ABU DHABI // M V Sivaraman arrived in Abu Dhabi when he was 24 years old on November 21, 1971, shortly before the country was founded.
More than 40 years later, he is now one of the best-known tailors in the capital.
“I don’t know any other work apart from stitching suits. I will keep doing this until my last breath,” he said.
Mr Sivaraman, who originates from Thrissur in Kerala state, is the eldest son of a security officer who worked in Sri Lanka, or Ceylon as it was then known, during 1940s and 50s.
“At that time, Ceylon was like the Gulf region,” said Mr Sivaraman. “Almost every family member in Kerala had someone working in Ceylon.”
After finishing a tailoring course, he moved to Mumbai when he was 18 in 1965.
“A few years later, my friend told me about a job opening in Abu Dhabi. I applied and finally my destiny brought me here.”
His first job was in a tailor’s shop on Hamdan Street, where he worked as a coat cutter and maker.
He worked very long hours for just Dh650 a month.
“I didn’t come here to work day and night. I always dreamt of owning a shop where I constantly stitch clothes. That’s why after switching few jobs, I started my own work,” he said.
Mr Sivaraman opened his first shop in 1978 in the Madinat Zayed area and there has been no looking back.
From his shop, Dabster Gents Tailoring & Textiles in the Madinat Zayed shopping mall, he is happy to make any style of suit, usually for about Dh600 to Dh1,200.
But what annoys him is when customers try to haggle over prices.
“I can follow any suit idea they wish to be made. But unnecessary money bargaining puts me in a difficult position, especially when I know I’m not expensive at all,” he said.
With a host of designer suit labels now on sale in the country, Mr Sivaraman is confident he can match these fashion houses.
“Many people prefer tailor made suits when compared to buying from high-end brands,” he said
My suits will always be better than these brands for all good reasons. They are not super expensive yet they are perfectly stitched according to your body measurement.
“There are many customers who bought these suits from big brands and then give it to me for alteration.”
Part of his service of helping his customers look their best is to offer them weight-loss tips.
“I feel very uncomfortable when I see unhealthy bodies. No matter, how well stitched suits I make, it won’t look good on my customer if he has a bad body shape,” he said.
“Everything looks good on a healthy body.”
Mr Sivaraman said that recently he promised one of his customers that if he loses 10 kilograms then he will make him a free suit.
To keep fit himself, Mr Sivaraman walks at least 10 kilometres every morning.
“That’s why I am still working hard with zeal and commitment. I am very conscious about my health and that’s why I don’t have any major disease. For me, my health is my asset that keeps me going,” he said. As for the future, Mr Sivaraman wants to stay in the country as long as he can.
“I know every expat has to go back home one day. But I don’t want to go. I can only work in the UAE,” he said.
“I have grown old with this country. I have given 45 years of my life here and I wish I die in my shop while stitching the suit of a client. Every suit is a part of my soul.”
akhaishgi@thenational.ae
