Broadcast Date:
Tuesday February 12, 2008 at 7pm and 10pm ET/PT on CBC Newsworld - The Lens
A naïve apprentice and a hot, young master tailor are both interested in taking over a legendary tailor shop in Vancouver's Chinatown, but they'll have a hard time convincing the hard-working Wong brothers to retire.
The Globe and Mail declared:
"One of the sweetest, most tender docs in years, Tailor Made is more than just a record of the closing of a long-time Vancouver landmark business. It's a beautifully fashioned story of passion, tradition, family and letting go."
Eighteen months ago I stumbled into a project, a documentary commissioned by the CBC and being produced by Realize Entertainment depicting the story of the Wong brothers and the legacy of their tailor shop.
Jack and Bill Wong took over their father’s tailor shop in the 40’s. Modernize Tailors has been operating in Vancouver’s Chinatown for close to 100 years. Finding the Wong brothers now both in their 80’s, their search for a heir to their legacy has proven to be a impossible task.
J J Lee, a Vancouver based fashion reporter and talented architect had no desire to see this legacy disappear, offered to try his hand in the business. Raising a young family while learning new skills and taking over a business all added to the challenge.
I had developed a relationship with Bill and Jack. Being at a similar age to when Bill had stepped into his father’s business. Bill could see me in his position 50 years from now.
Link to CBC
http://www.cbc.ca/thelens/program_120208.html
Link to Realize Entertainment
http://www.marsentertainment.ca/documentary/index.html
Link to Modernize Tailors
http://www.modernizetailors.blogspot.com/
Link to J J Lee
http://vancouverbydesign.blogspot.com/
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