Photos: Skilled sewers in demand as tailors and dressmakers age out
Associated Press
Updated
Across the U.S., the number of tailors, dressmakers and custom sewing specialists is declining, even as demand for their work is growing.
Tailor, Kil Bae, works inside his shop on Friday, March 27, 2026, in New York. (AP Photo/Andres Kudacki)
Andres Kudacki
Tailor, Kil Bae, works inside his shop on Friday, March 27, 2026, in New York. (AP Photo/Andres Kudacki)
Andres Kudacki
Tailor, Kil Bae, works inside his shop on Friday, March 27, 2026, in New York. (AP Photo/Andres Kudacki)
Andres Kudacki
Tailor, Kil Bae, sews a pice inside his shop on Friday, March 27, 2026, in New York. (AP Photo/Andres Kudacki)
Andres Kudacki
Tailor, Kil Bae, poses for a photo inside his shop on Friday, March 27, 2026, in New York. (AP Photo/Andres Kudacki)
Andres Kudacki
Tailor Marco Lema, 35, of Ecuador, works on an embroidered shirt at Nordstrom headquarters in New York, Monday, March 23, 2026. (AP Photo/Eduardo Munoz Alvarez)
Eduardo Munoz Alvarez
Tailor Marco Lema, 35, of Ecuador, works on a embroidery machine at Nordstrom headquarters in New York, Monday, March 23, 2026. (AP Photo/Eduardo Munoz Alvarez)
Eduardo Munoz Alvarez
Tailor Marco Lema, 35, of Ecuador, measures a denim alteration at Nordstrom headquarters in New York, Monday, March 23, 2026. (AP Photo/Eduardo Munoz Alvarez)
Eduardo Munoz Alvarez
An embroidery machine works on a decoration at Nordstrom headquarters in New York, Monday, March 23, 2026. (AP Photo/Eduardo Munoz Alvarez)
Eduardo Munoz Alvarez
Tailor Marco Lema, 35, of Ecuador, works on a denim alteration at Nordstrom headquarters in New York, Monday, March 23, 2026. (AP Photo/Eduardo Munoz Alvarez)
Eduardo Munoz Alvarez
Tailor Marco Lema, 35, of Ecuador, works on a denim alteration at Nordstrom headquarters in New York, Monday, March 23, 2026. (AP Photo/Eduardo Munoz Alvarez)
Eduardo Munoz Alvarez
Tailor Marco Lema, 35, of Ecuador, works on a embroidery machine at Nordstrom headquarters in New York, Monday, March 23, 2026. (AP Photo/Eduardo Munoz Alvarez)
Eduardo Munoz Alvarez
A heart-shaped pincushion bristling with needles hangs on the wall inside Kil Bae's store on Friday, March 27, 2026, in New York. (AP Photo/Andres Kudacki)
