Tailor or dressmaker

Tailor or dressmaker - overview

As a tailor or dressmaker, you’ll use your creativity and eye for detail to fashion custom-made clothing like suits or shirts. You’ll also alter and repair garments. Learn more about a career in tailoring and dressmaking, find out what it involves and what you’ll need to study and do to get a role.

Learn what the role involves below.

What does a tailor or dressmaker do?

As a tailor or dressmaker, you’ll design and make new clothes or come up with creative ways to repair and alter items. It’s a customer-focused role, so you’ll enjoy talking to clients and understanding their needs.

You’ll give advice on style, pattern and fabric and take accurate measurements to create mockup garments and finished pieces. You’ll be confident working with your hands, cutting out fabric and sewing garments by hand or machine.

You might work in a factory, workshop, shop or from home if you decide to set up your own business. If you reach haute couture level, there may be opportunities to work abroad, especially in cities like Paris, New York and Milan.

What will your days involve?

Daily tasks will vary but could involve:

Measuring clients
Recording clients’ measurements
Discussing fabric and style requirements with clients
Calculating the cost of the clothing
Shaping garments by hand or with a machine
Repairing clothes such as re-attaching buttons and stitching tears
Marking the shape and design on the material and cutting around it to meet the clients’ requirements
Making adjustments such as shortening sleeve lengths, taking in seams or narrowing lapels
Pressing garments using irons or machines
Adding padding and other shaping materials

FAQs

How much can you earn as a tailor or dressmaker?

The average salary for a tailor or dressmaker in the UK is £26,000.

Does a tailor or dressmaker role involve travel in the UK or overseas?

Tailors and dressmakers may travel to meet clients and collect materials.

Can you work from home as a tailor or dressmaker?

As a tailor or dressmaker, you will most likely work from a workshop, department store or a high street shop. However, you may be able to work from home if you have the space and equipment.