Eva Lea Klein spent 18 years working at a department store in her home country of Brazil. She later moved to Florida and accepted the position of tailor at a Banana Republic clothing shop in Boca Raton. As a tailor, Eva Lea Klein finished, joined, and reinforced a variety of clothing items. Stretchy fabrics are popular options for activewear, but they are notoriously difficult to sew. Handling these fabrics properly involves lining up a pattern with the direction that has the greatest amount of stretch. Lining up the pattern allows wearers to enjoy a better fit from the stretch fabric. A tailor must cut stretch fabric carefully with a mat and rotary cutter to ensure clean cuts. Once the fabric is cut, the tailor should install a ballpoint needle in the sewing machine. Ballpoint needles have rounded tips that push the fibers of stretch fabric aside instead of piercing them. Ballpoint needles do not weaken or tear the fabric because they leave fibers intact. A tailor should use a polyester all-purpose thread on stretch fabrics. This thread is widely available and is somewhat stretchy, which helps ensure that hems and seams are resilient. Stretch fabrics do not pair well with straight stitches since they cannot accommodate the fabric’s movement. Instead, a tailor should use stretch or zigzag stitches. If a straight stitch is the only option, the tailor must hold the stretch fabric taut while sewing it.
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A native of Brazil, Eva Lea Klein attended Al-Kafaat University in Brazil before embarking on a retail career in her home country and the United States. During her long career, Eva Lea Klein managed a retail store in Brazil and spent many years working for specialty clothing retailers such as Gap Inc.’s Banana Republic brand. Stores like Banana Republic and other specialty clothing and apparel brands have suffered in recent years with the rise of Amazon, smartphone apps such as Poshmark, and bargain-shopping chains such as TJ Maxx and H&M. However, retail analysts suggest that things may be changing for the better for these companies in 2018. According to an April 2018 report from Bloomberg Intelligence, specialty clothing retailers have seen a surprising increase in sales in the first months of the year. The report suggests that this uptick in sales may be related to retailers doing a better job of not only luring shoppers into their stores but also offering desirable and fashionable products once the shoppers arrive. Additionally, the report points out that global retail giant H&M has fallen on hard times in recent months. For specialty apparel stores to take full advantage of the upswing, analysts state they must focus on providing a pleasant in-store experience while continuing to improve online sales. Retailers should also be savvy about how they collect and use data about their returning consumers. |
AuthorEva Lea Klein is an experienced retail salesperson and tailor in both Brazil and the United States. Archives
May 2018
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