Due to the heterogeneous nature of laowai body builds, buying clothing can be somewhat difficult for expats in China. One of the solutions is to go to an upscale shopping centre and find some of the foreign-name brands, and swallow the extra cost. However, a much better option is to try getting some tailored clothes, at the fraction of the price. In particular, suits, shirts and other professional-looking attire can be bought very cheaply, fitting perfectly and in exactly the style you want.

One of the particular advantages of this in Guangzhou is you can choose a light, airy material in order to remain comfortable in the heat and the long trousers will even keep off the mosquitoes. Or if you aren’t required to wear a suit here, you can always send a few home for job interviews upon your return. Either way, there’s a variety of places for you to go to find exactly what you are looking for.

1) Sun-Yat Sen University (Zhongda) Fabric Market 广州国际纺织城View In Map
A sight worth seeing even if you don’t want to get clothes made, Zhongda Fabric Market is a sartorial bazaar of cottons, linens, laces, felts and every other material under the sun. If you have time to browse, you could even pick out the very buttons you want to put on your suits and shirts. However, it is really vast, so head straight to the indoor shopping centres to locate some suit/shirt materials and one of the many tailors. Some of the fabric shops in the outdoor market can be much cheaper, but they often only sell in wholesale amounts, so you may have to ask for a ‘sample’ and then take it to a tailor yourself.

Add: 144 Xingang Lu, Haizhu District, Guangzhou
地址：广州市海珠区新港路144号
Opening hours: 9:00-19:30
Getting there: Take Metro Line 8 to Sun Yat-Sen University station, Exit D. Alternatively, take any one of the following bus lines to Sun Yat-Sen University stop: 69, 80, 188, 206, 208, 211, 226, 250, 263, 264, 270, 565

2) Haiyin Fabric Market 海印布艺城View In Map
Haiyin is much smaller and easier to navigate than Zhongda. Located mainly in one building, you can find tailors, fabric vendors and often a combination of the two. It is much cleaner and Western-friendly compared to some parts of Zhongda, but has a slightly increased price tag to match. Generally the quality can be much higher and you may be able to spot a few photos of happy Western customers dotted around in a few of the shops.

Add: 1-4/F, Haiyin Building, 429 Yanjiang Dong Lu, Haizhu District, Guangzhou
地址：广州海珠区沿江东路429号海印大厦
Opening hours: 10:00-18:00
Getting there: take bus No. 36,57,80,89,128,131b,184,192,194,208,211,229,247,546 or 864 to Dashatou stop 

3) Shangxiajiu Pedestrian Street 上下九步行街View In Map
Shangxiajiu is a very stereotypical clothing and accessories area, full of tiny little stalls to explore, large variations in price and crowded on weekends. Down the main street you are unlikely to find many tailors (though you may find some nice pre-made suits and shirts), but head down many of the side streets and you will see shops proudly displaying an array of materials from which to make your clothes. With so many around and relatively few expats going there, you should make sure to do some good price comparison though!

Add: Shangxiajiu Pedestrian Street, Haizhu District, Guangzhou
地址：广州海珠区上下九步行街
Getting there: take bus No.530 to Shangxiajiu Pedestrian Street stop

4) Upmarket options
In places like Zhujiang New Town, you can find specific shops specialising in making suits and shirts for high-flying businessmen. Though you will definitely pay a higher price, if you have the cash to spare then you can guarantee better service and better quality, for a suit that will really last. IWODE and Kwun Kee Tailor are two such shops, handily located next to each other on Huali Lu. They even have some staff who speak English, so you can be sure you are getting exactly what you want.

IWODEView In Map
Add: 131-27 Huali Lu, Zhujiang New Town, Guangzhou (opp. Guomen Hotel)
地址：广州市珠江新城华利路27号131号铺(国门酒店斜对面)
Tel: 020 85162636
Opening hours: 10:00-22:00
Website: www.iwode.com

Kwun Kee TailorView In Map
Add: 683-27 Huali Lu, Zhujiang New Town, Guangzhou (opp. Guomen Hotel)
地址：广州市珠江新城华利路27号683号铺(国门酒店斜对面)
Tel: 020 85162103 / 13501483788
Opening hours: 10:30-21:30

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Keywords: tailor made clothes Guangzhou tailoring in Guangzhou Guangzhou clothes shopping buying suits in Guangzhou