When Chung Chi Kwong completed his National Service (NS) at the age of 20, he found himself at a crossroads. He had been offered several full-time positions in the military, including one as a prison guard that paid a decent salary with prospects of future promotions.
Alternatively, he could pursue his interest in tailoring – a craft he had started training in at the young age of 16, prior to enlisting in the pioneer batch of Singapore’s national servicemen.
He ended up choosing passion over practicality. Today, at 76, Master Chung – as he is fondly known as in the industry – still practices the art of tailoring, specialising in suit jackets. The business he founded, Meiko Tailor, endures as one of Singapore’s bastions of bespoke suit-making.
In 2018, Master Chung’s eldest daughter, 49-year-old Adele Chung, left her corporate career in marketing communications to join the family business. With Adele on board, Meiko Tailor continues to honour its decades-old legacy while connecting with a new generation of customers – including more female and design-conscious clients who value sustainability and craftsmanship.
Master Chung learnt how to sew at 16 years old. (Photo: CNA/Aik Chen)
Master Chung’s love for tailoring has never wavered.Even during his two years of NS, he continued to practice his skills at home. “I never gave up tailoring,” he quipped.
As a young man in the 1960s, Master Chung trained under one of Singapore’s most well-respected coat makers. He quickly realised how demanding the craft can be. “I worked very hard every day. There was no day and no night. If he didn’t stop [working], I also didn’t stop. If he worked until 12 [midnight], I also worked until 12,” he recalled.
To this, daughter Adele chimed in, “I also work until 12 now!”, prompting a chuckle from her father.
After training for about a year and a half, Master Chung began working as a freelance contractor for several tailor shops across Singapore. As orders poured in, he took on a few apprentices of his own to help with the growing workload. “One day, I thought about starting my own shop,” he recalled.
Meiko Tailor's first atelier located in Geylang Lorong 3, which opened in 1977. (Photo: Meiko Tailor)
Together with his wife, Master Chung opened Meiko Tailor’s first shop in 1977, located in Geylang Lorong 3. The story behind the name Meiko is a serendipitous one. “As a tailor shop, we make nice clothing for people. Therefore, I chose the first word ‘mei’, which means beauty. It’s also the name of my wife,” explained Master Chung.
To create a two-word name, the couple combined 'mei' with 'ke', meaning ‘reliable’, forming Mei Ke. Wanting a name that sounded more international, they eventually adapted it to Meiko. Coincidentally, a Japanese client later mentioned that a similar-sounding word in the language refers to a skilled artisan or craftsman – a fitting reflection of their dedication to the art of tailoring.
What sets Meiko Tailor’s suits apart is their use of the full canvas construction method. (Photo: VOTMO)
What sets Meiko apart from other tailors is its full-canvas construction method, a rarity in today’s industry, where many opt for fused suits to save on cost and time. Despite changing trends, Master Chung remains steadfast in his commitment to the traditional full-canvas approach, valuing craftsmanship and quality over convenience.
Each suit is also meticulously handcrafted by a single sewer from start to finish, minimising errors in construction. Meiko offers an extensive selection of imported fabrics from the finest mills, including Loro Piana, Carnet Loro Piana, Solbiati, Ermenegildo Zegna and more. Its clients range from diplomats to ministers and TV presenters.
When Geylang Lorong 3 was reclaimed by the government for redevelopment, Meiko Tailor moved to a new location in the heartlands of Hougang. It was there that Adele and her younger brother grew up, as the family lived in a unit above the shop.
Master Chung and his wife at the couple's Hougang shop in 1984. (Photo: Meiko Tailor)
For Adele, the family’s tailor shops have always been her playground. “When we were at Geylang, I made my own paper dolls from scraps of cloths. In Hougang, I would help out after school,” she recalled. While she started out with cashier duties, she eventually took measurements as she got older, learning the ropes from her mother.
During their years at Hougang, Master Chung made a suit for the then-purchasing director of Pan Pacific hotel. Impressed by the workmanship, the hotel executive offered him a new retail space within the hotel, an opportunity that would open the doors to a new clientele of tourists and business travellers.
“In my head, I always told myself to expand the business,” he recalled. The offer would mark a turning point for Meiko Tailor, transforming it from a heartland business into a name recognised beyond local circles. Meiko Tailor’s flagship at Pan Pacific Singapore opened in 1986 and continues to operate there today.
