Tailors burn the midnight oil as clients swarm shops demanding stitches in

Eid is traditionally the time of year when Muslims wear new clothes, so it's not surprising to discover that in recent weeks the tailor had ruled the roost.

But it's a double-edged sword. While all agreed they were in heavy demand and could pretty much dictate the tone of conversations - with their patrons in turn pleading and coaxing them in an effort to get their apparel stitched on time - many tailors admitted they were under severe stress catering to the demand.

Several had to 'tailor' their working hours to cater for the demand and work late into the night.

Gulf News visited several tailors attempting to cope with overflowing order books. Some of them have lost count of the number of clothes they have sewn over the past few weeks.

Mohan from Jabber tailors said they were working overtime to finish the heavy workload. "We have been working non-stop from 8am until three next morning since the beginning of Ramadan."

The shop is filled with plastic bags stuffed with clothes of every hue and colour and hangers were groaning under the weight.

The tailors' job, it seems, is a thankless task based on the number of customers who came back complaining. Khaleda was one of those at another shop.

"They did such a botched job on my dress. It is too big and the design isn't right ... I wish I had asked them to sew the dress before Ramadan," she rued.