South Bund Fabric Market: Custom Tailoring Guide for Shanghai

The South Bund Fabric Market (南外滩轻纺面料市场) packs 200-plus tailor shops into one building at 399 Lujiabang Road, turning out custom wool suits from around ¥1,500 — roughly what a off-the-rack shirt costs on Savile Row. Whether you want a three-piece business suit, a silk qipao, or a cashmere overcoat, this place can cut and stitch it from scratch, often in under a week. Since 2025, you can even ship the finished garments home from a postal counter inside the market.

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One Building, Hundreds of Tailors

The South Bund Fabric Market opened at its current location in 2005, when the legendary Dongjiadu Fabric Market (董家渡轻纺面料市场) was relocated to make way for Shanghai's urban renewal. Most of the tailors here trace their roots back to the Dongjiadu era — some have been cutting suits for over 20 years.

This is not the kind of "silk shop" tour buses drag visitors to. Those places sell factory-made garments labeled "hand-tailored" that are really just semi-finished pieces adjusted to size. The tailors at South Bund work from a raw bolt of fabric, cutting and sewing to your exact measurements. That's why Shanghai's expat community — diplomats, bankers, media professionals — has treated this market as their go-to tailor for two decades running.

In 2025, the market completed a round of upgrades: a facelift for the exterior, fire safety improvements, and most notably, a Huangpu District Post Office service counter inside the building. Custom garments can now be shipped directly from the market to 170+ countries, so you don't need to worry about overstuffing your luggage.

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Four Floors of Fabric and Thread

The market has four floors, each with a different focus. Understanding the layout before you walk in saves significant time.

Ground Floor: Ready-to-Wear and Accessories

The ground floor leans toward finished goods: leather jackets, down coats, scarves, bags. A few fabric stalls are mixed in. If you only want to buy something off the rack, this floor covers it. Custom tailoring prices here tend to be highest — the stalls near the entrance pay premium rent, and it shows in their quotes.

Second Floor: The Custom Tailoring Hub

The second floor is the heart of the market — this is where the majority of custom suits, shirts, and dresses get made. Tailors on this floor are most accustomed to working with foreign clients, and many can manage basic English. Walls are usually lined with fabric swatches and style lookbooks, and the ordering process is well-practiced.

This is also the floor with the most foreign visitors, which means competition is stiff and bargaining room is actually wider than on the upper floors.

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Third Floor: Women's Wear and Qipaos

The third floor specializes in women's custom clothing: qipaos (旗袍), double-faced wool coats, Chanel-style jackets, and silk skirts. This is also where the bulk of fabric retail happens — if you want to buy raw material to take home or supply to a different tailor, the third floor has the widest selection.

Qipao tailoring is this floor's signature service. Every detail is customizable: fabric, collar shape, frog button style, slit height. A basic qipao starts around ¥1,000; high-end silk with hand-embroidered details can run ¥5,000 and up.

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Fourth Floor: Cashmere and Raw Fabric

The fourth floor focuses on cashmere products and wholesale fabric. Custom cashmere overcoats and scarves are the draw here. It also has some miscellaneous stalls (electronics, odds and ends — skip these). With the lowest foot traffic, the fourth floor often has the most room for negotiation.

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What You Can Get Made — and Prices

The table below reflects 2025–2026 price ranges. Final cost depends on fabric quality and design complexity. All prices include fabric and labor.

For context: A comparable custom wool suit runs ¥30,000–60,000 on London's Savile Row, and ¥8,000–15,000 in Hong Kong. The value at South Bund is hard to beat.

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From Fabric Roll to Finished Garment

The custom tailoring process follows five steps, regardless of what you're having made:

Step 1: Choose Your Fabric

Each tailor shop stocks dozens to hundreds of fabric bolts. Tips for choosing well:

• Touch the fabric — quality wool has natural spring and doesn't scratch
• Check the composition label — 100% wool, wool-silk blend, or Super 120s/150s counts
• Ask about the source — Italian imports cost 2–3× more than domestic fabric, but the difference is noticeable
• Darker colors hide minor construction imperfections better than light ones (a practical consideration)

Step 2: Discuss the Design

This step makes or breaks the result.

• Bring reference photos — save images from Pinterest, brand websites, or Instagram to your phone. Showing a photo beats verbal description by a wide margin
• Confirm specifics: lapel width, button count and style, pocket design, lining color, trouser cut
• If you own a garment that fits you perfectly, wear it to the appointment — the tailor can use it as a direct reference

Step 3: Get Measured

The tailor takes 15–20 measurements with a tape. The whole process takes about 10–15 minutes. Wear fitted clothing (no bulky coats or loose shirts) to ensure accuracy.

Step 4: Fitting and Adjustments

You'll come back in 2–4 days to try on a half-finished version (basted or rough-sewn). Do not skip this step — it's your only chance to request changes. Check for:

• Shoulder line accuracy
• Chest and waist comfort
• Sleeve and trouser length
• Overall silhouette against your expectations

Flag any issues on the spot. A good tailor will adjust within 1–2 days.

