December orders checklist for Nigerian tailors: stay on top of the rush

For tailors and fashion designers in Nigeria · 9 minute read

Search for aso-ebi and you will find style pictures for guests. This page is for the person who has to sew them. It is a plain checklist for the busiest weeks of your year, from counting what you can finish to the day a customer collects the outfit.

Use it now, in early November, before the rush starts. If the rush has already started, begin from the first step anyway. It is never too late to put some order into the work.

Why December breaks tailors

The pattern is the same every year. Orders come from weddings, owambe, Christmas, church events and family gatherings. A tailor says yes to everyone, because December is when the money is. Deposits are small or missing. Dates are vague. Measurements sit in three notebooks and a phone. Then in the second week of December the work is more than the hours, customers start calling, and someone ends up without an outfit on the day.

None of that is bad luck. It comes from not counting, not writing down, and not saying no. The steps below fix each one.

Step 1: Count what you can really finish

Do this before you accept another order.

1. Count the hours you can truly work in one week. Not the hours you wish you had. Remove market trips, church, power cuts and the days your helper is away.
2. Write how many hours a plain outfit takes, and how many a heavy one takes. If you have not tracked it, use your last two or three orders.
3. Divide your weekly hours by the hours per outfit. That is outfits per week.
4. Multiply by the number of weeks left before your last collection day.
5. Take some off for fittings, corrections and surprises. Something always goes wrong in December.

The number you get is your real limit, and it is usually smaller than you hoped. It is better to learn it now than on 20 December. To be sure each outfit still makes money at that pace, read how to price your sewing work.

Step 2: Set a cut-off date and announce it

A cut-off date is the last day you will accept a new order for the season. After it, the answer is polite and firm: the books are full. Count back from your last collection day, and leave the final stretch for fittings and corrections, with no new cloth coming in.

Then tell people. Put it on your WhatsApp status, send it to your broadcast list of past customers, and write it on a note in your shop. Two messages you can copy:

• Hello [Name]! This is [Shop name]. We are now taking December orders. To make sure every outfit is ready on time, our last day for new orders is [cut-off date]. Please send your style and fabric early so we can book your slot.
• Good morning [Name]. A quick notice from [Shop name]: new December orders close on [cut-off date]. After that we will only finish the orders already booked. Reply to this message if you would like a slot.

Step 3: Deposit and payment rules

In a busy season a booking without a deposit is a wish, not an order. Many tailors ask for a deposit before cutting, because once the cloth is cut it cannot go back, and a slot given to someone who never returns is a slot lost to someone who would have paid. There is no single standard amount. Choose a rule, such as enough to cover your materials plus part of the labour, and apply it to everyone.

Ask for the fabric early too, so you are not waiting for it while the days pass. If you charge a rush fee for short deadlines, say so before you accept. Write the total, deposit, balance and due date on the receipt the same day.

• Hello [Name], thank you for choosing [Shop name]. To confirm your slot for [date], please send the deposit of [amount] and bring your fabric by [date]. Your slot is confirmed once the deposit comes.

Step 4: Give a collection date earlier than the event

Never promise “Friday” or “next week”. A day name means different things to you and to the customer, and everyone forgets. Give a real date and write it on the receipt. Example only: for a wedding on 24 December 2026, Funke Adeyemi’s gown at Adunni Couture could have a collection date of 18 December 2026.

Make that date a few days before the event, not on the day. This leaves room for a last adjustment or a small mistake. A customer who collects early is happy. A customer who collects an hour before the party is stressed, and so are you.

Step 5: Run an aso-ebi order with one tracker

If you are new to the word: aso-ebi is the matching outfit that a group of family or friends wear to an event. For you it means ten or twenty outfits from one person who organises the group. It is good business, and it is where things go wrong, because one list becomes many opinions.

1. Ask for one organiser. One person is your contact for the whole group. You do not want twenty separate chats.
2. Agree the details first. The style, who supplies the fabric, how much fabric each outfit needs, and the collection date.
3. Collect measurements early, not in the last week. Our guide on how to take body measurements for sewing will help you do it properly.
4. Collect deposits early. No deposit, no slot. Tell the organiser this before you start.
5. Set one deadline for the list. After that date, new names go in only if you have room.

Keep one list, with one row per person. This is the layout. The names, numbers and amounts are made up for the example.

