Women’s fashion in Hyderabad

                      Women’s fashion in Hyderabad

                                     

                                      Contents

                                               

1-     Women’s fashion in Hyderabad

2- Women attires in Hyderabad

3- Introduction

     4- History of clothing in Hyderabad

     5- Unstitched fabrics in Hyderabad

     6- Stories and people

     7- Problems and Issues

8- Tailors in Hyderabad

9- Male tailor Vs Female tailor

    10- Stories and People

    11-Problems and Issues

    12-Embroidery in Hyderabad

    13-Stories and people

    14-Problems and issues

    15-Designer Boutiques trend in Hyderabad & its popularity

    16- Readymade dresses Vs Unstitched (Hyderabad)          

    17-Contribution

    18-Conclusion

            Women’s fashion in Hyderabad

               Women’s fashion changes with time and new trend introduces in the society. Every woman wished to be up to date in following fashion because women have to maintain their status and personality in front of her colleagues and friends by following latest trend. Pakistani women are very keen towards fashion and without the interest of these women our fashion industry would not be able to make progress. 

                 In Hyderabad city where every fashion adopted at its end time, women are very fond of fashion here. Now new developments in Hyderabad regarding fashion are seen in the last two or four years ago. New trend in clothing as were in Karachi introduces in Hyderabad. Modifications notices in the jewelry designs, moreover many branded beauty salons and designer boutiques are now introduces. Women of Hyderabad adopted specific trend according to their necessity and financial statement.

Women attires in Hyderabad

Introduction:

Attires and dresses are the heart of women throughout the time. New designs and varieties with emerges of time introduces in the market and women prefer to buy the finest outfit which enhances their personality as well. Dressing remained an imperative part of describing the personality and shows the worth of an individual.

              In Hyderabad there are so many markets which offer new designs and varieties to a great extend. But as compared to cities like Karachi and Islamabad, Hyderabad is very much backward in introducing new trends of clothing. The new fashion in clothing which we see in Karachi will be followed in Hyderabad after a year ago. Fabrics, designing and styles changes with time but women would never stop to buy the latest attires. The people who play vital role in the clothing are fabric seller, tailor and embroiderer. In Hyderabad we can see huge coward of women’s on these shops in the festive seasons.

History of clothing in Hyderabad:

In the ancient times in Hyderabad, women used to sew and embroider their clothes at home. Sewing and embroider the clothes considered an important art in past for women at which they must be skilled. If any woman was not skilled at this art then she stitched her clothes by other woman who took small amount of money to stitch her dress and that woman usually known as “Darzan” or female tailor. The concept of female tailor was very much common in past. Later, the shops of male tailors who stitched women clothes introduced at many places in Hyderabad and the trend of female tailors decreases at large level.

   Apart from tailors, susi cloth was famous in past and people used cut pieces shirt along with it. Embroidery was very much common in the past and there were also catalogues of new designs in embroidery. Markets and shopping centers were full with embroidery shops in Hyderabad. But the time chances everything and new trends introduces in attires and people of Hyderabad also adopted the trends in clothing.

Unstitched fabrics in Hyderabad:

Unstitched clothes are always remained in demand of people in Hyderabad. Ready made dresses are not in access of everybody and due to high range of readymade dresses women mostly prefer to buy unstitched.

 According to investigation in Resham Bazaar, Cloth market and Chandni Bazaar, Mostly customers prefer unstitched because they can design it according to their own wishes.

With the increase in boutiques and designer shops in Hyderabad, somehow the business of unstitched dresses affected but middle class people still prefer unstitched because it has no fixed price. Also the Sindhi culture cut work dresses are liked by all the people.

                  In Hyderabad mostly the summer season remained for a long time therefore unstitched lawn are common here. In winter female prefers to buy cotton clothes and mostly customers demanded according to their range. Shopkeepers told that their customers of high standard are now moving day by day towards the other side of shopping at Autobahn road Hyderabad where the designer shops and branded boutiques are present and it’s a major threat to them.

