Made in Singapore: The Story Behind LOUISE Bubble Skirt
Production in Singapore is unheard of these days.
First, Understand What Dressmaking Means In Singapore
Dressmaking is such a niche, sunset (nightfall might be more apt) industry here that one struggles to find skilled seamstresses or the means to produce basic peripherals (customised wash care labels etc) necessary for a clothing line. Add to that the higher cost of labour (2-4 times that of China depending on your order quantity and easily 5 times that of Indonesia) and it's no wonder that fashion brands often look beyond Singapore for production.
The tragedy is - we do have the skills and craftsmen here. But far and few and mostly retired. It's hard to believe that Singapore was once a garment manufacturing hub in the 1960s-70s. (EDM Singapore)
These days, clothing manufacturing in Singapore comprises of isolated production studios for basic shirting styles, home seamstresses or made-to-measure tailors focused on alterations and suits. Unsurprisingly, most highly-skilled seamstresses here are now in their 60s or older.
A photo from 1965 shows employees of the Min Ngai Knitting Factory, which produces singlets and vests, in Jurong Industrial Estate.
What You May Not Know About Mass Production
A skilled dressmaker capable of completing a garment from scratch is not the same as a machinist. Beyond operating a sewing machine, he/she needs to understand paper patterns (to translate a flat pattern into a 3-dimensional garment), navigate fabric nuances (everything from adjusting stitch tension to mastering hand-eye movement) and be knowledgeable about the steps of garment making (when to iron, steam or trim). Add to that a hundred troubleshooting methods that only a seasoned seamstress would know - and you have the difference between a highly skilled craftsmen capable of completing a refined dress, and a mass production machinist.
Most clothing today is mass produced in large factories that operate production lines of machinists. Similar to how Henry Ford invented the first automobile assembly line, these machinists complete parts of a garment - not the whole. There is a clear distinction in the salaried tier of semi-skilled machinists on the factory floor (90% of the workforce), and highly skilled seamstresses (10% or less) in the sampling room. The latter is where the first prototype of a new design is studied and tested in order to break down its production into the most time-efficient assembly line process.
A few years ago, a conversation with the owner of a mid-sized garment factory in China (when I was still heading product development at Singapore's largest homegrown womenswear label..) gave me both insights and the chills about the reality of mass manufacturing. The owner gleefully shared his vision of an optimised mass manufacturing set-up where 99% of all work can be completed by a mix of automated machines and lowly-paid, lowly-skilled workers sidelined to isolated parts of garment production that still require human hands. Highly-skilled workers are both a boon and bane for Chinese factory owners; they are indispensable in the sampling process, but they also command much higher salaries compared to machinists.
<Read What Really Happens in Fashion Production to understand the price mechanics behind mass manufactured garments>
Why LOUISE Is Proudly Made In SG
At Su By Hand, we sample new designs in Singapore with small batch production in Bali and China. Only limited silk or one-of-a-kind pieces are ever produced Singapore.
To be honest, we had envisioned the same 'sampled in SG-made overseas' process for LOUISE bubble skirt. After a successful toile with our partner home studio seamstress here, we thought that it'd be a simple issue of matching fabrics with a ready sample and paper pattern.
Me triumphant after a successful first toile.
What we did not foresee, was the technical difficulty of translating this draped silhouette from flat pattern to three dimensional form. You see, not all styles are cut the same way. LOUISE skirt combines a finicky bias-grain cut, a slippery cupro lyocell fabric and a nuanced asymmetric drape. The style requires skilled seamstresses who are not only experts at fabric handling, but who also have 'fashion sense'. This elusive sense - of proportion, drape and balance - makes dressmaking more art than science. Tailors in China get the science, but not always the art.
Below is a snapshot of our product development process with a studio in China.
After 3 months of sending our sample and paper pattern back and forth between Singapore and studios in China and Bali, we were left with 3 choices: 1) abandon the style altogether 2) produce it in China with a slightly modified design 3) produce in Singapore
Finally, we decided to produce LOUISE with Yvonne, our partner seamstress in Singapore.
LOUISE is one of the few Su By Hand styles produced entirely in Singapore. While most of our small-batch production takes place in Bali and China, this particular skirt required the expertise of a Singapore-based dressmaker because of its complex drape and construction. With fabrics imported from Bali and washcare labels from China, home-made LOUISE costs us twice the price, but every piece is perfect. We were even able to offer a customised piece for a petite customer who pre-ordered during production!
I have worked with Yvonne's home-based studio since my relocation back home in 2019. Social media is shunned not embraced in her atelier, yet hers is one of the few remaining home-based ateliers that local designers turn to for anything from costumes to bridal wear. We have a mutual respect that stems from my understanding and appreciation of garment construction.
There is something beautiful, honest and authentic about working with craftsmen. In this deeply tangible world where products are made by hands and have no filters, substance matters over style. Our working relationship with small studios is based on trust and respect. No contracts with terms and conditions stipulating delivery or refunds.
However, it was always a matter of time before things come to a natural end in a studio staffed by semi-retired seamstresses. LOUISE was the last style to leave Yvonne's studio, with production completed just as she shuttered due to health reasons.
25 pieces of LOUISE , and the closing of a chapter.