As long as I am able to move and walk, I will be sewing, says Aisha Prasad. Originally from Vunikavikaloa in Rakiraki, she is one of few tailors who operates a tailoring shop in Nabua, Suva.
Ms Prasad said her passion for sewing began from when she was only a child.
“I started sewing when I was just 12 years old,” Ms Prasad said.
“While other girls my age were playing with dolls and dollhouses, I was playing with needles, threads and scissors.
“When we were very small, a lady came to stay with us for three to four days, she would sew all our clothes and I used to love watching her.
“I was very young at that time, maybe seven years old or eight but that’s how I learnt to sew.”
She said she even sewed her own school uniform, much to her teacher’s amazement.
“My teachers always come to my mother, and she’d tell them that I had sewn my own uniform.
“When I finished school, I found employment in a garment factory and continued doing what I have grown to love.
“After some time, I left the garment factory and began working in other places, like small tailoring shops.
“It was at one of those places that the thought came to me to start my own tailoring business and so I left where I was working and started my business at home.
The mother of five operated from home for a while before she found employment at a tailoring shop in Nabua.
It was during that time that she came across the shop space that she is now operating from.
“I was at a tailoring shop on the main street and I usually walked by this shop and noticed it because there used to be a DVD shop here.
“One day while listening over the radio I heard that the DVD business has closed down and that it was up for rent.
“I went to the shoe repair shop next door and asked the owner about it and he took down my contact.
“Two days later he called and I moved in and began my tailoring business.”
Ms Prasad said her tailoring business fluctuated over the years but she never got into a situation where she had to borrow money because she managed her finances well.
“I never save money earned from tailoring because I always spend it on my husband and children.
“Whatever they need, I make sure I provide.
“My youngest son is in high school, and I provide him with whatever he needs.”
She said the COVID-19 pandemic was challenging because she had to operate from home.
“I don’t like staying at home but I had to because of the virus.
“Luckily my customers were loyal and when they knew I was operating from home, they came home to place their orders.
“What also helped was that my husband is a taxidriver so there was some money coming in from there.”
Ms Prasad said the best time for tailors was during the festive season from November to December.
“Most people look down on this job nowadays and not a lot of people opt to go into tailoring.
“They are all educated so they prefer office jobs. “But the good thing about tailoring is that if you learn it from a young age, you will take it with you anywhere you go.
“You also don’t have to worry that much about money because money will always come in.
“Nobody taught me tailoring but I thrive in this business and I am willing to teach others.”
Ms Prasad can be found at Rahil’s Tailoring shop, just after Nabua Curry Corner, drop by if you are in the area.
