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Dressmakers and tailors make, fit and alter a range of garments, which may include fitting a man's suit, replacing zippers on a skirt or creating an haute couture wedding gown.
Fit For A King
''When the customer approaches me for a suit, I need to pinpoint what colours, patterns and fabrics will work best with their skin tones and physique. This is something you learn over time and becomes an intuitive process,'' says Claudio Fullin, from Fullin Tailoring Company.
Tailors do what their names suggest. They make made-to-measure clothes to fit and suit their clients' individual requirements, taking into consideration factors such as style, fabric and on what occasions the garment will be worn.
After consulting with the customer, and showing them fabric samples, the tailor then takes a range of measurements with a tape measure. The pattern is either created or an existing one used, and the garment is cut out. The pieces are then basted (tacked) and sewn together, by hand and/or machine.
Before the collars, pockets and trims are sewn on, the tailor must do a fitting with customers to check the fit and make any necessary alterations. Usually there are one or two fittings before the final product is ready.
Dressmakers are involved in a similar process, usually working from standard patterns that may require alterations to improve the fit or style.
Clothing The Masses
''We mass produce uniforms for the police, ambulance, hotels and casino employees, and we even import fabrics to make operating theatre gowns for hospitals,'' says Alan Buckingham, Managing Director of Nell Gray.
Many tailors and dressmakers work in garment factories, where garments are mass produced. Mass production begins with a designed, sample product that is converted into a pattern - usually by a computerised CAD/CAM pattern making system. Once the pattern codes are entered, the markers (or pieces of paper drawn to scale and size) are 'spat' out from the other end. A factory like Nell Gray's has 26,000 patterns encoded on the computer.
Next, the fabric is laid out on tables with the markers and cut manually or, in some firms, by automated cutting machines. Even the placement of the markers is worked out using computer programs to make sure that there is no wastage of material.
The material is then sorted into bundles ready to be sewn by different machinists and dressmakers, who focus on either zips, collars, polo logos or washing instruction tags. All the pieces are then assembled and the final sewing, such as the overlocking, buttonholing and embroidery, is completed.
As the industry becomes more automated, many of these sewing stages become taken over by specialised machines. And no wonder! A pocket making machine ('placket machine') can make a pocket in six seconds, saving a lot of time when you're having to add 2,500 pockets on shirts a day.
A Hard Day's Night
''This is really hard work. In the peak bridal time (warmer months) you're working a 19 hour day and have no social life. What you get out of it is a happy bride and lots of job satisfaction,'' says Louise, a bridal couture dressmaker.
Don't be under any false illusions. For those dressmakers and tailors who are self employed there are long hours, with little remuneration unless you have an established clientele or a good reputation. Working with machinery can also be physically demanding and repetitive, and you will need good eyesight for the finer, more intricate work.
Although design and creativity are important components in the work of a dressmaker or tailor, other skills such as machining and pattern cutting may be utilised more in larger firms.
Those working closely with clients need to have great communication skills, having to interpret a client's wishes, whether it's making a suit for a businessman, or liaising with a manager of a hotel chain who wants to clothe hundreds of employees.
The Last Of A Special Breed
Although a tailor's unique skills will always be valued, sadly, in Western Australia the last apprenticeship was offered twenty years ago. With the growing trend for people to buy their clothes more cheaply, off the rack, there is a declining demand for the services of a tailor. Many tailors have to branch out in other non-traditional clothing areas such as the design and production of uniforms, and do a mix of mass-produced garments and tailor-made garments.
According to Jillian Dielesen, from the Light Manufacturing Industry Training Council, there is a huge demand for skilled machinists, pattern makers and cutters.
''The trend is towards smaller groups of intelligent companies. A lot of these companies develop patterns or create specifications for offshore production, which is an alternative career path.''
Tailors and dressmakers can also seek work in fashion retail outlets and dry cleaning businesses, or interstate.
Salaries vary depending on the nature of the work and place of employment.
Machinists working under the Clothing Trades Award earn between $26,500 and $32,200 per annum. Self-employed dressmakers and tailors charge the client for the individual job. Those producing top end garments may expect to earn $40,000 plus per year.
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