Why do we designers / tailors have SUCH a bad reputation around here?!

Why do we designers / tailors have SUCH a bad reputation around here?!

by | Aug 7, 2016 | bad, customer complaint, Deola Sagoe, Designer, Dress fitting, Fashion, Fashion Designer, Fitting, meme, nigerian olympic dress, olympics 2016, reputation, Tailor

From Twitter…

Chei!  We “tailors” have suffered! Lol!  This seems to be the constant song around here!  Why oh why are we now the SI unit for lies, dishonesty and disappointment?!  

I was still talking about this same issue on the Martwayne Facebook group a few weeks back (yes we do have one for sharing ideas, seeking advice on anything fashion related that is bothering us and also asking for critiques on our work – you can click here to join us Join our Martwayne Facebook Group) and made a mental note to write about this topic.  I had procrastinated on it for so long until I saw this meme on Twitter:


… and I said to myself “okay nah… enough is enough.  It’s high time I addressed this on the blog”.

Yes oh… I won’t lie.. I laughed and laughed when I saw it!  I really could not stop laughing.  But as hilarious as it is, and sad as it is to admit…. it actually is true!  It is a really serious issue around here! And truth be told, this awful reputation is really wrecking our reputation as professionals – and believe it or not… our businesses as well!






You will notice that I keep using “we”.  Yes because around here, anyone who churns out clothes for people on a bespoke or customised level is called a “tailor” regardless of whether they are a fashion designer or a seamstress.  So for the sake of this article, I am lumping all of us together and of course using the term “tailor” very loosely.

I have been on both sides – on the customer side and on the designer / tailor side as well.  I have been both a victim and a perpetrator (if that is the correct word to use).  Victim because that was the real reason I went into fashion, perpetrator because I also held on to people’s clothes and at some point even offered refunds simply because I could not deliver on some of the work in record time.  So I am not here preaching to you or casting stones.  

But one thing I can tell you for free was, for every single time I did not deliver, it was because I was sooooo eager to please, I simply could not say NO even when I knew I could not deliver.  You know around here, saying no is sometimes misconstrued as incompetence.  So for the sake of being seen as a superhero, I would take on the work and work myself into a frenzy until I finally broke down!  Or worse, found just anyone who could sew lines together and they ended up wrecking my work even more!  I can never forget when I had to repeat a particular jacket 3 times or when I missed a very good friend’s wedding simply because I did not want to disappoint someone who wanted to wear that jacket that weekend!  Not only did I not attend the wedding, I still did not deliver so what was really the point?!

But then again, the disappointment our customers face even go beyond not delivering!  Most complain that even after wasting so much time, the clothes are crap!  The finishing is awful and the clothes just do not fit and they wonder why on earth it took you so long to deliver crap!  And yes, I have been there as well!  The sheer horror on my face when my tailor delivered clothes that were only big enough to fit a barbie doll!  

So being on both sides of the fence and from talking to designers on things that go wrong – and yes everything that can go wrong does go wrong – I thought it would be good to talk on just 5 things that could perhaps save us from this constant embarrassment and insults we keep getting from everyone!

Image from https://loanscanada.ca/wp-content/uploads/2013/08/5-tips-mortgage.jpg

So here are 5 tips on keeping your sanity, your reputation, your customers and of course your bottom line in check! 

1.  Never promise on what you know you cannot deliver on!

Yes no matter the puppy eyes they give you, do not give in!  You know why?!  When you do not deliver, they will not admit or even care that they gave you the clothes only 2 days before!  And why should they?!  You agreed to deliver so they are holding you to it!

By now you should have an idea of the number of jobs you have on ground and how long it typically takes you to deliver.  Whatever time it takes, please add an extra week or two to it?!  You know why?!  Because anything and I mean anything that can go wrong can go wrong when you least expect it!  Your generator can break down, your machine can break down, your tailor can break down, heck even you can break down!  Does the customer care?!  NO!  They don’t!  And really, they should not!

Have that policy in place and stick to it!  Anyone who knows they have a wedding and they want you to churn out the clothes for them should bring it 2 or even 3 weeks before not 2 days before the event!  And no don’t think offering them express “this one time” will work!  If you can deliver once, it automatically means you can deliver again and it will never stop!

As I learnt in KPMG, it is better to under-promise and over-deliver than vice versa!  Stick to your guns always!

2.  Always insist on a fitting! 

Yes many of them do not like coming for fittings I agree.  But I always say, it all depends on how you portrayed your business from Day 1.  Someone on the Group stated that when you ask a customer to come for a fitting, they seem to think you are not good enough – else you would get it right one time!

