The Hong Kong BaoTou Tailors and Fabric Shops for CMT Thread

[PekingRoadHK]

Kwong Hing is the authorized retail distributor for Fintex of London and E. Thomas in HK. Therefore, this one has more stocks for this 2 brands than other fabric shops.

The lowest price I found for wool is $200 something / yard for VBC and Giorgio Vallino.
Good linen fabrics and good cotton fabrics cost more.

 

[dukenukem4ever]

I have a VBC (Super 110) suit, a REDA (Super 130) suit, and a Giorgio Vallino (Super 130) suit. To be honest, I think the Giorgio fabric one feels the best out of all three (and was the cheapest too!).

Agree with @PekingRoadHK - I think it was Lou Hop Hing that I walked into in TST, they had a massive selection of Zegna and other top-tier fabric brands. Asked about Zegna cloth (can't remember exactly which swatch book it was I looked at, I think I was trying to ask for 15mil15, eh whatever) and was quoted about 1350 HKD per yard. Yeah I busted out of there real quick after hearing that.

Actually, what makes or justifies 15mil15 Zegna cloth THAT much more worth a REDA / VALLINO / VBC super 110s at like 250 hkd per yard? (if you take out brand name marketing and their fashion arm expenses)

 

[PekingRoadHK]

I explained my view on fabrics in my blog in Chinese, this is the English version:
For the purpose, for beginners easy to understand only: fabric softness in general (assume the same thickness)

soft <--0--1--2--3--4--5--6--7--8--9--10--> rough
0 = soft like silk, good side: excellent hand feel and comfort, bad side: wrinkle, doesn't stand well, doesn't last long
10 = rough, good side: less wrinkle, stands very well, last long. bad side: bad hand feel.
0 to 10, they are 2 different directions (opposite directions). There is no right or wrong, this is about what you prefer. We always have different suits for different occasions.

This is about the character of fabric production origin:
Italian fabrics including Italian brands and British brands (made in Italy), they are more on the left hand side.
British fabrics, ie. British brands (made in England), they are more on the right hand side.

Fact is there are too many brands, each brand offers different lines for different seasons, they all come with different characters, and different thickness affects the softness.

 

[PekingRoadHK]

I have a VBC (Super 110) suit, a REDA (Super 130) suit, and a Giorgio Vallino (Super 130) suit. To be honest, I think the Giorgio fabric one feels the best out of all three (and was the cheapest too!).

Agree with @PekingRoadHK - I think it was Lou Hop Hing that I walked into in TST, they had a massive selection of Zegna and other top-tier fabric brands. Asked about Zegna cloth (can't remember exactly which swatch book it was I looked at, I think I was trying to ask for 15mil15, eh whatever) and was quoted about 1350 HKD per yard. Yeah I busted out of there real quick after hearing that.

Actually, what makes or justifies 15mil15 Zegna cloth THAT much more worth a REDA / VALLINO / VBC super 110s at like 250 hkd per yard? (if you take out brand name marketing and their fashion arm expenses)

Pricing is another issue. This is about what you prefer.

For $200 something / yard range, VBC 110s 120s, Giorgio Vallino, Drago 130s. I forgot Reda 130s $200 something or $300 something.
For $300 something / yard range, VBC 140s, Drago 140s.
They are excellent value.

soft <--0--1--2--3--4--5--6--7--8--9--10--> rough
My opinions only:

Italian fabrics
VBC 110s 120s: 3.
Loro Piana 130s and silk: 3
Scabal New Deluxe (made in Italy): 3.5 (tailors call this one Zegna fabric)
Drago 160s: 3.5
Reda130s, Drago 130s: 4
Giorgio Vallino: 4
Scabal Capri (made in Italy): 5.5

British fabrics:
Scabal Londoner (made in England): 4
Dugdale bros. mohair: 6
Holland & Sherry Sloane Square: 6
Dormeuil Amadeus and Tropical Amadeus: 7
Dugdale bros. NFW: 8

My experiences: Loro Piana 130s doesn't last long, I will not buy LP again.
Dugdale bros. NFW, it's so rough, I feel my NFW suits will last 10 years, but I don't think my body shape will remain the same for 10 years.

For daily wearing, I suggest 4 or above, they last longer. Less than 4, they don't last long enough.

 

[PekingRoadHK]

Just my opinions, you might have different ratings on fabrics.

In addition to the above ratings,
Giorgio Vallino bioelastic (old): 4
Giorgio Vallino necessity 6 (new): 4.5
Dugdale bros. Royal Pageant: 6
Fresco: 8
VBC Winter: 9

Many Baotou suggested me not to buy Zegna.

If you can find the dealer for Harrisons cloth, their mohair is good.

 

[dukenukem4ever]

how

My experiences: Loro Piana 130s doesn't last long, I will not buy LP again.

