Hong Kong Tailor Comparison: WW Chan v H Baromon v Peter Lee (Photos added)

[Stato23]

Given the interest amongst many users on this forum relating to Hong Kong tailors, I thought that I would document my own experience following a decision to commission a tailored suit for my daughters baptism.

My research helped me narrow it down to a few tailors which I contacted/visited on a number of occasions:

WW Chan
H Baromon
Peter Lee (aka Lee Baron)

WW CHAN

My first stop. Located in the heart of central with an impressive showroom. They stock a fantastic selection of fabrics, the broadest I have seen in HK, and included all the ranges from H&S, Scabal, Lessor to LP, Zenga and VBC.

The suits on display looked good, fully canvassed, with nice hand stitching.

Whilst there were lots of sales staff, it was not a warm customer service experience. Many of the staff appeared young and inexperienced so offered very little input. Advice was generally non-existent and often just a "well thats your own choice", even to simple questions like would you recommend "Notch or Peak lapels" on a first suit. When I asked whether a certain fabric was 2x1 or 2x2, they simply seemed perplexed.

I deliberately wore an old suit as I wanted to see if they could spot a few flaws which bugged me, but the staff offered limited valuable feedback. Even when I tried one of their jackets, they struggled to inform me what they would do differently, despite it being clear the waist needed suppressing, sleeves shortening etc which I found disappointing.

The pricing was the highest in HK, and I felt a desire to upsell fabrics, with entry level VBC fabrics (130 and Revenge) described as "no good". Again, this was disappointing, as I feel those fabrics are perfect for starting a tailoring relationship.

Being honest, I had been so excited about my first tailoring experience, and went into WW Chan having already decided that this was going to be my first commission, that this experience was such a disappointment and left me deflated. I couldn't bring myself to place an order that day and made the decision to try a few other tailors. I came back on two other occasions, and sadly the experience was fairly consistent.

Pros
- Strong reputation
- Vast selection of fabrics
- Good workmanship

Cons
- Poor customer experience
- By far the most expensive


H BAROMON

My second trip. Previously classified in the "Big Three" with WW Chan and A Man, but not a tailor you hear too much from these days, and I put this down to a poor online presence (no website, forum affiliations etc) and limited global tours. As they are only 2 minutes from my work in Central, Iwas however curious to stop by.

First impressions were worlds apart from WW Chan. I was warmly greeted by an enthusiastic gentleman named Kenny. He wanted to know all about me, where I worked, where I was from, how I heard about the store etc. It was genuinely quite surprising/refreshing, as 'small talk' is definitely not the norm in HK.

We moved to his suits. The ones on display are very classically styled (this is an old school tailor for sure) but the workmanship looked great. He then proceeded me to take me into the back room, show me all the suits in progress, introduce me to the cutter, highlight the hand-stitching, pieces of canvas etc. As someone new to the world of tailoring, this was an absolute joy, and I had a smile of my face throughout.

I asked him about my current suit. He literally picked up on everything that bugged me (excess fabric around the knee, too high notch position, stiff lapel roll). He even pointed out how the trouser pockets were opening because the hips were too tight - which was not something I had realised but was correct.

On discussing fabrics, he was honest: "You don't know me, so start with a basic fabric. Once you are happy, and we know your exact style, we can move you up to the higher end English fabrics". I found this refreshing, and he was also talking me through which suits to get and in which order based on my current wardrobe.

On the cost, he was certainly not cheap, but around 10% cheaper than WW Chan on list prices. I therefore still in two minds about whether additional the premium was worth the "brand of Chan", so parted ways.

Pros
- Excellent service
- Good workmanship
- Willing to give some discount to start a relationship

Cons
- Not the widest fabric selection
- Very 'traditional' styling
- Relatively unknown v Chan, Yao and Baron


PETER LEE aka LEE BARON

My next stop was Peter Lee. Based in TST, he certainly has a more down-to-earth store, quite cramped, and jam packed with fabric everywhere. They are in a mall with some low-end stores so I was approached multiple times by people offering me "cheap suit sir". It wasn't as impressive as WW Chan or Baroman, but these guys have a solid reputation as producing decent suits at decent prices, and you get the feeling your dollars are going on the tailoring rather than the overheads, which is positive.

Peter is nice guy who always responded well to emails and was friendly in person. He stocks a good range of fabrics and has lots of options regarding the suits to choose from. He also offered a 10% discount to start a relationship.

His pricing is a bit misleading though, as all the books have one price, but then he says, "but that price is for fused, if you want canvassing its an extra 2,000 HKD (c300USD)" which can make the price jump by 30-40%. Whilst I appreciate some people are interested in different options to reduce the price, my mindset is that a top tailer would only offer canvassed suits, but maybe I am being unfair.