You know what I say to that?!  How many brides sit at home hoping the dress fit one time?!  Aren’t they the ones who keep harassing you that they want to try on their dresses just in case anything happens, it can be fixed before the day?!  



Fittings are standard practice globally!  Can you see?  This is our very own Deola Sagoe fitting a dress.  Will we say Deola Sagoe is not good at what she does or do we think she is incompetent?!  Far from it!  We all know she is GREAT at what she does but guess what?!  She still has to do a fitting so errors can be corrected before finalising the dress.  If she still does a fitting despite how fab she is and her client can still come in for a fitting, why can’t you?!

Please please please insist on a fitting.  You are better off someone thinking you are incompetent and you then dazzle them with the perfection of your work than you being embarrassed they will think you don’t know what you are doing and then you prove them right!  If they don’t want to come to you, then please go to them.  You can even bill them for it!  But guess what?!  If things go wrong, then like @cherox said, they will stay up all night thinking of how to lynch you!  And put it up on twitter! And you will be lucky if they do not call you out and wreck your reputation!  So you are better off being safe than sorry!

3.  Please document all discussions and agreements! 

I cannot stress this enough!  In fact better still, sign a contract or an agreement if possible!  This is key if you want to save yourself and keep your sanity!  In fact, ensure that contract even has pictures of what you both agreed!  Honestly, you will save yourself a whole lot of headache!  Because some customers will come halfway through and claim they never asked you to use red thread.  Then it now becomes a “he said she said” matter.  Something else I learnt from KPMG.  Document everything!  Screenshots, snapshots, signature under the very design, everything!  And that contract must include a penalty for gaining weight or losing weight or changing your design half way though the order.

And please, collect 85% of your money upfront.  But also put in the contract that if you mess up, they get something back – because it won’t be fair of you to collect all the money and then mess up!

But yes, documentation is key!  I cannot stress it enough!  And if they don’t want to sign, then you better ensure all your conversations are via WhatsApp, email or Blackberry so you can take screen shots as evidence in case things go wrong!  Honestly it will save you like you cannot imagine!

4.  Please EDUCATE your customer!

http://1.bp.blogspot.com/-G-MWf8mMmOk/ViPxpQNQnlI/AAAAAAAAQXA/T79XSTdr960/s1600/the%2Bwhole%2Bpurpose%2Bof%2Beducating%2Byour%2Bcustomer%2Bis%2Bto%2Bachieve%2Bthe%2Bresult%2Bthey%2Bwant.png


In fact I couldn’t have said it better myself!  

Most think they know how things work!  I always tell my students – especially the beginners “I bet you now have a renewed respect for your tailor right”?!  And the answer is always the same – YES!  Many clients think they know but they do not know!  You need to tell them – actually teach them how things work!

If you are working with an invisible zip, tell them the pros and cons of using the zips and how to actually work an invisible zip so it does not break.

If they bring you a style to copy – well first if I were you, I would politely refuse to copy.  But if they insist, you need to let them know if the fabric or their body shape will not work with the design.  And either bow out or let them sign a document with a disclaimer.

If they bring a design you do not understand, please bow out if you cannot create it.  Never ever EVER use your customer’s work as a practice run!  Always create a sample first just to see how it will work out and if you cannot deliver, please return it.  I remember during my sister’s engagement, she had given a lady in Canada her engagement outfit to create for her.  After a week or so, the lady returned it saying she could not work with the fabric.  I ended up churning it out for her.  Was my sister disappointed in the lady?!  Probably.  Did the lady save herself?!  Yes!  There really is nothing wrong with saying “I don’t know”.  Yes it might be tough yes and yes they may think you are not that good but trust me, you are better off walking away from the project rather than diving in and getting seriously burnt!

And last but not least…

5.  Please have a conscience when sewing for your customers!  

Your clients deserve a well made garment no matter how little they paid for it!  Do not close your eyes to a bad stitch or awful finishing!  You might think they do not notice but they do!  They probably don’t say anything because they feel that is the best they can get around here.  Sometimes I turn clothes over and I am SHOCKED at what I see on the inside and you want them to pay you and not scream at the work?!  How?!  They paid for a service and they deserve the best!  Please give them a top-notch outfit!

Okies that’s about it!  Of course I could go on and on but I will stop here!  It will take a very long time to rid ourselves of this reputation but if we start one day, before we know it, the effects will be felt and our customers will appreciate it!

Here’s wishing you a good start to the week! 😀

Cheers!

