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| Alumo "Voile Fantasia" swatch card. I got it from a Swiss friend of mine back in 2014 |
The fact is, the Switzerland-based mill has been doing a very good job in protecting her tailor clients. After all, it's always customers who desire their fabric - more precisely, the superb quality of their fabric. An Italian mill owner and friend of mine once said:
"In terms of fabric quality, Alumo was better but still is the best... design, um, is horrible..." - an Italian mill owner
But let's be honest: just like men tend to be more romantically attracted to girls who play hard-to-get, sartorial enthusiasts also tend to become obsessive with what they cannot easily buy. Like a Kiton bespoke shirt, which currently has a price tag of over HKD 10,000, for example.
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| "Where do I Alumo?" is a question often asked in menswear threads on online discussion sites. |
People who are "in the trade" obviously do not source their fabric through a shirt-maker1. Amongst the many unofficial dealers, the oldest, most famous, and the one I can disclose without anyone getting upset2 is probably Loa Hai Shing.
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| "Loa Hai Shing Welcomes you (and your $$)!" |
Long story short, Loa Hai Shing is among the few local fabric houses who are happy to sell fabric directly to walk-in clients3. And I am quite certain that no one - except the reader - will become worse off financially, since Mrs. Wong is able to decide the optimal price for each client type, so mills, tailors and you (her dear walk-in) will remain happy in the long run4.
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| Mrs Wong explaining the many advantages of vintage British fabric - one of which is a robustness seldomly found in Italian production nowadays. |
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| Vintage, vintage and vintage. The cupboard with glass doors on the far left is where you will find the Swiss gems. Under the pile of multi-colour suiting, there is old Johnston of Elgin and Scabal cashmere overcoatings (which I think is actually reasonably priced if you consider the quality). |
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| Vintage birdseye suiting from Wain Shiell, now a Scabal company. The hand, of course, is quite dry. But British fabric has never been finished for a silky hand, so to speak. |
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| Both the pattern and the fabric tag are self-explanatory. |
Mr. Wong is a real gentleman. It took me repeated persuasions before he finally agreed to appear in a photo with his fabric. If you love fabric, you will enjoy chatting with Mr. Wong - who would tell you the truth about the Fresco fabric and other high-twists; the evolving status of Dormeuil production; and the rise and fall in quality of the British merchants and Italian mills. He knows things. I love talking to him.
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| Scabal is one of the most progressive British merchants. Arguably, this French blue can only be worn by those high-flyers in the financial sector. |
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| A closer look at the textured weave. |
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| Powder blue wool suiting. One can imagine the diverse clientele of Loa Hai Shing: that's the true power suit, if you ask me. |
I did not take any (direct) photo of the Swiss fabric or their fabric swatches, if the reason is not already obvious. My advice is: ask, and your wish will be granted. They can also get you Scabal shirting, but that's not something exciting, really.
Finally, no shop visit is complete without this...
P.S. Giancarlo informed me yesterday that the Bonfanti Tessuti outlet shop is now open. There is no formal link from the main page, but you can access the page indirectly through here.
Until then, bon voyage!
Footnote:
[1] In Italy things are quite a bit different, most shirt-makers actually do sell you fabric if you ask.
[2] Sometimes disclosure may either harm the source (e.g. the mill may discover someone is selling without authorization and try to stop the supply) or the shop clients (e.g. the fabric seller is too generous to walk-in clients, and make tailors who need to mark up on fabric quite a bit upset).
[3] Merino Brothers and a few others are also used to selling to walk-in/ non-trade clients, but none of them stock as much fabric as Loa Hai Shing, or welcome the often excessive questions from these clients.
[4] The healthy percentage of street client/ walk-in/ non-trade surcharge varies, local experience suggests that it ranges from 20-50%.
Shop information:
Loa Hai Shing
http://www.lhshk.com.hk
210-203, 2/F Tak Shing House, 20 Des Voeux Road, Central, Hong Kong tel/+852 2523 6167
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