Raja Fashions are a bespoke tailor based in

Hong Kong Hong Kong ( (US) or (UK); , ), officially the Hong Kong Special Administrative Region of the People's Republic of China (abbr. Hong Kong SAR or HKSAR), is a city and special administrative region of China on the eastern Pearl River Delta i ...

with sales operations in other countries. The company's business model is to take measurement from clients abroad, for instance in Europe and North America, after which clothes are produced by tailors based in China. Founded in 1957, Raja Fashions started making bespoke garments for men and women from their store in Hong Kong. In response to the 1997

transfer of sovereignty over Hong Kong Sovereignty of Hong Kong was transferred from the United Kingdom to the People's Republic of China (PRC) at midnight on 1 July 1997. This event ended 156 years of British rule in the former colony. Hong Kong was established as a special admin ...

, during which many of Raja's

British expatriate British people or Britons, also known colloquially as Brits, are the citizens of the United Kingdom of Great Britain and Northern Ireland, the British Overseas Territories, and the Crown dependencies.: British nationality law governs mod ...

customers returned to Britain, the firm began setting up shop in hotel rooms in different cities across the world.

History

Raja Fashions' was officially established in 1957 by the grandfather of Mr. Raja Daswani, who emigrated from Northern

India India, officially the Republic of India ( Hindi: ), is a country in South Asia. It is the seventh-largest country by area, the second-most populous country, and the most populous democracy in the world. Bounded by the Indian Ocean on the ...

and set up a custom tailored business in Kowloon. During the 40-year period between the establishment of Raja Fashions and the handover of

back to China, the Raja Fashions store in Kowloon continued to grow in reputation. When Raja Daswani assumed operations, he started promoting the brand "Raja Fashions". After the

handover of Hong Kong Sovereignty of Hong Kong was transferred from the United Kingdom to the People's Republic of China (PRC) at midnight on 1 July 1997. This event ended 156 years of British rule in the former colony. Hong Kong was established as a special admin ...

, instead of waiting for customers to come to their store in Kowloon, Mr. Daswani decided to visit his customers in

United Kingdom The United Kingdom of Great Britain and Northern Ireland, commonly known as the United Kingdom (UK) or Britain, is a country in Europe, off the north-western coast of the European mainland, continental mainland. It comprises England, Scotlan ...

, and began setting stores in

5-star hotels Hotel ratings are often used to classify hotels according to their quality. From the initial purpose of informing travellers on basic facilities that can be expected, the objectives of hotel rating have expanded into a focus on the hotel experie ...

London London is the capital and List of urban areas in the United Kingdom, largest city of England and the United Kingdom, with a population of just under 9 million. It stands on the River Thames in south-east England at the head of a estuary dow ...

and letting his previous customers know by mail that he would be coming to measure people for suits. These international tours proved profitable, so Raja Fashions quickly adapted this strategy for others cities in the

and the

United States The United States of America (U.S.A. or USA), commonly known as the United States (U.S. or US) or America, is a country primarily located in North America. It consists of 50 U.S. state, states, a Washington, D.C., federal district, five ma ...

. In 2009, Raja Fashions embarked on a second round of expansion, establishing hotel shops in Australia,

Canada Canada is a country in North America. Its ten provinces and three territories extend from the Atlantic Ocean to the Pacific Ocean and northward into the Arctic Ocean, covering over , making it the world's second-largest country by tota ...

Germany Germany, officially the Federal Republic of Germany (FRG),, is a country in Central Europe. It is the most populous member state of the European Union. Germany lies between the Baltic and North Sea to the north and the Alps to the sou ...

New Zealand New Zealand ( mi, Aotearoa ) is an island country in the southwestern Pacific Ocean. It consists of two main landmasses—the North Island () and the South Island ()—and over 700 List of islands of New Zealand, smaller islands. It is the ...

Belgium Belgium, ; french: Belgique ; german: Belgien officially the Kingdom of Belgium, is a country in Northwestern Europe. The country is bordered by the Netherlands to the north, Germany to the east, Luxembourg to the southeast, France to ...

, and Switzerland. In 2012, Raja Fashions offered service in

Doha Doha ( ar, الدوحة, ad-Dawḥa or ''ad-Dōḥa'') is the capital city and main financial hub of Qatar. Located on the Persian Gulf coast in the east of the country, north of Al Wakrah and south of Al Khor, it is home to most of the c ...

for the first time.

Advertorial text

advertorial An advertorial is an advertisement in the form of editorial content. The term "advertorial" is a blend (see portmanteau) of the words "advertisement" and "editorial." Merriam-Webster dates the origin of the word to 1946. In printed publications, ...

commissioned by the company - an advert written in the style of a features article - has become well known in Britain and other English-speaking countries for running unchanged for many years. Jonathan Margolis, the ''

Financial Times The ''Financial Times'' (''FT'') is a British daily newspaper printed in broadsheet and published digitally that focuses on business and economic current affairs. Based in London, England, the paper is owned by a Japanese holding company, Nikke ...

'' journalist who wrote it while freelancing in 2004, has said that he believes the article may be the most printed text in the English language apart from the Bible and the works of Shakespeare, although this has been disputed.

References

External links

Raja Fashions website
{{coord, 51.5102, -0.1397, type:landmark_region:GB-WSM, display=title High fashion brands Suit makers Clothing companies of Hong Kong