- Today
- Holidays
- Birthdays
- Reminders
- Cities
- Atlanta
- Austin
- Baltimore
- Berwyn
- Beverly Hills
- Birmingham
- Boston
- Brooklyn
- Buffalo
- Charlotte
- Chicago
- Cincinnati
- Cleveland
- Columbus
- Dallas
- Denver
- Detroit
- Fort Worth
- Houston
- Indianapolis
- Knoxville
- Las Vegas
- Los Angeles
- Louisville
- Madison
- Memphis
- Miami
- Milwaukee
- Minneapolis
- Nashville
- New Orleans
- New York
- Omaha
- Orlando
- Philadelphia
- Phoenix
- Pittsburgh
- Portland
- Raleigh
- Richmond
- Rutherford
- Sacramento
- Salt Lake City
- San Antonio
- San Diego
- San Francisco
- San Jose
- Seattle
- Tampa
- Tucson
- Washington
Tailors Age Out as Demand Grows
NYC's skilled garment workers struggle to find successors as the industry faces labor shortages.
Apr. 8, 2026 at 7:09am
Got story updates? Submit your updates here. ›
As the skilled tailor workforce ages out, the garment industry struggles to attract and train the next generation of sewers and alterations experts.Manhattan TodayKil Bae, a tailor in Manhattan, is one of many skilled garment workers in New York City struggling to find successors as the industry faces labor shortages. Despite growing demand for tailoring services, the aging workforce is retiring without enough younger workers to replace them, leaving customers waiting weeks or months for alterations.
Why it matters
The decline of skilled tailors in New York City reflects broader workforce challenges facing the garment industry, which has been impacted by the rise of fast fashion, offshoring of manufacturing, and a lack of training programs to cultivate the next generation of sewers and alterations experts.
The details
Kil Bae, who is in his 70s, has run his Manhattan tailor shop for over 40 years. He says it's becoming increasingly difficult to find young people interested in learning the trade, as many are drawn to higher-paying tech jobs or lack the patience and dexterity required for intricate garment work. As a result, Bae and other veteran tailors are often booked out weeks or months in advance, leaving customers frustrated by the delays.
- Kil Bae has run his Manhattan tailor shop for over 40 years.
The players
Kil Bae
A 70-year-old tailor who has run a Manhattan tailor shop for over 40 years.
What they’re saying
“It's becoming increasingly difficult to find young people interested in learning the trade, as many are drawn to higher-paying tech jobs or lack the patience and dexterity required for intricate garment work.”
— Kil Bae, Tailor
The takeaway
The shortage of skilled tailors in New York City highlights the need for more vocational training and apprenticeship programs to cultivate the next generation of garment workers and preserve the city's rich history of custom clothing and alterations.
