How one Utah seamstress is dealing with the tailor shortage

Tailors are facing a significant decline in the U.S. According to the Bureau of Labor Statistics, the number of tailors, dressmakers, and custom sewers in the country fell to less than 17,000 in 2024 — 20% lower than it was a decade prior. Part of the shortage stems from the fact that many tailors are aging out of the workforce, with no one to replace them.

Daisy Camarena runs an alteration shop called D’Fifth Rose in Salt Lake City, Utah. She said while there’s a shortage of tailors, there is not a shortage of demand.

“The demand of clothes and alteration, the number of people who want to feel and look good is increasing … Summer is here, and summer is a lot,” Camarena said.

Click the audio player above to hear her story.