My name is Francis Apata-Johnson and l am the Co-founder of EWA London.

Whether you have an idea of a good fabric or how to sketch out your idea or not, certainly, you need the service of a talented seamstress or tailor that could help bring your idea to life. 

When it comes to finding the service of a reliable tailor (in some countries in Africa) mostly in the neighbourhood with few good ones, falling victims of disappointing local tailors is the last thing you want to waste your time and money on. The hope of getting one, seldom come from friends or family out of experience disappointment from hands of local tailors or African print designers.

Solutions 

The secret to finding a reliable tailor/shop that will deliver with great result in short time is to do the following:

1. Decide what kind of tailor/shop you need 

Different tailors have different areas of expertise. You might be able to go to your local tailor for a simple hemming job, but they may not have the capacity to create a bespoke suit or african print dresses.  When searching for the best tailor for the job, describe the specific work you need done in detail. 

2. Monitor their social activities secretly

Regardless of how pretentious they may be, spend about a week in advance viewing every of their active social media platforms to read if they are authentic and what people are saying online about them. 

3. Read and compare reviews 

Customers are quick to drop their shopping experience into writing on the website review section or social media feeds. But when customers are happy and proud of your product and service, they will become your brand ambassadors. 

Below is an image of an happy client at a conference sharing a selfie of himself  wearing the Zuri Shirt by Ewa London on a first day to a business conference 

Be informed that some companies buy fake reviews to help boost their public image. This is a deceptive marketing. Yes, especially for brands with one-star ratings and not-so-positive online reputation. 

Any brand or tailor with integrity and a long-term goal to succeed and yearns to become a household name would go a long way to serve their customers well because they would want to retain them and build relationships and reputation. 

Honest and positive reviews should be on their Instagram or Facebook stories or feeds because they can capitalise on social proof for their target audience and grow their sales. At Ewa London we often share authentic reviews and testimonials approved or recorded (in a video) by customers. 

4. Ask about the cost upfront 

Based on your tailoring needs and your location, you may need to understand their rankings to help you decide your budget. 

For example, in the UK, Anglo Italian tailors have achieved the best "high-end" category because of their unique aesthetic and production quality in suit making.  Price from £1500 with (full canvas) construction method. Casual Fitters: starts from £750.

 5.Over -communicate and be realistic about turnaround times.

Give yourself plenty of time so that you can avoid a last-minute tailoring emergency. So, communicate clearly with your tailor so that you know exactly when to expect your item back.