The U.S. economy is witnessing a peculiar divergence: a critical shortage of skilled tailors and dressmakers coinciding with a burgeoning consumer demand for their specialized services. This imbalance is evident in shops like 85 Custom Tailor in Manhattan, where 63-year-old Kil Bae, a veteran of the craft, recently quoted $280 to slim down a vintage Tommy Hilfiger jacket a customer bought for just $20, a price disparity that would have been ‘odd a few years ago’ but now keeps his ‘bobbins bobbing.’
Demand Outpaces Shrinking Supply
The ranks of professional sewers, dressmakers, and tailors are shrinking across the U.S. even as their unique skills are finding renewed market relevance. Shoppers, many of whom grew up accustomed to disposable fast fashion, are increasingly enlisting tailors and seamstresses for a variety of needs. These include giving off-the-rack purchases a custom fit or personal flair, reviving secondhand finds, and extending the overall lifespan of their wardrobes, according to fashion industry experts. Furthermore, the rise of weight-loss medications like Zepbound and Wegovy has translated into more Americans seeking adjusted waistbands, tapered sleeves, and other types of garment resizing, Bae noted.
The financial willingness of consumers to invest in alterations underscores this shift. Jonathan Reiss, 33, the customer with the Tommy Hilfiger jacket, expressed certainty about proceeding with the $280 alteration, stating he planned to wear the jacket often. Reiss reflected, ‘I think I fell victim to buying cheap stuff, and then you realize it just falls apart or shrinks or it just doesn’t last long.’
A Decades-Long Decline in Skilled Labor
Despite this fresh demand, the pipeline for new talent in tailoring remains critically low. The U.S. Bureau of Labor Statistics (BLS) estimated almost two years ago that fewer than 17,000 tailors, custom sewers, and dressmakers were working in business establishments nationwide. This figure represents a significant 30% decline from a decade earlier. When including self-employed individuals and those working in private households, the median age for all sewers, dressmakers, and tailors was 54 last year, a full 12 years older than the median for the entire employed population, according to the bureau.
The economic incentives for entering the trade appear to be a major deterrent. As of May 2024, the mean annual wage for tailors, dressmakers, and custom sewers was $44,050, substantially lower than the $68,000 mean annual wage for all workers, based on BLS calculations. Scott Carnz, the provost of LIM College, a for-profit institution offering fashion business degrees, highlighted the disconnect in industry training. ‘Most of fashion training is really aimed at mass production, not spending time in a shop handmaking a garment,’ Carnz stated, adding that ‘the work is also tedious.’
While online job postings for tailors, dressmakers, and sewers have remained relatively stable, decreasing by roughly 2% between February 2020 and February of this year, this contrasts sharply with declines of nearly 30% for marketing and software jobs during the same period, according to Cory Stahle, an economist with jobs site Indeed. Stahle emphasized the enduring value of the craft, noting, ‘There is a kind of a craftsmanship … that I think is an important piece that we can’t ignore.’
Kil Bae, who began his tailoring training at age 17 in South Korea, believes the craft is resistant to technological displacement. ‘I recommend this job to young people because this one cannot be AI’d,’ Bae said, acknowledging that while artificial intelligence can automate pattern making, it cannot replicate the nuanced handiwork required for different body shapes. ‘Different bodies. Different shape. They cannot copy like this. If I close this door, I can go out and find another one.’
Industry Initiatives to Rebuild the Workforce
Recognizing the worsening labor shortage, the fashion industry is actively seeking to cultivate a new generation of master tailors. Nordstrom, North America’s largest employer of tailors and alteration specialists, has partnered with New York’s Fashion Institute of Technology (FIT) to launch a nine-week program focused on advanced sewing and alteration techniques. Michael Harrell, an FIT instructor and Broadway costume builder who teaches the course, observed, ‘Customarily, tailoring has never been part of the American skill set.’
The inaugural cohort, comprising 15 students selected from 200 applications, commenced in October and received certificates of completion in February. Jacqueline Jenkins, executive director of FIT’s Center for Continuing and Professional Studies, confirmed the program’s success. Ten members of this first class have either been hired or are in the process of being hired by Nordstrom, which employs 1,500 individuals for tailoring and alteration services, ranging from hemming jeans to reworking evening gowns. Marco Esquivel, Nordstrom’s director of alterations, underscored the broader industry responsibility: ‘We owe it to the broader industry to ensure that this is an art form that exists for years and years to come and continues to serve customers both within our walls as well as outside.’
Other retailers are also expanding their tailoring services in response to demand. Brooks Brothers, a luxury brand with a history of custom men’s clothes dating back to the 1800s, piloted a similar service for women at five stores last year. This year, it has expanded bespoke women’s tailoring to 40 additional stores, with prices starting at $165 for shirts and $1,398 for suits.
The Artisan’s Enduring Craft
Kil Bae’s journey reflects the dedication required for the trade. He trained under his older sister and brother in South Korea, later working as a pattern maker for designer brands like Ralph Lauren and Donna Karan in the New York City area before opening his own shop. Despite the challenges, including a COVID-19 pandemic-induced closure of his first shop, he reopened and continues his work, using three different sewing machines for various materials and tasks. Bae, who tried unsuccessfully to persuade his son to pursue tailoring, views his profession as an art. ‘Young people. They just want to find a job in computers,’ Bae lamented. ‘I think that’s too boring. I think this is very interesting. Every time, I am drawing in my head. I am like an artist.’ He intends to continue working as long as his hands remain steady, always learning and perfecting his craft.