Stories and people:

A shopkeeper in Resham Bazar named Muhammd Aslam who opened clothes shop near around 13 years ago told a very interesting story of his customer that 2years ago during bargaining with a female he angrily said that he doesn’t want money, take it without money then she really took the clothes without any payment.

Another shopkeeper Saleemuddin of National handicraft worked in Resham Bazar since 40 years. Dressed in white clothes and white bearded Saleemuddin told that his shop was the only shop of Sindh handicrafts and was very famous. Different designs of cut work dresses, Ralli and Ajraks are available over there. He also told a fascinating story that the cut designs on suits done by villagers’ women. Once there was an old lady who can make every type of design on paper. I saw a design on the wall and she noticed that design and copied it on the paper. Though she was uneducated but was very skilled.

In Cloth Market, shopkeeper named Faizan Siddiqui told that one female customer get the suit from his shop and bring it to return but he refused to take it back then she drop it outside the shop.

Problems and Issues:

Mostly the shopkeepers who sell unstitched clothes faced the following problems.

1-     Return or exchange is common in this business so mostly females after buying the dresses comes to return or exchange it which is a bone of intention between the customer and shopkeeper. Sometimes that turns into a quarrel and results in the loss of shopkeeper’s customer.

2-     Selling of old fashion and out seasoned clothes is a great mess. It causes a serious loss in business because the prints which turned old fashioned are difficult to sell and have to display it into sale at low cost.

3-     Mostly the cloth shops in Hyderabad are on rent and the rent of shops is too much enough. Shopkeepers didn’t get much profit to earn their livelihood.

Tailors in Hyderabad:

In Hyderabad, we can see many shops of tailors not even in markets and shopping centers but nearly in the every street. Every tailor demanded different rates depend on the designing of the clothes and his dexterity. Initially the concept of female tailors who used to stitched clothes at homes were very common but with the change of time, shops of male tailors introduces in Hyderabad which provides quality service to the female customers as compared to female tailors whom we usually called Darzan in urdu. Gradually the male tailors put back the female tailors and trend of male tailor increases. We still find some female tailors in Hyderabad working in their homes and very low cost.

             Day by day tailors’ shops increases in Hyderabad and with this their rates also boost instead of lessen. Some tailors are now deceive their customers by taking high amount of cost and giving their dresses to the female tailors who stitched it at home at very low prices and are not as expert in sewing. Boutiques and designer dresses shops has a major impact on the business of tailors. Workers are less and if they are on hand then they demanded high salary which is impossible for tailors.

Male tailor Vs Female tailor:

After investigating from customers, people and tailors in different markets we concluded few major distinctions on the male and female tailors in Hyderabad 

1-     Male tailors give the stitched dresses on time whereas female tailors although not gives on time because they also have to manage and gave time to their house.

2-     After the hard labor of female tailors their earning is 1/4^th as compared to male tailors.

3-     Still some fault remained in the clothes stitched by female tailors as compared to male.

Stories and People:

In Saddar, a tailor’s shop named Hasnain Collection’s tailor told that with the advent boutiques and readymade clothes or designer shops, their business loses 50%. Customers are decreases day by day and moving towards the boutiques/readymade dresses. He told a story that a customer gave him a design which was not possible in that type of cloth and he designed it bit different, when she saw it she shouted on him and paid him half money.

A ladies tailor Abdul Qadir in Saddar Bazaar told that boutiques or readymade dresses trend doesn’t have any major impact on his business but still people comes to the tailor’s shop because the readymade dresses are not fitted to everyone and for perfect fitting people prefer tailors. He told an interesting incident of his customer that a lady bought a readymade dress from an expensive designer shop but after wearing it first time she brought it to I for perfect fitting and I re-sewed it two times.

Problems and Issues:

1-        Measurement and size of clothes if not perfect then customer blame the tailors whether they give him a right size or not.