A Passionate Plea to Fashion Designers…. Part 2

A Passionate Plea to Fashion Designers…. Part 2

by | Jun 2, 2016 | @martwayne, cease and desist, Fashion Beyond Stitches, Fashion Designer, How to find Tailors, How to Retain Tailors, Machinists, Tailor, Working with Tailors

Image from:  http://1hjf0v2o7xfp1lwogj1zapji.wpengine.netdna-cdn.com/wp-content/uploads/2013/12/canstockphoto13874869.jpg
 
Okies… so here is Part 2 of my ….err… “passionate plea” to fashion designers.  If you missed Part 1, here it is:
 
 
And it really is a plea.  Yes the last one was a rant because I was frustrated but I have since calmed down so now I am pleading with you.   
 
And why am I pleading with you?!  
 
Well first it makes our job easier of course.  We have had some success stories but we need more.  Second, you have to admit that constantly changing staff is a waste of time and resources for everyone involved.  I am sure if you search deep down within yourselves, you cannot be a happy person but your pride perhaps would not let you admit to yourself that, perhaps, you may be the problem.  Third, it costs a lot of money which can be better used elsewhere on training and retraining (on the assumption that you actually do train your staff) or at least, saving yourself the costs of a new person constantly wrecking your clothes.  Then the trust issues and the stress of constantly monitoring a new person in your space can be physically and mentally draining.  
 
Well… we know our Industry is far from perfect and our tailors are a nightmare to work with.  But have you bothered to ask yourself why your tailors keep leaving you?!  I can safely tell you that when 2 or 3 people sent to the same designer give us the exact same reason for their inability to work with you, then you are the problem.  Yes you might feel like a superwoman (or man) but truth be told, your business is pretty much at a standstill when you do not have the right people to work with. 
 
Here are just some of the problems we are aware of and our position on these issues.  If you know you do these things, then you need to stop them!  It is completely unfair and makes life just unnecessarily difficult for everyone involved.


Left Image: https://edlauber.files.wordpress.com/2012/02/assistants-to-a-seamstress_3.jpg
Middle Image:  http://www.symbols.com/gi.php?type=1&id=1594&i=1  
Right Image:  http://riyadhconnect.com/wp-content/uploads/2013/02/maids-are-humans-too.jpg
 
1.  STOP Treating Your Tailors as Your Domestic Staff!
 
This is TOP of the list!  Your tailors are your production staff and are there to work on your clothes – NOT to wash your clothes, clean your house, run market errands, buy you kerosene (except it is for office use), pick your children up from school, walk your screaming children to calm them down or pretty much do all other odd jobs I have heard tailors complain about.  We even have students who have left places they were learning for this same reason. 
 
I do understand the need for extra hands but this was NOT the primary reason they were employed.  Remember some of these tailors work on a commission basis.  How can they ever meet their targets or deliver on their assigned tasks when they spend half of their day running errands?!  
  
Even if they were earning a salary, why keep them busy working on mundane tasks that do not add to even your own bottom line much less theirs.  They have families to feed!  They are there to work and earn a living.  Please let them work for their pay!  You might think “don’t they get paid at the end of the day”?!  Well yes they might but some people actually go to work because they want to learn new things and improve themselves not just to make the money.  
 
If you need someone to run multiple tasks for you, then please get a gofer – someone who understands, ahead of time, that his/her task is not only to run around on the production floor but also act in the capacity of your PA. Some of them just oblige because they have to not because they want to.  Don’t take advantage of this.
 
2.  Pay Your Tailors When Their Wages / Salaries Are Due
 
Another popular one.  We all know the economy is tough but people cannot work without getting paid, especially with the cost of goods and services these days.  Especially if you claim there is no money, yet travel all over Nigeria for one fashion show or the other; or worse, fix your nails and your hair religiously every week – even if your 2nd half is paying for it.  They will leave.
 
And the whole and I quote “Oja ta, oja o ta, owo alaaru a pe” that I have heard designers have quoted to their tailors seems ridiculous to me.  How can you expect them agree to work conditions that state they will not get paid if there is no “business” or “work”?!  No-one will!  I will understand if it was part of their responsibility to bring in the work but if it is not part of their job description, then you need to do 2 things:
 
–  Look for the business yourself and keep them engaged; or
–  Convert their employment to contract and call on them when you need them.
 
Stop giving examples of how your husband or your sister had not been paid for 4 months or worse, telling them to be grateful they even have a job that gets them out of the home every morning.  That is extremely insulting.  
 
If there is no business, carry them along and give them a viable option or you all come up with a plan on what else can be done to make things better.  No-one wants to spend money going to a place of work and not getting paid to at least recoup their costs.
 