In general, I think Lee Baron offer decent suits at fair prices, and would recommend to those in the market for a 'mid-range' HK suit, but given I was hoping to make this an 'experience', I just didn't feel that his store, the location, and the workmanship would leave me fully satisfied.

Pros
- Competitive pricing
- Fused and canvassed options

Cons
- Not at the same level as Chan or Baromon
- 'Cheaper' location and store feel



MY VERDICT AND THE WINNER..... H BAROMON

Having been so set on WW Chan, I have surprised myself by deciding to go with H Baromon.

I have taken a bit of a gamble as there are limited online reviews compared to Chan, LeeBaron and Yao, but I've always been a believer in the saying that "people buy people", and combined with the suits on display, I have decided to trust my instincts and go with Baromon.

What was very nice is that after deciding this, Baromon seemed incredibly keen that we would 'start a relationship', as almost all their business is repeat, so we managed to cut a good deal to commence working on this.

If people are interested, I will post a new thread so you can follow the creation of the suit from scratch and through the various baste and final fittings.

 

[chobochobo]

Thanks, but you could probably have posted this in the pre-existing HK tailors thread.

 

[GBR]



Thanks, but you could probably have posted this in the pre-existing HK tailors thread.

Quite so, the OP would also have learned about other tailors from it. And what is a " 2x1 or 2x2" cloth (not material).

 

[Grammaton Cleric]

^ Great post, and it's worthy of its own thread. Things can get easily lost within the mega-threads that populate this forum.

To the OP - you'll be very happy with Baroman. I have used them in the past, and they're very well qualified.

 

[hookem12387]

Good post. I think you should just post the suit progression in this thread.

 

[vinveritas]

Looking forward to your posts on the Baroman experience. What fabric do you have in mind?

 

[Stato23]

Grammaton - many thanks for the warm welcome. I'm glad you appreciate the separate thread. Out of curiosity, when did you last use them? Any particular fabrics you recall / recommend?

Hookem - good idea. Will keep the pictures in this thread and hope to have some up shortly.

Vinveritas - I have opted to take my first suit in a charcoal grey pinstripe flannel by VBC which has been on my hit list for years. Perfect also for the approaching 'winter'! Will post some photos shortly

 

[Stato23]

Here are some photos from my baste fitting which was exactly one week from ordering as I took a VBC flannel already in stock.

I was really pleased how well it fit as only a few little tweaks here and there: mainly narrowing the legs, sleeve pitch, rear collar etc)

The next fitting will be one week later.

 

[JHHK]

I am a bit surprised by your experience with WW Chan. I have lived in Hong Kong for over 30 years. In that time I have had suits and shirts made by Baromans, although not for sometime, A Man Hing and in recent years WW Chan. I have also had suits made by Brioni in Rome and more recently by Liverano & Liverano.

For years the 3 tailors I have mentioned have been making well finished products, but they tended to be a bit staid and lifeless. I have thought for sometime that there was room for one of the better tailors to pay more attention to style and character. WW Chan seem to have learned from their collaboraton with the Armoury and done this. I find them helpful and knowledgeable. They are now producing suits and jackets (and I have been impressed by the shirts they have made for me recently) of a quality and stylishness that, although not reaching the exalted heights of Liverano, for the price I think are excellent. I doubt if I could persuade myself any longer to pay the extra to have suit made in Europe - a jacket perhaps.

 

[bcx]

Does anyone know H Baroman's current price range for a suit?

 

[JLibourel]

I am surprised I missed this the first go-around. The OP's experience with Chan contrasts drastically with what I have experienced on tour, and it is obvious that Patrick Chu was not around.

Also, it is interesting that Baroman's prices were now appreciably lower than Chan's. They always had a reputation for being the most expensive tailor in HK. The usual skinny on them was top-notch workmanship but stodgy styling. (Sort of the Oxxford of HK!) I have heard they preferred to concentrate on a locale clientele and were comparatively uninterested in doing business with foreigners.

I am little surprised the OP didn't check out A-Man, the other of the "Big Three."

 

[Penfold]

When in Hong Kong Patrick tends to be very busy and hidden away in his office at the back of the shop. There are two or three younger guys who meet customers/walk-ins and are happy to help you roam through their library of bunches when researching or commissioning a piece. This is Chris https://instagram.com/p/zCyX_vDzK3/ and I'm sorry to say I've never got the name of this chap https://instagram.com/p/zCySIljzKu/

When it's time for measuring then Patrick comes out and gets to work. You'd also expect to have him at the fittings as long as he's neither away on tour or dealing with another client. A simple request for Patrick when booking the fitting appointments is strongly advised.

Incidentally I saw Patrick in his commuting clothes on Queen's Road Central the other day - tracky bottoms and a polo shirt. In fairness it's 30C and getting humid now but the effect was so shocking that he might as well have been naked...

All the better-known HK tailors are engaged in an endless arms race to be the most expensive, alas.

Recent feedback on Baroman has been gently positive I think.