Meiko Tailor's flagship atelier at Pan Pacific Singapore, where it still operates today. (Photo: Meiko Tailor)
To split the workload, Master Chung’s wife took charge of managing the Hougang shop, while he focused on growing business at the Pan Pacific atelier. “It was a big challenge for me because I seldom spoke English,” Master Chung admitted.
Over the years, the couple opened three more tailor shops but eventually closed them down. The Hougang shop also latter shuttered to consolidate the business during tougher times.
Being in business since the 1970s, Meiko Tailor has weathered through decades of change and challenges – from the 1997 financial crisis to the SARS outbreak in 2003, and more recently, the COVID-19 pandemic of 2020.
While the 1980s marked a golden age of tailoring, the 1990s saw the rise of fast fashion which inadvertently reshaped the buying habits of consumers. The subsequent e-commerce boom of the 2000s further transformed the retail landscape, with convenience and speed taking precedence over craftsmanship.
A young Master Chung at work at his first shop on Geylang Lorong 3. (Photo: Meiko Tailor)
To supplement the low demand for bespoke suits, Meiko Tailor diversified into made-to-measure services, offering a selection of ready-made suit sets that customers could buy off the racks.
“I saw how hard my parents worked [to keep the business afloat] – to the extent that we would sometimes hear them fighting. Even at 12 midnight, they were still sewing, still cutting,” Adele recounted.
“We went through a lot of losses, but my parents never uttered a single thing to my brother and I,” she continued. For the siblings, life went on as normal. “We had meals on the table every day and a roof over our heads.”
Witnessing first-hand the struggles her parents faced both in tailoring and running a business, Adele confessed that “it never, never, never crossed my mind to take over the family business.”
In fact, there was no pressure from her parents to do so. “They always told us to do whatever we wanted in life – as long as it was a dream we wanted to pursue and something that made us happy.”
It was an innocent question from Adele’s young niece that changed her perspective. “At five years old, during a family lunch, she asked her grandfather, ‘Gong gong, how many customers did you have today?’” Adele recalled. “I asked her why she asked that, and she said, ‘Because I seldom see gong gong at home.’”
As a second-generation leader, Adele brings fresh perspectives to the business. (Photo: CNA/Aik Chen)
That simple question made Adele realise that her father wasn’t getting any younger and that it was time for her to step in and help with the business. Naturally, she had her own fears and worries. “The biggest apprehension was the fear of disappointing my family,” she said. “In a corporate job, if I don’t do well, I can always change to another job. But in a family business, I can’t fail – there are eight, 10, 12 mouths to feed.”
As a second-generation leader, Adele brings fresh perspectives to the business, reimagining the time-honoured craft of bespoke tailoring for a new generation.
Once, while reading through reviews of the company, Adele chanced upon one that described Master Chung as a “kampung tailor”. “I felt so insulted,” she confessed. Though she couldn’t be entirely sure what the reviewer meant, it likely implied that Meiko is a “traditional” tailor, Adele concluded. “But I can definitely say my dad is not a kampung tailor,” she insisted. “If you ask him to try a new design, he can figure out straight away how to engineer the cut just by looking at a picture. A kampung tailor won’t be able to do that, and he won’t be resting on his laurels.”
As Adele puts it succinctly: “We are a heritage tailor, not an old tailor.”
Meiko Tailor's atelier in Boat Quay. (Photo: Meiko Tailor)
In the span of seven years since she joined the family business, Adele has made her own mark on the company. Drawing on her expertise and understanding of women’s bodies, she has expanded Meiko’s clientele to include more female customers. In fact, one of Meiko’s current specialities is suit dresses for women.
As part of its rebranding efforts, Meiko Tailor opened a new atelier in Boat Quay in June this year. Beyond serving its growing female clientele, Adele envisions the space as a hub for creative collaborations with local brands and makers.
The atelier’s launch coincided with the debut of Uncommon Hem, a sub-brand of Meiko Tailor spearheaded by Adele. Uncommon Hem offers a fashion-forward, edgier alternative to traditional bespoke tailoring, with sustainability at its heart. The brand repurposes surplus luxury fabrics to create everything from striking contemporary qipao tops to bespoke casual menswear and couture-inspired statement pieces.
