KARACHI, Sept 16: The massive load-shedding in the city has forced the tailors and fashion designers to curtail their orders for Eid clothing to meet their commitment of timely delivery.

Some tailors in Saddar and Cooperative Market said that they had reduced the orders by at least 40-50 per cent as compared to last year in view of no relief in massive power cuts in the month of Ramazan.

The buying euphoria for shalwar kamiz usually kicks off one week ahead of Ramazan or after 5th of the month when the shopkeepers return to work after offering short Taraweeh prayers. By 12th to 15th of Ramazan many tailors close down their bookings.

They said that they had not been taking new orders, especially from the new customers and were relying on old customers, who usually arrive late or any time during Ramazan.

A tailor said that his small unit comprising of five to six stitching machines, run by KESC power, have to suspend work as the power goes out for six to eight hours daily. He said that stitching of shalwar kamiz and other fabrics like shirts and trousers become severely affected due to power cuts.

Power generators are used as an alternative to KESC power to avoid any delay in timely delivery but how long the owner of a tailoring shop can sustain the burden of paying Rs81 per litre for running generator, he said. Besides, one cannot deny the cost of running generator on gas.

To compensate their losses this year in view of thin orders, many tailoring shops have pushed up stiching charges by Rs50-100 per shalwar kamiz suit. Last year, they were charging Rs300 for such suit compared to the current rate of Rs400.

Tailors said that “If the customers were paying more for essential goods, then we are no exception to it.” Rising petrol and diesel prices coupled with increase in power and gas bills had also made a negative impact on the small tailoring industry.

“I used to manage Iftari for four persons in Rs50-60 last year but now I have to spend at least Rs200 for the same number of workers,” a tailor at Karim Centre in Saddar said adding that even the labour charges for workers had doubled since last year.

Despite change of guards at the KESC’s management, he said there was no respite in the load-shedding as power remained out for four to six hours on Tuesday.

As the tailors had stopped taking new orders, the customers switched over to markets to buy readymade shalwar kamiz. Smelling a surge in demand the retailers pushed up the rates for shalwar kamiz by Rs300 for gents as compared to last year, while on children shalwar kamiz the rate had been enhanced by Rs100-200. Same situation also exists with the tailors involved in stiching of ladies suits.

An executive in a garment factory said that the price of gents’ shalwar kamiz had surged owing to 15-20 per cent increase in local fabrics rates while the imported fabrics has also become costlier by 30 per cent after the devaluation of rupee against the dollar making imports costlier.

Market people said that load-shedding has been creating problems for many small tailoring units as they have high-powered machines, which require support from the generators.

Many ladies, who used to stitch clothes in their houses for customers to increase their income, are also perturbed over the power breakdowns.