LapLap

I’m considering getting a suit made by ‘Raja fashions’* (Hong Kong tailoring company) who visit tons of hotels in London, around the UK and also visit the USA.

Does anyone have any experience with this company? Or know anyone who uses them?

Thanks!


(*groan.... it's so MrLapLap has something to get married in)

PhilH

I got two suits and 6 shirts made by these guys when I visited Hong Kong. I highly recommend them, certainly on the suit front. Beware that if you visit them in London and they send you the suit, there's a slim possibility that it will get stopped in Customs and you'll have to pay duty on it. Still cheaper than other London options though and the quality is supreme.

http://www.raja-fashions.com/

jaguarpig

I have a couple of suits from them bought in HK,quality is spot on choice of cloth was huge,they even remembered me when I went in the second time about 10 months latter.

Andrius

Thanks for this - I've been meaning to seek opinion on them for ages...

astralclouds

I visited their store in Kowloon a couple of years ago. They were a bit over eager and made out that their prices were unbeatable.

But I had already had suits made at King's in Mumbai for around 30% less using finest italian fabrics. So I don't see that this is such a great thing - Raja have taken the initiative to open up in Kowloon (a crossroads for suit-wearing types) and have now become first-to-market with this 'on-the-road' tailoring idea. But at the end of the day, first-to-market will never be as good value as tried-and-tested.

PhilH

astralclouds, I agree that you can get cheaper in Mumbai, or Bangkok probably for example. But certainly Raja's prices are a snip compared to High St UK tailoring, or especially Saville Row which these guys compare themselves against (justifiably in my opinion).

But for the real cheapo deals, you have to travel to Mumbai or Bangkok to get the suits made up, so unless you can advise of a travelling tailor from one of those cities you're not really answering the OP's point, as I don't think LapLap is intending to travel to get the suit made.

LapLap

Thanks PhilH :-:

If I sent MrLapLap to Mumbai or Bangkok for a suit - he'd KILL me.

The convenience of being able to get measurements (and even alterations) done in London is a fabulous draw - and knowing they can do this within 3 weeks has been a huge relief.

I was not relishing trying to find a decent suit for a wide shouldered Japanese guy on Britain's High Streets!!!

astralclouds

Agree my point was a bit OT:OT:

It may be worth highlighting, though, that the price differential may make a TP-heavy trip to Mumbai worth considering

Jeremy

I have used them in the past and been very happy with the results. The only downside has been a problem with customs, resulting in a delay of a 2-3 weeks.

SLF

Didn't Sir Beard have a "measure you up" service at LHR and then a suit-delivery service to meet you at HKG, i.e. 12 hours later? Do VS still do this? (Sorry, OT, as not appropriate for the OP).

Mr Wibbly

I have experience of Nita Fashions - also in Kowloon, and also visiting London hotels once every 6 months or so.

The system works well - they had a big choice of fabrics in London, and I was measured up (just in case I'd changed shape since coming back from HK a year before) and chose 3 suits and 4 shirts. I paid up front and in HKD, which was a bit odd.

The clothes arrived in (annoyingly) two separate courier packages a couple of weeks later. I then had to pay for them to be pressed at the dry cleaners. The suits were fine, but one of the shirts were less than perfect. (It wasn't symmetrical!)

Cost - about the same as at M&S - although better negotiators than me may be able to do better. But I'm happy with the price I paid for a bespoke suit.

From what I understand, almost all the tailoring in HK is performed in the same sweatshop, whether you buy from a cheapo shop in Kowloon (Mody Rd) or some posh shop in Central.

knifeandfork

I heartily endorse these guys

http://www.addisonsteele.com/

theworld

I got the chance to meet the guy when I was in HK over Xmas. He's built up a successful (sp?) business over the years. However now his interests lie in real estate. The guy has a bit of a reputation, but don't want to go into that.

When in HK I used Model Fashions (website details at home, and can't find their details on Google at present) for the some shirts. Their location has slipped my mind at the moment! They were pretty good. They were recommended by a friend.

Another friend over there uses http://www.jantzentailor.com/index.html.

I normally use a Bangkok tailor called Vercases (http://www.theversaces.com/), who I think are great.

Getting measured in the UK and then getting the suits shipped over from the far east, I've done that once, and wouldn't recommend. When the suits got delivered the fitting was not good. I had to send them back to be altered. Whenever I get my suits made in Bangkok I normally have three fittings to get it right. This is a bit tricky when they are mail order.

Shirts are a different matter though, they are normally done right the first time round (or so I have found).

LapLap

The Raja website says that alterations can be made in the UK (and the reports in the press also confirmed this) so I'm not overly concerned about this.

What does bother me is the spectre of Customs getting a hold of the suit. Although I'm happy to pay any charges, it's the time aspect that bothers me - we have a tight deadline.

Would it be worth getting the suit sent to MrLapLap’s father in Tokyo and then asking him to bring the suit to the UK?

theworld

Suit might get held up by Japenese customs...

I'm sure this is a question Raja Fashions has been asked many times. Best bet might be to contact them directly and ask about shipping.