Uncommon Hem offers a more fashion-forward alternative to traditional bespoke tailoring, repurposing surplus luxury fabrics to create everything from striking contemporary qipao tops to couture-inspired statement pieces. (Photo: Meiko Tailor)
“Since I joined the family business, it now has a different life,” said Adele. “Meiko Tailor is a bespoke tailoring house that stands very firmly on traditional values and respecting the art of bespoke tailoring. But I want to infuse that with innovation, creativity and a design element that has a slice of me as the second generation.”
While Adele admits to sometimes clashing with her father, he has always supported her ideas. For instance, when Adele designed a patchwork blazer from leftover denim for a fashion runway organised by UltraLuxe in 2024, her father initially had his reservations. “He has a very traditional Chinese mentality that patchwork looks like you don’t have money to buy clothes. To him, as tailors, we should make fresh clothes from a fresh bill of cloth,” she explained.
A patchwork blazer Adele designed for a fashion runway organised by UltraLuxe in 2024, which Master Chung helped to complete. (Photo: VOTMO)
Still, Master Chung spent three days and three nights helping Adele complete the patching on a mannequin. “In a small space like this, a few tiffs are bound to happen. But at the end of the day, there’s no overnight angst. [We do this] for the love of our family. [I do it] for the love of my dad, and [he does it] for his love for me,” she shared.
As for Master Chung, despite being in his late 70s, he has no plans of slowing down, describing his work as his “first love”. “It's the very skill that allowed me to start this business and build my family,” he said. “I will keep going as long as my mind and body allow, until my eyes can’t see. As long as our customers still appreciate my work, I'll continue.”
“If I retire, what will I do? Sit there and watch the walls? How much travelling can I do?” he mused.
Even at 76, Master Chung has no plans to retire. Instead, he believes he is "still learning". (Photo: VOTMO)
And even in his golden years, Master Chung believes he is “still learning, because fashion never ends”. His humble dream is simple yet profound: “I hope many Singaporeans have Meiko Tailor suits in their wardrobe.”
And in every piece of Meiko garment, there is a sense of legacy stitched into every seam, a quiet thread that binds the past to the present. It’s a legacy that both father and daughter hope will continue to grow with every generation that walks through the doors of their ateliers.
“We have already been serving the first and second generation of customers, and have only begun to touch the third generation. But what about the fourth and fifth generation to come? That’s really the legacy that I want to build,” said Adele.
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Alternatively, he could pursue his interest in tailoring – a craft he had started training in at the young age of 16, prior to enlisting in the pioneer batch of Singapore’s national servicemen.
He ended up choosing passion over practicality. Today, at 76, Master Chung – as he is fondly known as in the industry – still practices the art of tailoring, specialising in suit jackets. The business he founded, Meiko Tailor, endures as one of Singapore’s bastions of bespoke suit-making.
In 2018, Master Chung’s eldest daughter, 49-year-old Adele Chung, left her corporate career in marketing communications to join the family business. With Adele on board, Meiko Tailor continues to honour its decades-old legacy while connecting with a new generation of customers – including more female and design-conscious clients who value sustainability and craftsmanship.
FROM APPRENTICE TO ARTISAN
Master Chung learnt how to sew at 16 years old. (Photo: CNA/Aik Chen)
Master Chung’s love for tailoring has never wavered.Even during his two years of NS, he continued to practice his skills at home. “I never gave up tailoring,” he quipped.
As a young man in the 1960s, Master Chung trained under one of Singapore’s most well-respected coat makers. He quickly realised how demanding the craft can be. “I worked very hard every day. There was no day and no night. If he didn’t stop [working], I also didn’t stop. If he worked until 12 [midnight], I also worked until 12,” he recalled.
To this, daughter Adele chimed in, “I also work until 12 now!”, prompting a chuckle from her father.
After training for about a year and a half, Master Chung began working as a freelance contractor for several tailor shops across Singapore. As orders poured in, he took on a few apprentices of his own to help with the growing workload. “One day, I thought about starting my own shop,” he recalled.
Meiko Tailor's first atelier located in Geylang Lorong 3, which opened in 1977. (Photo: Meiko Tailor)
Together with his wife, Master Chung opened Meiko Tailor’s first shop in 1977, located in Geylang Lorong 3. The story behind the name Meiko is a serendipitous one. “As a tailor shop, we make nice clothing for people. Therefore, I chose the first word ‘mei’, which means beauty. It’s also the name of my wife,” explained Master Chung.