Step 5: Pick Up or Ship

Once the final garment is ready, try it on one last time before paying the balance.

Timeline:

• Standard: 7–14 days (recommended — allows proper fitting)
• Rush: 2–4 days (most tailors can accommodate; may add 10–20% surcharge)
• Express: 48 hours (some shops offer this; quality may take a slight hit)

If you're leaving Shanghai soon: The in-market postal counter (opened 2025) ships via EMS to 170+ countries, with 5–7 business day delivery to Europe. Alternatively, have the tailor courier the garment to your hotel or your next city (domestic delivery takes 1–2 days).

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Bargaining at the Fabric Market

Every price at South Bund is negotiable. These strategies come from veteran shoppers:

• Start from the third or fourth floor — upper-floor rents are lower, so baseline quotes are cheaper than the first two floors
• Avoid stalls right next to the elevator or entrance — "prime location" rent means less room to negotiate
• Complete a full loop before buying — collect quotes from 3–5 shops, then decide. Many first-timers pay at the first shop and later discover 30% savings next door
• Bundle orders for discounts — ordering two or more shirts, or a suit-plus-shirt package, gives you leverage for an extra cut
• Target range: Final deals typically land at 50–70% of the first quoted price. If a quote sounds too good, either the fabric is lower quality or there's a catch
• Hold the balance until you're satisfied — the standard deposit is 50%; pay the rest only after trying on the finished garment and confirming fit

How to pay:

• WeChat Pay and Alipay are standard at nearly every stall
• Cash works — and in big-ticket negotiations, showing physical bills can tilt the dynamic
• Very few stalls accept credit cards — don't count on it

Quality Control Before You Pay

The most important moment in the entire process isn't choosing fabric or negotiating price — it's the final inspection before you hand over the balance. Checklist:

• Stitching — flip the garment inside out and check that seams are straight with no skipped or broken stitches
• Buttons — confirm the style matches what was agreed, and that each one is firmly attached
• Zipper — test it several times; it should glide smoothly
• Lining — a quality custom suit should have full or half-canvas construction, not fused (glued) interlining
• Fit — put it on, sit down, raise your arms, turn around. There should be no pulling or bunching during normal movement
• Fabric — verify it's the same material you selected (not a visually similar substitute)

If something's wrong: Most reputable shops will make 1–2 rounds of alterations at no extra charge. If the fabric was swapped or the cut is seriously off, you're within your rights to refuse the balance and request a remake. Keep your receipt and a photo of your original fabric swatch as evidence.

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Getting There and Practical Info

Getting There

Metro: Line 4, Nanpu Bridge (南浦大桥) Station, Exit 3 — about a 5-minute walk.

Bus: Routes 43, 64, 89, and 931 to Lujiabang Road–Haichao Road (陆家浜路海潮路) stop.

Taxi / ride-hailing: About 10–15 minutes from the Bund or People's Square, ¥15–20.

Useful phrases for the taxi:

Market Hours

Best Times to Visit

• Weekday mornings, 9:00–12:00 — tailors are least busy and most patient; smaller crowds
• Avoid weekend afternoons — peak foot traffic from tourists and locals alike
• First visit: budget 2–3 hours — choosing fabric, discussing design, and getting measured takes time

International Shipping

Since 2025, a Huangpu District Post Office counter operates inside the market. You can arrange EMS international shipping to 170+ countries right after picking up your order — staff come to you within minutes of a phone call, handle professional packaging, and process the shipment in about 5 minutes. Estimated delivery to Europe is 5–7 business days. You can also use SF Express (顺丰) or have the tailor ship to your hotel.

Tips for First-Time Shoppers

• Bring reference photos — the single most important tip. Save the styles you want to your phone before visiting; Pinterest, brand lookbooks, and Instagram all work
• Know your baseline measurements — if you have a well-fitting shirt or suit at home, note down the collar, chest, waist, and sleeve measurements. Even though the tailor will re-measure, reference data reduces errors
• Wear fitted clothing — bulky layers during measurement throw off accuracy
• Leave time for the fitting — don't schedule your order on the last day before leaving Shanghai. Allow at least 3 days for the try-on and adjustment
• Language — most second-floor tailors handle basic English (sizes, fabrics, prices). Third and fourth floors are more hit-or-miss. Google Translate's camera mode (point at fabric labels) is genuinely useful here
• Don't rush — spending 20–30 minutes in one shop is normal. If a tailor pressures you to order immediately, move on
• Check past work — good shops display finished garments or photos of previous clients. Review the quality before committing

Useful tailoring phrases:

Beyond This Guide

A custom suit is just one layer of a Shanghai trip — between the Bund waterfront, the city's evolving food scene, and day trips to water towns like Zhujiajiao, there's plenty to stitch together into a trip that fits you as well as the suit will.