Demand for Tailors Grows as Workforce Ages Out

Skilled sewers, dressmakers and tailors are retiring, leaving a shortage in the industry.

Apr. 6, 2026 at 10:21pm

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A brightly colored, high-contrast silkscreen print featuring a sewing machine repeated in a tight grid pattern, with flat, unnatural neon colors and heavy black outlines, conceptually representing the enduring importance of the tailoring profession.The iconic sewing machine, a symbol of the skilled craft of tailoring, is reimagined as a vibrant pop art piece, reflecting the growing demand for custom clothing alterations.Manhattan Today

As more Americans seek custom clothing alterations and reviving secondhand finds, the demand for skilled tailors is growing. However, the aging tailor workforce is retiring, with the median age for sewers, dressmakers and tailors at 54 last year, 12 years older than the overall workforce. Immigrants have traditionally powered the garment industry, but younger generations are less interested in the tedious, physically demanding work. Retailers like Nordstrom are trying to train a new generation of master tailors to address the labor shortage.

Why it matters

The decline in professional tailors comes as more consumers look to customize their wardrobes, either by altering off-the-rack purchases or reviving secondhand finds. This growing demand highlights the importance of preserving the skilled craft of tailoring, which has traditionally been powered by immigrant workers but is now struggling to attract younger generations.

The details

Kil Bae, a 63-year-old tailor in Manhattan, is part of a shrinking breed in the U.S. as professional sewers, dressmakers and tailors age out of the workforce. The U.S. Bureau of Labor Statistics estimated there were fewer than 17,000 tailors, custom sewers and dressmakers working in business establishments nationwide in 2024, a 30% decline from a decade earlier. The mean annual wage for tailors, dressmakers and custom sewers was $44,050, compared to $68,000 for all workers, likely discouraging younger generations from entering the field.

  • The U.S. Bureau of Labor Statistics estimated the decline in tailors, custom sewers and dressmakers in business establishments in 2024.
  • Nordstrom launched a nine-week program in advanced sewing and alteration techniques in October 2025, with the first cohort of 15 students completing the program in February 2026.

The players

Kil Bae

A 63-year-old tailor in Manhattan who started training as a tailor at age 17 in South Korea. He opened his own shop in Connecticut in 2011 but had to close it during the COVID-19 pandemic before reopening in his current location a year later.

Jonathan Reiss

A 33-year-old customer who paid $280 to have a vintage Tommy Hilfiger jacket slimmed down at Kil Bae's shop, 85 Custom Tailor.

Nordstrom

The largest employer of tailors and alteration specialists in North America, which teamed up with the Fashion Institute of Technology to launch a nine-week program in advanced sewing and alteration techniques.

Fashion Institute of Technology (FIT)

A for-profit college that offers degrees in fashion-related disciplines and launched the nine-week program in advanced sewing and alteration techniques with Nordstrom.

Marco Esquivel

Nordstrom's director of alterations, who said the company is committed to ensuring tailoring remains an art form that serves customers for years to come.

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What they’re saying

“I recommend this job to young people because this one cannot be AI'd. Different bodies. Different shape. They cannot copy like this. If I close this door, I can go out and find another one.”

— Kil Bae, Tailor

“Customarily, tailoring has never been part of the American skill set.”

— Michael Harrell, FIT Instructor and Broadway Costume Builder

“We owe it to the broader industry to ensure that this is an art form that exists for years and years to come and continues to serve customers both within our walls as well as outside.”

— Marco Esquivel, Nordstrom's Director of Alterations

What’s next

Nordstrom plans to continue its partnership with FIT to train more aspiring tailors and help address the labor shortage in the industry.

The takeaway

The decline of professional tailors, dressmakers and sewers in the U.S. workforce highlights the need to preserve and cultivate this skilled craft. As consumer demand for custom clothing alterations and reviving secondhand finds grows, retailers are stepping up to train a new generation of master tailors to ensure this art form continues to serve customers for years to come.