Tailoring at your doorstep

As the tailor wraps his measurement tape across a female customer’s chest, maybe he lingers a second too long or pulls the tape a little too tight for the woman’s comfort. Women do worry about inappropriate physical conduct at their tailor’s. The feeling of unease hangs heavy in the air and this discomfort alone is the reason why many women prefer not to give their measurements at all. Sadia is one of these women. “I give them a sample outfit to work with to avoid any uncomfortable experiences, but in the end the clothes are never exactly how I want them,” she says. The lack of suitable alternatives has made many women feel as if they have resigned themselves to a fate which involves either discomfort or dissatisfaction, or both. Unfortunately for people like Sadia, this industry that caters to the needs of women is largely dominated by male tailors.

A friend named Lily 

The aforementioned scenario is one that has been left largely unaddressed on the commercial level. That is exactly the void Lily intends to fill in. Lily was founded in September, 2017 albeit with the intention to solve a different yet similar problem. 

Prior to its inception, founder Syed Md Saif noticed the lack of affordable ride-sharing options for women who felt uneasy riding bikes driven by unknown males. Many women must opt for either the more expensive options of using Uber/Pathao cars or take their chances with the whims of CNG drivers for their daily commute. Saif realized the market’s inadequacy to meet the demands of these women and shared his findings with Lily’s co-founders Shah Md Tushar (current CTO), Wasif Hossain, Syeda Shahida Maknun and partners Ahsan Habib and Tahmid Bin Rahman. They came up with an alternative by the name of Lily Ride—a ride sharing app exclusively for women with bikes driven by female riders. Under Lily Technology & Services Ltd, a tech-based service platform dedicated to women, Lily Ride began operations in December of the same year. With software developed entirely in-house, their service was first launched in the form of a simple Android app. The aim to build a complete and sufficient ecosystem for women within a single platform was born, paving the way for another idea, which has now surfaced as Lily Tailor.

The service and the summoning 

Lily Tailor, as its name implies, brings tailoring services to the doorsteps of consumers to ensure a hassle-free experience. When a customer wants to have an outfit made from swathes of fabric, all she has to do is make an appointment and her genie will appear. 

“It really gave me goose-bumps when I saw two ladies came riding a scooter to collect my measurement on request. I must say this is something progressive and a reason to be proud of my country. When I first heard about the Lily Tailor service, I wasn't so sure about it, but after receiving my dress and the whole organization process from measurement collection to delivery, I was really impressed. Even the delivery was by a young lady. Now that is some real commitment to women employment,” shares by Sultana Azhar, a satisfied customer.

A female operative from Lily will pay a visit to collect the measurements and specifications, and lo and behold, a dress will be delivered! But that’s not all the Lily magic lamp is good for. If any alterations need to be made within seven days of delivery, then Lily will be back again to collect the dress. Lily Tailor also supplies auxiliary materials such as false, lace and buttons and has recently begun to showcase their own fabrics with hopes of making it an entirely self sufficient platform. 

Lily Tailor has provided their services to approximately 200 women since they began operations last month. Contented with the service, Aysha Akhter says,“It is going to be a very popular service soon, both me and my daughter have tried few dresses and the quality was good.” , “I think the price is a bit higher than other tailors in my location, but it's justified as I am availing the service at my home.”  While sharing her experience with Lily Tailor, another customer Soniya Nila said

Currently, the service is not available through mobile app, but can be availed through both Lily’s Facebook page and website and they hope that this feature can soon be integrated into their existing app after some fine-tuning. An iOS version is also in the works for the main app. 

Within this short span of time, Lily Tailor has been met with a rapidly growing consumer base. One of the issues they currently face is the shortage of female operatives who can go to collect measurements, so they are struggling to match supply with demand. And of course, as with any other emerging business, Lily Technology & Services Ltd faces the problem of funding. They are currently discussing financing options with potential investors.

The bigger picture

Even though a work-in-progress, Lily’s platform promises to fill the much sought after needs of women and the nature of the service begins to pour the metaphorical cement into gaping cracks that prevail in our urban system. The services have so far been able to make the target customers - women - feel safer and more comfortable. Since both Lily Ride and Lily Tailor include riders and operatives who are women, these two businessesare now also opening up new possibilities for the employment of women.

For more information, visit Lily’s website at https://www.lily.services