Meet Mehdi Hasan Tailors, The Men Behind Dressing Presidents, Ministers, Judges And Actors In Sherwanis

Fashion design may have taken quite a glamourous turn now, but for Mehdi Hasan Tailors, real fashion lies in the bespoke craftsmanship that goes into creating a sherwani. A family-run enterprise in Aligarh, Mehdi Hasan Tailors is best known for making Sherwani for prominent men of India since 1947. Yep, Presidents and Prime Ministers included!The Mehdis came into being in 1947, at Tasveer Mahal, Aligarh. While their original idea was to preserve and promote the culture of ‘Sherwani’ aka the Royal attire, their passion for stitching became the sole reason behind their international fame.These skilled tailors and craftspeople of Aligarh have generously contributed to Indian men's fashion, lending the name 'Aligarh' to the relaxed fit straight-leg kurta-pajama in order to acknowledge its place of origin. A far cry from the glitz and glamour of Bollywood designers, these men have been quietly creating trends for the modern Indian man, and dressing some of the most important men in India in their attire.

Their clientele has been so extensive, its almost shocking the number of VIP men they have dressed. As per their official website, these skilled men are responsible for dressing the likes of Presidents Dr. Abul Kalam, Pranab Mukherjee, Shri Ram Nath Govind, Dr. Fakhruddin Ali Ahmad, Dr. Zakir Hussain, Shri V. V. Giri and Shri Neelam Sanjeeva Reddy. They have also made garments for Prime Minister Manmohan Singh, as well as for several Chief Ministers, members of the Parliament and Supreme Court judges. Of course, Bollywood has been keen on experimenting with their clothes too, with Saif Ali Khan, Javed Akhtar, Raj Babbar and Majrooh Sultanpuri all having worn their sherwanis and kurtas at some point. It is known that Mehdi Hasan of Aligarh stitched 175 sherwanis for former president Zakir Hussain, who donned these in all his 17 years of political life.