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International Business Times
International Business Times
World

'My Entire Life': Saudi Tailor Keeps Robe-making Craft Alive

Saudi tailor Habib Mohammed has been turning out high-end cloaks all his working life, but now the 60-year-old struggles to make a profit in the face of competition from China. (Credit: AFP)

Saudi tailor Habib Mohammed's shop once made ornate, hand-woven cloaks for royals, a time-honoured craft he is determined to preserve even as mass-produced garments flood the market, threatening his traditional business.

He makes "bisht", a long gown which for centuries has been a status symbol, worn by kings and princes -- and ordinary men -- and could take a week of meticulous work to create.

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