A bit of a freaky picture I know but seems quite apt… From: http://www.expatsinindia.org/upload/KWQ-1442.jpg
 
3.   Understand That Your Tailors Need to Have a Life
 
Do not squeeze the life out of them by working them to the bone!  They also need a break.  Have a resumption and closing time and stick to it if you can.  If they have their work schedules cut out for them, most of them will stay behind if they know they need to catch up.  They will know it is as a result of their shortcomings not because it is the norm.  
 
Most of us hate to allow our staff go on leave.  I also find it very difficult.  But you know what?!  It also puts you in a better position when your staff realises that they are not indispensable and work can still continue even in their absence.  
 
Think about it?!  What is the major reason people have for leaving banks, consulting firms and the likes?!  Because they never had time for themselves.  In the early days they might like it but as time goes on, some of them might need time to further educate themselves by going for night classes.  You need to give them time to do that else they will leave for other businesses that allow them some time to themselves.
 
4.  Control Your Temper & Complain Less
 
Tough to do but it needs to be done somehow… No-one wants to work in an environment where their work is being constantly bashed without even the odd thank you when they do something good. I recall a designer I was talking to who went on and on and on and on and on and on and on AND ON about her tailors that I could not even get a word in!  My goodness!  I was completely drained at the end of the conversation and to be honest when she was done, I came to the conclusion that that had to be the reason her tailors kept leaving.  
 
Constantly hammering on the same thing can constitute some form of mental abuse and no-one can thrive in that kind of environment.  Yes I know I have the tendency to do that sometimes especially when I have invested a lot in something but I am now learning to caution myself.  It can be extremely toxic and doe more harm than good!
 
Yes!  And please STOP beating your tailors and/or throwing things at them!  Like seriously?!  Are we in the jungle?!  And the verbal abuse?!  Please stop!  I believe you run a professional business and should, therefore, act in a similar manner.  You can caution your staff without insulting them, their families and 10 generations as well. 
 
5.  Above all, RESPECT THEM as Human Beings, Colleagues and Subordinates!
 
This, I believe, speaks of itself.  Your tailors are human beings and are probably very street savvy.  If you involve them in your business, I can tell you they will save you money in the long run – and this is me speaking from experience.  Ask their opinions, work as a team and let everyone feel like they belong.  Don’t ask them to do things you yourself cannot do.  You do not have to pally them but let them feel like they also belong in that environment.  Implement some of their ideas if they suggest it (even if you know if will not work) just so they feel their input is valued.  It may cost you money and time but it does a lot for their self esteem.  
 
One thing  have learnt is that money is never the only motivating factor for keeping staff. And yes no-one ever has the perfect recipe for dealing with people.  But these points I stated above are the bulk of the complaints I have received from tailors and I had to pass this across.  Which I believe I have just done!
 
Phew… 
 
So what’s next?!  Now that I have cleared the air, I can now concentrate on the project I am working on.  Hopefully it will be easier now that designers understand what needs to be done to make it work!
Money Matters: How Much Do You Pay Your Tailor?!

Money Matters: How Much Do You Pay Your Tailor?!

by | Sep 9, 2015 | Accounting, Commission, Employing Tailors, Fashion Accounting, Fashion Beyond Stitches, Fashion Business, Fashion Designer, How to Start a Fashion Business, Money Matters, Salary, Survey, Tailor

http://635.gtbank.com/wp-content/uploads/2015/03/635-Post-Header-Lamentations-of-the-Naira.jpg

Hello everyone!!!  Please I need your help!

Lately, we have embarked on a project trying to match designers with the tailors they desperately need to move their businesses forward.  However, the general question I get from designers are: 

“How much should I pay?!  


Naturally my first question is “how much can you afford?” but to be honest that does not really help much because sometimes, we have no clue what we can afford and need help knowing where to even begin the negotiations.


So! Seeing I am totally clueless on what the answer should be or what the industry average is, I have decided to embark on a survey in order to ascertain the going rates for tailors.  We know these rates will vary according to location, specialty (menswear, womenswear, bridals, etc), competence and of course if you are paying via salary or commission but we need these details to help us move forward.   


So please please please, spare of a few minutes of your time by either clicking on the link or filling the form below.  All we need are the amounts and how you pay.  If you pay per item, please specify the rates for these items as well.

All answers are confidential and the results will be published here when we get enough information and I am sure we will all be interested in the results.

I truly and sincerely appreciate your time!  

To everyone who has already started responding to me via Blackberry and WhatsApp, thank you so very much!  I really appreciate this.


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