W.W.Chan Shanghai closed its open in 2025, it was a big surprise then as they still had loyal customers. However, when the owner, ancestor of the founder decided to quit, the shop was gone forever. Luckily, the head cutter BAO Ronghai opened his own shop Tailor Bao, and his student opened Bill & Tailor, so for everyone who wants to taste W.W.Chan style, it is still possible.
The below experience happened in 2023.
There are so many top-level custom-made shops in China, such as BRIO, Lancer, Stile Renaissance, LiiYuan, and independent tailors Zhang Xiao and Solari. Before coming out, when it comes to custom-made shops in China, the number one brand can only be W.W.Chan This Hong Kong-based custom-made store is also the top brand of an old-fashioned custom-made store in Hong Kong, and the Shanghai store has a history of many years. There used to be a store in Chengdu.
Patrick Chu, the manager of W.W.Chan’s Hong Kong store, and Fu Ronghai, the master of W.W.Chan’s Shanghai store, are considered to be the strongest masters in China. Although a boss, sharing a signboard, even grew up in W.W.Chan’s Hong Kong store, their styles are different. Patrick is more modern and absorbs a lot of relaxed elements, while master Bao is rooted in traditional tailoring.
This shop on Maoming South Road has received a considerable amount of exposure in various media, but as an enthusiast, I came to this shop only for one person, that is Master Bao.
Chen Jia’s shop is not a deep shape, but basically a horizontal rectangle. Just came in, it’s a big table, it should be here to communicate and place orders. On the left hand side, it is where the materials are, that is, where the fabrics are selected. On the right hand side, it is the place where mirrors from all angles try on.
W.W.Chan’s division of labor is quite strange. Generally speaking, the Front of house, which can be called a consultant or a receptionist, should take you to choose styles and fabrics. Then there is the head cutter, that is, the role of master Bao, who is responsible for measuring and fitting. I don’t know because I have been here several times, and I have an appointment with Master Bao. From beginning to end, I just talked with Master Bao. But I heard that the average guest enters the store, if not already receiving guests, master Bao is also the main force.
It is such a difference that it is the biggest experience of coming to the Chen family for consumption, or pleasure.
Master Bao has almost retired and made a wish. After retirement, he can train more practitioners for this industry. Therefore, such an important shopping guide post, in his hands, is more like a sermon. From beginning to end, you won’t hear him say what kind of clothes are suitable, what style, what fabric and what color to buy, and you won’t comment on the quality of your clothes. He will only use his own clothes to explain to you what the clothes that fit should be like, what are the characteristics of good clothes, good-looking clothes and what elements are at work.
There is no pressure, except that if you don’t place an order, you will feel that you have lost him (this word, I almost blurted it out to him), haha.
Master Bao’s size also shocked me. I won’t talk about a lot of data. What’s even more amazing is that he reports data directly with his eyes. This is of course due to experience, but from the consumer experience, whoa!
Then, he told me to try the wool sample on the third day.
Day 3? This is probably another core selling point of the Chen family. I’m never in a hurry about clothes, but I’ve also met many people who feel unbearable waiting.
Try it on the third day. What do you think of the fitting? It’s not suitable there. Change it, right?
But it’s different with Master Bao, who is always teaching how to see whether clothes fit or not, and his experience on himself may be more intuitive than that of Master Bao explaining with his own clothes (because people always care about themselves the most).
For example, this time, he showed me the length of clothes, which is more a personal preference, and the actual beauty was directly compared.
The length on the left is master Bao’s original, and the length on the right is to try a shorter situation that is more acceptable at present. The change is not big, and it will also ensure that the back ass is not exposed. Obviously, the more traditional length has a better proportion, which also makes people look more slender.
The other is the height and angle of the barge head. The line where the collar and the barge head are combined, the visual extension (three-dimensional, not to say drawing a straight line) will reach your face. If it is too high, it will reach the queen mother and the ear. Too low, it is the mandible. It’s better to go to the cheekbones to make the face look more three-dimensional. Master Bao said that these are all things handed down by the old master, and they are antiques that many people don’t know and despise, but there are obvious reasons.
Pants also talked a lot, but I didn’t listen to anything, but my friend who came with me, because he sat in the back and saw the whole process, said he thought he wanted to throw away all his pants.
I haven’t got the finished product yet, but it doesn’t seem that important.
When I was leaving, a young couple came in. The woman enthusiastically said, Master Bao, make another suit for my boyfriend.
