It is not only orders for Eid al-Adha that is keeping tailors busy in Doha and beyond. Many of them also have their hands full as they try to meet the deadline for supplying school uniforms ahead of the new academic year.
Thanks to this “dual demand”, a sizeable part of the annual business of many of these tailors will be conducted during this period, say sources.
“The two months of July and August, in particular, generally witness a rush of orders for school uniforms,” said the manager of a tailoring house that receives bulk orders for school dresses from a number of schools in the country.
While the academic year starts earlier in the year for some expatriate schools (such as Indian ones), it is this time of the year that sees the highest demand as a vast majority of schools begin their new study year in September or from late-August, as is the case this year, the sources point out.
“The families of many students may be away on holiday at present, but tailors are a busy lot as they have to meet the deadline before the new school year starts,” the manager added.
The sources further noted that with the number of schools increasing over the past 5-6 years, there is greater demand for uniforms to be procured locally.
While many schools continue to import uniforms for their students, some local companies have started ramping up operations in order to cater to the demand.
“Sometimes the local manufacturing units have less manpower and may find it difficult to undertake bulk orders,” said a school operator, adding that this why some school continue to rely on imports to ensure the adequate and timely supply of uniforms.
Things, though, are changing and the local tailors are gearing up to meet the demand, the sources add.
Besides tailoring houses, there is also a good demand for individual tailors, mainly long-timers in the business. Though the quantities they handle are small, they have regular and loyal customers due to the quality of work.
Most of them, it is found, do not undertake any work other than those related to school uniforms during the two months of July and August.
