Lifestyle / Fashion
Tailored for perfection
Left-right: Anil, Ashok and Ravi Ramchandani
Dubai-based Kachins Couture has completed over 40 years in the menswear tailoring business. Secondgeneration family member Anil Ramchandani, director of business development, is playing a key role in determining its future course
690 sq ft store offering only bespoke tailoring services to a two-storey 3,000 sq ft store offering a one-stop-shop for bespoke tailoring and fabrics under one roof. My father expanded the existing store, and also acquired two more next to it. It made Kachins a prime shopping location for men and women. This is also when he launched the first designer boutique for women. Kachins Group currently employs 140 employees across our five showrooms and factory. At present, our volume stands in the range of 8,000-10,000 suits and shirts per annum. Tell us about the fabrics used and the expertise of the tailors currently employed.
We have collaborated with many renowned European fabric brands and mills. Some of the brands we offer include – but are not limited to – Scabal, Holland & Sherry, Cerruti, Huddersfield Worsted, Thomas Mason and Monti. Our tailors have been working with us for decades now. The years of experience and practice allows us to provide our clients with a high level of quality and workmanship.
BY VARUN GODINHO
What is the range of services that Kachins currently offers? What was Dubai’s menswear tailoring market like when your father Ashok Ramchandani established Kachins Couture in 1981?
In the 1980s, menswear tailoring was emerging in the UAE. There were only fourfive stores that provided tailoring services for men in Dubai. My father established our first store in the heart of Bur Dubai, and it still exists today. Some of his early clients included Emirates Airline, Coca-Cola, Juma Al Majid, Abu Dhabi Commercial Bank and many five-star hotels that placed their uniform orders with us. At what point did Kachins transition from a small-scale business to a larger operation?
In 1989, Kachins evolved from a single 64
February 2022
We offer a complete range of products and services ranging from ready-to-wear shirts to fully-canvassed bespoke suits. The steps [to create a bespoke suit] involve an initial consultation where a client is introduced to our services and where they sample the wide range of available fabrics. They are then introduced to the master cutter who uses his measuring methods to learn about the client’s posture and considers how best to accentuate their features. Next, be it your jacket, shirt, waistcoat, trousers, or shorts, this is the point where clients can customise every little detail with a variety of options such as thread colours, linings, buttons, designs, and cuts. The next stage is fittings where a roughly-stitched suit is put together so the master can see how well it gulfbusiness.com
