Tailors in Abu Dhabi

Get your shirts and suits tailored in Abu Dhabi

Abu Dhabi presents an opportunity to get your tailored clothes while on holiday. It’s an excellent way to sort your suits and shirts out for a year with the best quality material but tailored to fit you perfectly.  There are tailors all over Abu Dhabi and of course one could visit Dubai as well.  But you don’t have to go to Dubai.

For suits, some tailors will copy your items, while some prefer to measure you up from scratch. Copying of items usually takes more time, but in the main, you can expect to get a suit tailored between 3 days to one week – you may need to have up to 3 fittings, so if you are visiting the UAE for a short period of time, make sure that the tailor is aware of your urgency.

Prices will be split between material and labour, though many shops will provide you with an all in service. For a regular tailor, the price for tailoring the suit should not be more that 500 Dhs, and then the material cost by yard will depend on your taste. Material to make a suit will cost anything between 100 to 500 Dhs per yard, and for the average size man, 3 and a half yards is what you need for a jacket and trousers up to about 4 and half or 5 if you are a little bigger. And then, for a fixed tailoring charge over and above this, you will have your suit. So, for about 1000 Dhs you can have a half decent tailored suit that fits you perfectly, which is less than an average off the peg in the West. The standards are more or less pretty decent, and you can make your alterations until you have your perfect fit. You can also get an extra pair of trousers.

You could also consider getting shirts produced, either copied or measured up from scratch. Labour should be about 30 Dhs per shirt (or 35 Dhs for double cuffs) and along with the material (2 to 2.5 yards at between 60 and 100 DHs) would give a price per shirt of around 150 Dhs. You’ll get all the options from whether you want cut away collars to types of buttons, so make sure you are very specific, or the cheaper option will be assumed. Getting shirts tailored is a very personal thing, so you might want to get one shirt tailored first before committing to more. 

The prices and method of producing a suit in Abu Dhabi is similar to Dubai, from a price perspective. But in the main, your worry will be finding a tailor that speaks English. The best place to get your suit tailored is the long standing Abu Dhabi New Tailors. They used to be located in a small store in the back streets behind the HSBC building on Airport Road but have now moved to the Madinat Zayed shopping centre new area which is above the Lulu Hypermarket. They are on the first floor, shop 1.  . Abu Dhabi New Tailors are two Indian brothers, Sivaraman and Jayan, who are probably the most honest people in the UAE and will provide you with a great suit for the best possible price - they won't rip you off, because they're all about repeat business. If you can't find them, you can call them directly on 02 634 4990 or email them in advance on abudhabinew@gmail.com and they will get back to you. They will also give you a 5% discount if you mention grapeshisha, so once you have tried them out and are happy, spread the word.

Another option for tailoring in Abu Dhabi is Freddys. Freddy doesn't exist any more but Henry will help you out. They can be found behind Al Ahlia Hospital and can be called on 02 627 3777 or 0559408797.

In Abu Dhabi, there are many places for Indian Material, but many are pricier, including material from Abdullah Hussain Khunji and Paris Textiles in the Khalidiya area. A good tailor near these is Wahid tailors, just around the corner from them. Other material can be obtained from the area near the former New Souk, near Khalifa Street. Another good ladies tailor is Joury Tailoring located behind Baby Centre. With all these tailors, taking something to copy or a picture for a style is something that is worth doing. Else, you will only be left with either trying a verbal description and your design may get lost in translation. Either that or you will be left with their 10 year old magazines to choose your design.

While we have mentioned suits and shirts in the UAE, anything goes, from designing your wedding outfit to hemming that trouser that you have been meaning to do for so long. This is also your opportunity to try your hand at being a designer, or simply to get a copy of your Kenzo Suit.