To create a two-word name, the couple combined 'mei' with 'ke', meaning ‘reliable’, forming Mei Ke. Wanting a name that sounded more international, they eventually adapted it to Meiko. Coincidentally, a Japanese client later mentioned that a similar-sounding word in the language refers to a skilled artisan or craftsman – a fitting reflection of their dedication to the art of tailoring.
TAILORING SUCCESS
What sets Meiko Tailor’s suits apart is their use of the full canvas construction method. (Photo: VOTMO)
What sets Meiko apart from other tailors is its full-canvas construction method, a rarity in today’s industry, where many opt for fused suits to save on cost and time. Despite changing trends, Master Chung remains steadfast in his commitment to the traditional full-canvas approach, valuing craftsmanship and quality over convenience.
Each suit is also meticulously handcrafted by a single sewer from start to finish, minimising errors in construction. Meiko offers an extensive selection of imported fabrics from the finest mills, including Loro Piana, Carnet Loro Piana, Solbiati, Ermenegildo Zegna and more. Its clients range from diplomats to ministers and TV presenters.
When Geylang Lorong 3 was reclaimed by the government for redevelopment, Meiko Tailor moved to a new location in the heartlands of Hougang. It was there that Adele and her younger brother grew up, as the family lived in a unit above the shop.
Master Chung and his wife at the couple's Hougang shop in 1984. (Photo: Meiko Tailor)
For Adele, the family’s tailor shops have always been her playground. “When we were at Geylang, I made my own paper dolls from scraps of cloths. In Hougang, I would help out after school,” she recalled. While she started out with cashier duties, she eventually took measurements as she got older, learning the ropes from her mother.
During their years at Hougang, Master Chung made a suit for the then-purchasing director of Pan Pacific hotel. Impressed by the workmanship, the hotel executive offered him a new retail space within the hotel, an opportunity that would open the doors to a new clientele of tourists and business travellers.
“In my head, I always told myself to expand the business,” he recalled. The offer would mark a turning point for Meiko Tailor, transforming it from a heartland business into a name recognised beyond local circles. Meiko Tailor’s flagship at Pan Pacific Singapore opened in 1986 and continues to operate there today.
Meiko Tailor's flagship atelier at Pan Pacific Singapore, where it still operates today. (Photo: Meiko Tailor)
To split the workload, Master Chung’s wife took charge of managing the Hougang shop, while he focused on growing business at the Pan Pacific atelier. “It was a big challenge for me because I seldom spoke English,” Master Chung admitted.
Over the years, the couple opened three more tailor shops but eventually closed them down. The Hougang shop also latter shuttered to consolidate the business during tougher times.
SURVIVING THE TIDES OF CHANGE
Being in business since the 1970s, Meiko Tailor has weathered through decades of change and challenges – from the 1997 financial crisis to the SARS outbreak in 2003, and more recently, the COVID-19 pandemic of 2020.
While the 1980s marked a golden age of tailoring, the 1990s saw the rise of fast fashion which inadvertently reshaped the buying habits of consumers. The subsequent e-commerce boom of the 2000s further transformed the retail landscape, with convenience and speed taking precedence over craftsmanship.
A young Master Chung at work at his first shop on Geylang Lorong 3. (Photo: Meiko Tailor)
To supplement the low demand for bespoke suits, Meiko Tailor diversified into made-to-measure services, offering a selection of ready-made suit sets that customers could buy off the racks.
“I saw how hard my parents worked [to keep the business afloat] – to the extent that we would sometimes hear them fighting. Even at 12 midnight, they were still sewing, still cutting,” Adele recounted.
“We went through a lot of losses, but my parents never uttered a single thing to my brother and I,” she continued. For the siblings, life went on as normal. “We had meals on the table every day and a roof over our heads.”
‘NOT A KAMPUNG TAILOR’
Witnessing first-hand the struggles her parents faced both in tailoring and running a business, Adele confessed that “it never, never, never crossed my mind to take over the family business.”
In fact, there was no pressure from her parents to do so. “They always told us to do whatever we wanted in life – as long as it was a dream we wanted to pursue and something that made us happy.”
It was an innocent question from Adele’s young niece that changed her perspective. “At five years old, during a family lunch, she asked her grandfather, ‘Gong gong, how many customers did you have today?’” Adele recalled. “I asked her why she asked that, and she said, ‘Because I seldom see gong gong at home.’”
