The founder of Fatman Singapore Gents Wear Company, Mr Choo Foo Wah (standing fourth from the left in the photograph), was a member of the Chinese Tailors Union as early as the 1950s. He also conducted tailoring lessons for the Union. Mr Choo 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). Fatman Singapore Gents’ Wear Company was one of the local tailor shops that specialised in the making of men’s Western suits as early as the 1950s. 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.
