How to make sure your local Nigerian tailor never disappoints
One common thing about local Nigerian tailors is that they can cause so much disappointment.
You tell them you need an outfit on a particular day, and the cloth isn’t ready on that day.
You might have even called and sent messages days before, but they won’t reply, and now you are stranded. The worst thing is when they eventually deliver the outfit and it’s nothing like the style you told them to do.
How do you make sure you are never disappointed?
Always lie to your tailor
An easy way to circumvent disappointment is to start planning your Sallah outfits or outfits for the event months in advance. Sallah is in June; you should have given your outfit to your tailor in April and told him or her it was for a wedding that’s happening in a week’s time. After that, constantly bombard your tailor with calls and messages so he or she feels the pressure.
Never underprice your outfit
The point after this is to never pay the full amount, but also never pay too little. If you want your tailor to do a good job, you have to be willing to spend money.
You saw a style on a Nigerian celebrity that they probably sewed for millions of naira, and you want your Nigerian tailor to sew it for ₦2,500. Fear God. Plus, they will just use substandard materials to sew your outfit and you don’t want that.
Never pay the full price until the outfit is done
It’s hard to work for money you have already spent. Until the cloth has been delivered, pay only 40%. Make him or her work for the rest. It would be a colossal mistake to pay the entire price for the outfit.
Once your tailor spends your money, he or she will forget about your clothes and be unmotivated to pick up your material and sew it.
Go for fittings
If you rely on your Nigerian tailor to deliver your outfit to you, particularly on the day before your event, be prepared for disappointment. At least two weeks before the event, go for a fitting at the shop and make sure it is your perfect size.
Always have a backup plan
Bear in mind that your local tailor might disappoint you; getting the best out of him or her is a 50/50 gamble. What will you wear if the cloth doesn’t come up well? You need to give yourself options. You might need to wear old clothes or buy a ready-made outfit from the market. Just keep your options open.
Talk a big game and threaten your tailor
Say things like, ‘I go arrest you if you no sew my cloth well o’ even if you don’t know the road to the police station. Tailors respond well to threats and things like that.
We hope we’ve been helpful, and your tailor didn’t mess up your Sallah outfits, if they did, at least you know what to do next time.