Tony looked the part– measuring tape draped over his shoulder, wire frame spectacles, and ashy hands that had been sullied by the chalk marks he had been making on my garments.
“SAHM SIP!” he said in Thai, announcing my 30-inch waist to an anxious-looking recorder. The fitting was almost over, and Tony’s crew was about to spend the rest of the evening cranking out an exquisite wardrobe of new clothes for me– pants, shirts, ties, blazer, and a new suit.
This is another great reason to come to Thailand… what I call, ‘cutting out the middle man.’
For about $1,000, you can completely redo your entire wardrobe; right down to custom-fitted underwear should you so choose. Throw in another $2k in travel expenses, and you have an amazing experience, all for the price of one nice suit in the western world.
It’s no secret that the vast majority of clothing retailers outsource their labor to cheap countries. There’s nothing wrong with this; if Canadians were doing it, a pair of socks would cost $12 in Toronto.
The fact of the matter is that countries should specialize in what they can do the most efficiently– Saudi Arabia should not be growing orchids, Switzerland should not be producing cheap knickknacks, and Bangladesh should not be designing particle colliders.
It is not about human worth or intelligence, but rather a question of economic capability based on available resources– land, water, commodities, education, labor, etc. Directing available resources towards products and services that can be produced the most efficiently is how economies create wealth.
In the long run, economic conditions change. China, now a center for low cost labor, will one day soon have to transition itself away from cheap manufacturing; it will be a painful readjustment, but as the economy grows and the currency appreciates, the Chinese will not be able to compete against Vietnam and Indonesia in the market for low-cost labor.
The same thing will happen one day in Thailand; they will graduate from making clothes for $15/day to designing software for $15/hour. In many ways, this transition is already under way as more and more locals flock to university and technical training schools.
In the meantime, though, you can still come here and enjoy the fruits of economic progression; this includes ultra-cheap, high quality medical care that I discussed yesterday, as well as a first class retail fashion experience.
I’ve always had an aversion to buying clothes in the west– it never made sense to pay $300 for a pair of jeans that I know were made for less than $5. Here in Thailand, I’m cutting out the middle man, and whatever I buy is custom fit to my body.
The best part, though, is the level of service.
The first time I met Tony the tailor several years ago, I literally had less than 12 hours to go in Bangkok… it was about 6pm, and I was departing on a flight at 5:55am. I ordered half a dozen garments, and I explained my situation to him– “Look, I’m leaving in 12 hours and I know it’s already closing time, is that a problem?”
“It’s not your problem, it’s my problem.”
To this day, that is probably the best answer I have ever received from anyone, and it’s reflective of their incredible service and dedication.
This combination of service and value for price stands in stark contrast to the west’s level of service and overpriced goods… and it’s just one indication of Thailand’s upward trajectory.
