Cashmere blazer made and worn by Mr Choo Foo Wah (boss of Fatman Singapore Gents’ Wear Company)

Title
Cashmere blazer made and worn by Mr Choo Foo Wah (boss of Fatman Singapore Gents’ Wear Company)
Year/Period
29 December 1993
Region
SIngapore
Object Type
Dimension
Object size: 80.0 x 87.3 cm
Accession No.
2019-00439
Credit Line
Gift from Founder of Fatman Singapore Gents' Wear Company, Mr Choo Foo Wah.

This 100% pure cashmere blazer was tailor made by and belonged to Mr Choo Foo Wah, the founder of Fatman Singapore Gent's Wear Company. Like every other piece made by Fatman, this blazer had a Fatman label near the inside pocket, which provides the order number and date of production. Fatman was one of the local tailor shops that specialised in the making of men’s Western suits as early as the 1950s. Its branding of a fat gentleman in a Western suit which is unique and familiar to many, implied that the tailors at Fatman understood the male body, and could tailor clothes to fit all body types. Its founder, Mr Choo Foo Wah, started out as an apprentice to a local tailor (specialising in making Western suits). In 1955, he set up his own business, Singapore Tailor, at Desker Road (1955–1957). Later the business was renamed Fatman Singapore Gents’ Wear Company, with its main shop in Jalan Besar (1957–2009), followed by the Whampoa area (2009–2018), as well as branches along Victoria Street (1975–1981) and in the Orchard Road area (1981–1994). In the 1960s, with Western culture making greater inroads into the local fashion consciousness, there was an increasing popularity for made-to-measure clothing which led to a demand for tailors who could replicate coveted Western designs. Between the 1970s and the 1980s, Fatman was one of the most renowned tailor shops in Singapore, ordering fabrics from London to satiate the growing demands of consumers, who also appreciated Fatman's fine workmanship.