Agreed, Loro Piana is heavily mass-marketed and their entry cloth that Long Wear supplies (Super 130s 100% wool) is just not very durable. My Loro Piana made suit pants had a crotch blowout after only 2 wears.

 

[Suit_newbie]

Apart from Wong Sifu for making shirts, are there other reviews / comments / recommendations for baotaos / sifus for shirts?

 

[PekingRoadHK]

Apart from Wong Sifu for making shirts, are there other reviews / comments / recommendations for baotaos / sifus for shirts?

2 level:

over $300 range:
only 2 shirt tailors in Mirador Mansion offer over $300 CMT, one is Wong sifu, the other one is Golden Eagle. Both are very good.

less than $200 range:
too many.

 

[Suit_newbie]

Thanks PekingRoadHK. On your earlier post about buying lining (is it Bemberg?) for your leather jacket, which shop did you go to?

 

[PekingRoadHK]

Thanks PekingRoadHK. On your earlier post about buying lining (is it Bemberg?) for your leather jacket, which shop did you go to?

For lining of suits, Bemberg.
For lining of leather jackets, Bemberg or cloth, cloth is more durable for leather jackets.

Those BaoTou tailors know where to get Bemberg lining.
Bemberg lining is included for CMT price for Shanghai workmanship for suits and HK workmanship for leather jackets. For Guangdong workmanship for suits and China workmanship for leather jackets, they use low price lining due to cost.

Bemberg lining is more fancy and more on soft side. Cloth lining is more on rough side.

 

[dukenukem4ever]

Anyone know where I can buy chino fabric / denim fabric in Hong Kong? And which Baotou can make a nice pair of selvedge denim jeans for me? lol....

 

[PekingRoadHK]

Anyone know where I can buy chino fabric / denim fabric in Hong Kong? And which Baotou can make a nice pair of selvedge denim jeans for me? lol....

my blog tells: 15) jeans
the 2 HK shops (jeans tailors), they make jeans with Japanese denim fabrics. you can pick your Japanese denim fabrics in their shops.

HK Fabric shops:
Linking offers Italian denim fabrics and chino fabrics
Saviero offers Turkish denim fabrics
Long wear offers chino fabrics

Mirador suit BaoTou are not experts in jeans making. Tried a few suit BaoTou already, they pass the work to their Shenzhen suit tailors. They can't make HK$3k/4k jeans. Jeans making require different skills.

#620 of this thread tells: Zengcheng (Tsang Shing) in Guangzhou, this is the world biggest jeans manufacturing center.

Tsang Shing people produce jeans for international brand names. There are workshops there, they are experts in jeans making. I know my HK$3k jeans I purchased in a brand name shop in HK Times square was made in Tsang Shing.

my blog : 13) leather jacket tailors
Kam Ma and Yip sifu, both can make jeans. Yip sifu has a few in house tailors for leather trousers and jeans. You have to purchase your denim fabrics somewhere else.

where to get Japanese denim fabrics?
#424 of this thread, the building next to this building, G/F, they have direct orders to Japanese denim fabric factories.

 

[dukenukem4ever]

my blog tells: 15) jeans
the 2 HK shops (jeans tailors), they make jeans with Japanese denim fabrics. you can pick your Japanese denim fabrics in their shops.

HK Fabric shops:
Linking offers Italian denim fabrics and chino fabrics
Saviero offers Turkish denim fabrics
Long wear offers chino fabrics

Mirador suit BaoTou are not experts in jeans making. Tried a few suit BaoTou already, they pass the work to their Shenzhen suit tailors. They can't make HK$3k/4k jeans. Jeans making require different skills.

#620 of this thread tells: Zengcheng (Tsang Shing) in Guangzhou, this is the world biggest jeans manufacturing center.

Tsang Shing people produce jeans for international brand names. There are workshops there, they are experts in jeans making. I know my HK$3k jeans I purchased in a brand name shop in HK Times square was made in Tsang Shing.

my blog : 13) leather jacket tailors
Kam Ma and Yip sifu, both can make jeans. Yip sifu has a few in house tailors for leather trousers and jeans. You have to purchase your denim fabrics somewhere else.

where to get Japanese denim fabrics?
#424 of this thread, the building next to this building, G/F, they have direct orders to Japanese denim fabric factories.

Thank you PekingRoad! Yeah I realized my jeans and chinos are all **** quality - low rise, too tight in the thighs, too wide in the leg openings... damn companies like J.Crew / Banana just can't make good pants for people of my stature...

 

[PekingRoadHK]

Thank you PekingRoad! Yeah I realized my jeans and chinos are all **** quality - low rise, too tight in the thighs, too wide in the leg openings... damn companies like J.Crew / Banana just can't make good pants for people of my stature...

For cutting and style, you explained why there are too many different brands for different people.

For denim fabrics, shrinking is an issue. I put the denim fabrics in water overnight before I pass it to the tailors.

 

[dukenukem4ever]

I guess now's not the best time to be asking about the baotou trade in HKG?