanky self to one nice shop at the mall to select a nice shirt that suited my body type. No stress kwraa.
Now I’ve remembered why I stopped coming to your end. The last time I came around, I was so furious I picked up my cloths (material) back to my house cos I didn’t have the strength to even create a scene in your hood. From hindsight, I know you’re immune to curses, rants, fights, seizure of store equipment and anything that qualifies as drama.
Just the other day, I hear you did worse to my buddy, Naa Tordi. You took her things that you’ll sew for her, had the nerve to take part payment and never delivered. Then each time she sees you in town you go like: “oh, yaa fio ni oba” loosely translated as come later for it. Guy, it’s been over a year so the young lady had to forget about the dress cos the stress was too much… Christian brother like yourself can do this, how much more an unbeliever!
Positive Tailor
Personally, I hate it when I have to give you an earlier timeline for a shirt or a pair of trousers I won’t be needing anytime soon. Thankfully, I met a tailor (sorry, designers) who is not promise-and-fail like you are. This young man designs all my African shirts and kaftans beautifully. The Buffmancouture dude is spectacular. His choice of materials, sticking to deadlines and how he makes you look in the dress on your occasion is just amazing. He’s a real talent.
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Dealing With The Seamstresses
I recently had a convo with my sister, Baaba about this same subject and she sent me the below:
I (Baaba) gave my dress to this seamstress in my church like a month or so and told her when I will be using it. I met her at a wedding on Saturday and asked her when I could pick it up. She was like “don’t worry, you’ll get it tomorrow”.
The next day, which was a Sunday, I went to church and this girl was nowhere to be found. I was like “What am I going to do as my concert is for later that same afternoon?”. Then it occurred to me that the way my seamstress was tight sewing for the bridal team, I suspect she might be somewhere around the wedding people. I called her phones saaa she wasn’t answering so I called another person who I assumed was at the wedding people’s after-church lunch. Lo and behold, my seamstress was there enjoying herself.
So, I spoke to her “madam where is my dress? I told you I had a programme to attend this afternoon”.
Sister went like, “the dress is ready; I finished it long ago. You, come for it”.
I told the seamstress I will let a friend of mine pick it up from her house and deliver to me at the program venue. Sister was like “ok”.
On getting to my seamstress’ house, my friend had to wait for hours unending for this young lady to finally finish the dress.
As I didn’t fit the dress, I was wondering if the dress would need some adjustments. I’ve had a few close shaves in my lifetime but this was the scariest.
Positive Seamstresses
Away from the bad-vibe seamstress, some seamstresses do a good job. I updated my WhatsApp status asking for comments about ‘yaanom’ and a young lady slid into my inbox. “My undying search for bomber jacket landed me on dress.up.gh page on Instagram. I sent a message over the weekend and got a call from them which was amazing. Since no detailed measurement was taken or given, I remember asking, “is it going to fit me well?”; I just said I’m size UK12 and my Hubby I can’t really tell but he has a broad chest and muscles. The bomber jacket was expressly done, delivered and what I got was mind-blowing; the fit was perfect for both of us. In all the experience I have had with tailors and designers, Dress Up Trends was and is still fantastic and would recommend them to anyone anytime.”
Another had this to say “I never knew Princess was a designer till she sewed a skirt for a coursemate of ours. The wowed me asked her to sew the same for me and I wasn’t disappointed at all. Having had troubles with seamstresses, I can admit without doubt Pristichfashion‘s delivery is on point… You can never go wrong with the brand.
Let me drop the last one before someone says I’ve gone to take monies from some designers. “I fell in love with Woode B Creation from the first outfit she made for me. As she has my measurement, I can sit in my house and relax because I know my dress will fit perfectly and the style will be exactly what will be sewn. Anytime I see any style and I wish to sew; she is the only person that comes to mind.”
Why I wouldn’t recommend you to anyone
Back to the main matter again. I don’t have plans of recommending you/your service to anyone I know or meet.
I know perfectly well I’m a Christian and that tit for tat is a non-Christian attitude. But hear me; each time I think of recommending you, I would be praying that you won’t do your azaar (deception) things and disgrace me. I can’t give myself pressure all in the name of recommendation when you’ll enjoy the money alone; some of us have our reputation to protect.
I’m imposing this New Year resolution on you (whether you like it or not). That nonsense must stop this year (pardon my French). Cos in 2020, we won’t stress our heads kwraaaa. If we need anything wearable, we will just enter a shop or a Seelewa spot in town and sort ourselves out. No long talk!
Related: Confessions Of A Side Chic; Being The Other Woman
Conclusion
To those who deliver without any mistakes, may God bless you and enlarge your territory.
Those who also deliver in time but sew oversized shadas and wrong styles too, may God erase all markings on your tape measures.
To relatives and family members who don’t charge at all or charge subsidised rates to intentionally mafia people, try that nonsense in 2020.
Lastly, if the broken pieces of the word seamstress (seem stress) is having a negative effect on our ladies, I suggest we call them something else.
Let me hear your positive or negative story about tailors and designers in general.
The end
Tailor and Seamstress post by Paa Kwesi Forson
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