The business of Yilmaz, a renowned tailor in Turkiye’s largest city Istanbul, has been boosted by at least 50 percent over the last month as the nominees prepare to run for the country’s upcoming presidential and parliamentary elections slated for May 14.
In his atelier in the center of Turkiye’s largest city Istanbul, Mehmet Yilmaz, a renowned tailor, and his apprentices have been feverishly sewing suits for the members of parliament candidates.
Yilmaz’s business has been boosted by at least 50 percent over the last month with the skyrocketing demands of the nominees as the clock is ticking for the country’s critical presidential and parliamentary elections on May 14.
“They all want to appear before the public with a stylish outlook,”Yilmaz told Xinhua while marking a delicate piece of silk fabric with his chalk before cutting.
“Parliamentary candidates in this election compete with each other to wear quality suits adorned with fashionable accessories such as belts, cuff links, brooches, and shoes,” remarked Yilmaz.
According to the tailor, who has been in this business since 1979, the suits should be in either black or dark blue, with tight-fitting and unpleated trousers, representing the formality of the parliament.
“Of course, we have candidates who know how to dress very well and elegantly,” he said, “we guide those who need advice on formal dressing, from fabric selection to the model.”
The price of a suit with all the accessories and tailoring fees included varies between 35,000 and 100,000 Turkish liras (about 1,800- 5,130 U.S. dollars). However, if the customer prefers imported textiles from England or Italy, the cost of the fabric alone easily jumps to 5,000 dollars, Yilmaz said.
The tailor believes there is a rational reason for the rising trend for custom-made suits, even though they are much more expensive. In his view, ready-to-wear suits definitely have a series of drawbacks, such as stereotype models with rough cuttings.
Yilmaz’s current work schedule is overloaded, starting in the early hours of the day and last until the late evening. He has been planning to expand his crew to at least 10 people to ensure timely delivery and handle last-minute requests.
Atalay Ucuk, another tailor in Istanbul who has sewed suits for many celebrities in his career, also told reporters that his team has been working day and night to meet the exclusive orders from the candidates, including stitching the name or the emblem of the political party they represent on their suits.
Ucuk also noted that he planned to hire apprentices to cope with the rising demands from the candidates, but has yet to find qualified employees.
Turan Aydogdu, head of the Istanbul Chamber of Tailors, highlighted that increasing demand from election candidates has created a shortage of employees in the sector across the country. “The demands on tailors are on the rise, and it is challenging to find qualified workers” in such a busy time, he said.
According to the Supreme Electoral Council, 600 deputies will be elected to the parliament in the general election.