2-        Electricity or load shedding caused their business slow and delay in deliverance of clothes on time to the customer.

3-        Competition with the other tailors increase day by day also the boutiques are hurdling in their ways.

4-        Workers are less and if any then demand high salary.

Embroidery in Hyderabad:

Embroidery fashion was very famous in the past but with the modernization in Hyderabad it lessens with times. Today we can’t see embroidery shops as much as it were in past. Now these are limited to particular areas in the market. The major loss because of opening of boutiques is faced by embroidery profession. Resham bazaar once was famous for its embroidery shops. Nearly their work is vanishing and suffered a lot with the trend of boutiques and readymade dresses. According to shopkeepers, customers decreases as compared to past.

Stories and people:

In an embroidery shop in Resham Bazaar a child named Abdul Wahab, 13 helped his father in embroidery. By inquired him we know that he is a student of a government school and also helped his father in the evening at the shop. His father’s shop is on rent and their livelihood totally depends on this work.

Problems and issues:

1-     Their work is very hard but earning is not much.

2-     Quiet difficult to handle the customers, to fulfill their demand and designs which they brought. If any mistake would do then they cut its cost or pay fewer amounts.  

3-     Due to this hard labor there is a danger of weakening of eyesight.

4-     Without electricity they are unable to work and have to wait for hours.

Designer Boutiques trend in Hyderabad & their popularity:

Nearly a year ago, many designer boutiques are introduced in Hyderabad like Junaid Jamshed, Khaadi, Ego, Rang Ja and Warda etc on Autobahan road Hyderabad which offers great variety of new designs to their customers. The customers of shopkeepers in Saddar Bazaar are now turned towards it. This is the major complain of Saddar Bazaar shopkeepers that their customers of high class decreases day by day. Hyderabad is now at its turning peak and would soon turned into city of big shopping malls where more designers would open their setup and would provides great varieties to the customers of Hyderabad as they do it in Karachi. These designer boutiques offering range from low to high and it’s accessible to all types of people. These Designer boutiques have fixed price and there is no concept of bargaining. But other boutiques may have bargaining system in Hyderabad like in Saddar Bazaar. These designer boutiques are the major threat and competitors to the tailors, embroiderers and unstitched fabric sellers.

Readymade dresses Vs Unstitched (Hyderabad):

Unstitched fabrics are now sold at high prices in Hyderabad and mostly there is no warranty of it. If a person buy an unstitched fabric of almost Rs.2000 and give it to the tailor and then embroiderer so it would cost him a lot, nearly total cost of dress would be Rs.3500. Instead of this entire headache, many people nowadays prefer to buy readymade dresses. In Latifabad Market and in other bazaar many boutiques are opened which are in everyone’s range. A female customer at a Latifabad boutique told that she preferred to buy readymade dress because it is easily available to buy in urgent.

 

Contribution:

The embroiderers, tailors and shopkeepers are very crucial in Hyderabad from the women’s fashion point of view. Due to increase in cost of price their business suffers a lot which affected their livelihood. In Hyderabad, here we found different sect and cultures where these people also take an active part in the contribution of clothing stuff and its selling. On all the festive seasons, not only in Muslims festivals; women turned towards the shops of embroiderers, tailors and unstitched clothes. So they all provide the facilities of clothing, style and designing according to other cultures also, to fulfill the needs of different sect people. These businesses have a lot of scope not only in Hyderabad but in everywhere and it somehow take part in making the economy strong.

Conclusion:

After this entire investigation in the markets and shops of Hyderabad, one key point that comes in the sight is that by the introduced of the designer shops in Hyderabad, the customers’ shifts from unstitched to the designers’ one and this max change observed since one and half year ago, which caused severe loss not to the unstitched fabric sellers but also to the tailors and embroiderer.

This practical work was carried out under Supervision of Sir Sohail Sangi