As a second-generation leader, Adele brings fresh perspectives to the business. (Photo: CNA/Aik Chen)
That simple question made Adele realise that her father wasn’t getting any younger and that it was time for her to step in and help with the business. Naturally, she had her own fears and worries. “The biggest apprehension was the fear of disappointing my family,” she said. “In a corporate job, if I don’t do well, I can always change to another job. But in a family business, I can’t fail – there are eight, 10, 12 mouths to feed.”
As a second-generation leader, Adele brings fresh perspectives to the business, reimagining the time-honoured craft of bespoke tailoring for a new generation.
Once, while reading through reviews of the company, Adele chanced upon one that described Master Chung as a “kampung tailor”. “I felt so insulted,” she confessed. Though she couldn’t be entirely sure what the reviewer meant, it likely implied that Meiko is a “traditional” tailor, Adele concluded. “But I can definitely say my dad is not a kampung tailor,” she insisted. “If you ask him to try a new design, he can figure out straight away how to engineer the cut just by looking at a picture. A kampung tailor won’t be able to do that, and he won’t be resting on his laurels.”
As Adele puts it succinctly: “We are a heritage tailor, not an old tailor.”
A DAUGHTER’S TOUCH
Meiko Tailor's atelier in Boat Quay. (Photo: Meiko Tailor)
In the span of seven years since she joined the family business, Adele has made her own mark on the company. Drawing on her expertise and understanding of women’s bodies, she has expanded Meiko’s clientele to include more female customers. In fact, one of Meiko’s current specialities is suit dresses for women.
As part of its rebranding efforts, Meiko Tailor opened a new atelier in Boat Quay in June this year. Beyond serving its growing female clientele, Adele envisions the space as a hub for creative collaborations with local brands and makers.
The atelier’s launch coincided with the debut of Uncommon Hem, a sub-brand of Meiko Tailor spearheaded by Adele. Uncommon Hem offers a fashion-forward, edgier alternative to traditional bespoke tailoring, with sustainability at its heart. The brand repurposes surplus luxury fabrics to create everything from striking contemporary qipao tops to bespoke casual menswear and couture-inspired statement pieces.
Uncommon Hem offers a more fashion-forward alternative to traditional bespoke tailoring, repurposing surplus luxury fabrics to create everything from striking contemporary qipao tops to couture-inspired statement pieces. (Photo: Meiko Tailor)
“Since I joined the family business, it now has a different life,” said Adele. “Meiko Tailor is a bespoke tailoring house that stands very firmly on traditional values and respecting the art of bespoke tailoring. But I want to infuse that with innovation, creativity and a design element that has a slice of me as the second generation.”
While Adele admits to sometimes clashing with her father, he has always supported her ideas. For instance, when Adele designed a patchwork blazer from leftover denim for a fashion runway organised by UltraLuxe in 2024, her father initially had his reservations. “He has a very traditional Chinese mentality that patchwork looks like you don’t have money to buy clothes. To him, as tailors, we should make fresh clothes from a fresh bill of cloth,” she explained.
A patchwork blazer Adele designed for a fashion runway organised by UltraLuxe in 2024, which Master Chung helped to complete. (Photo: VOTMO)
Still, Master Chung spent three days and three nights helping Adele complete the patching on a mannequin. “In a small space like this, a few tiffs are bound to happen. But at the end of the day, there’s no overnight angst. [We do this] for the love of our family. [I do it] for the love of my dad, and [he does it] for his love for me,” she shared.
CRAFTING A LEGACY
As for Master Chung, despite being in his late 70s, he has no plans of slowing down, describing his work as his “first love”. “It's the very skill that allowed me to start this business and build my family,” he said. “I will keep going as long as my mind and body allow, until my eyes can’t see. As long as our customers still appreciate my work, I'll continue.”
“If I retire, what will I do? Sit there and watch the walls? How much travelling can I do?” he mused.
Even at 76, Master Chung has no plans to retire. Instead, he believes he is "still learning". (Photo: VOTMO)
And even in his golden years, Master Chung believes he is “still learning, because fashion never ends”. His humble dream is simple yet profound: “I hope many Singaporeans have Meiko Tailor suits in their wardrobe.”
And in every piece of Meiko garment, there is a sense of legacy stitched into every seam, a quiet thread that binds the past to the present. It’s a legacy that both father and daughter hope will continue to grow with every generation that walks through the doors of their ateliers.
“We have already been serving the first and second generation of customers, and have only begun to touch the third generation. But what about the fourth and fifth generation to come? That’s really the legacy that I want to build,” said Adele.
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