With thirty people, a list like this is the only way to know in a minute who has paid, who is missing fabric and who has not come. Send the organiser a reminder when a name is missing or unpaid:

• Hello [Name], thank you for coordinating. Three names on the list still have no deposit, and two are missing measurements. To keep the collection date of [date], please send them to me by [date].

Step 6: Fittings and measurement records

Lost or doubtful measurements cause most late corrections. Write every measurement down once, in inches, beside the customer’s name and the garment, and add a note for anything unusual, such as one shoulder lower than the other. For repeat customers, check last year’s record before you measure again, then note any change. Book fitting times, not “come anytime”, so your hands are not interrupted all day.

Step 7: A weekly production board

Once the orders are in, keep a simple board on a wall or a page, with four columns: Cut, Sewing, Finishing and Ready. Every outfit sits in one column. Move it when it moves. Each Monday, do this:

• List everything due in the next 7 days, by date.
• Check what is overdue. Late work needs attention first.
• Check fabric and notions for next week’s orders. Chase what is missing today.
• Book fittings for the week.
• Do the hard job early. Heavy beading or lace before you are tired.
• Rest. A tired tailor cuts wrong. Plan one slow day.

Step 8: Delivery week

This is when balances are collected, so be ready. When an outfit moves to Ready, tell the customer the same day. Say what is left to pay and when you are open. If a balance is late, our polite payment reminder messages give you the words.

• Good news, [Name]! Your outfit is ready at [Shop name]. The balance is [amount], paid before collection. Please come for a final try-on on [date]. Account: [Bank], [Account number], [Account name].
• Hello [Name], a reminder that your collection date is [date]. Your balance of [amount] is due before you take the outfit. Let me know what time you will come.

To keep customers updated without long chats, tell them the milestones once when you accept the order (fitting, ready, collection). After that, send one short line per milestone, such as “Your outfit is at the fitting stage.” Tell people when you answer messages, and keep to it.

How to say no politely when you are full

Saying no is hard, especially to a good customer. But one order too many hurts every customer you already have. Say it early and kindly.

• Hello [Name], thank you so much for thinking of [Shop name]. Our December slots are now full, so I cannot promise your outfit on time. I would rather tell you now than disappoint you later. Please check with us again in January.
• Hello [Name], I would love to sew this for you, but I am fully booked until after [cut-off date]. If your date is before then, it is better to book another tailor. If you can wait, I will be happy to take it.

After Christmas: review, thank-you and January prices

When the rush is over, take one evening to look back. How many outfits did you finish, and how many were late? Which styles took longer than you thought? Who paid on time, and who needed many reminders? Did your cut-off date work, or should it be earlier next year? Write your answers in one place, so next November you start from what you learned.

Then send a short thank-you to your best customers. In January, check your costs and update your price list.

• Happy new year, [Name]! Thank you for letting [Shop name] sew for you in December. We hope you enjoyed your outfit, and we look forward to dressing you again.

The dated timeline, October to January

One-page checklist

• ☐ I know my outfits per week and my last collection day.
• ☐ My cut-off date is chosen and announced.
• ☐ Every order has a deposit, fabric and a written collection date.
• ☐ Each aso-ebi group has one organiser and one tracker.
• ☐ Every client has measurements written in inches.
• ☐ My weekly board is up and I check it every Monday.
• ☐ My “fully booked” message is ready to send.
• ☐ I have a plan for balances in delivery week.

Questions tailors ask about December

When should I stop taking December orders?

Work backwards from your last collection day and leave enough weeks for sewing, fittings and corrections. Your capacity count tells you the date. Announce it early so customers can plan.

How much deposit should I collect?

There is no standard. Many tailors ask for enough to cover materials and part of the labour. Pick a rule, tell every customer the same thing, and write it on the receipt.

How do I handle aso-ebi for 30 people?

Work through one organiser and one tracker with name, phone, measurements, fabric, deposit, balance and due date. Set a deadline for the list, collect measurements and deposits early, and agree one collection date for the group.

How do I avoid late delivery disputes?

Write a real collection date on the receipt, not a day name. Give a date earlier than the event, and say what happens if the customer is late for fittings.

Should I charge for rush jobs?

Yes, if a short deadline means you push other orders aside. State the rush fee before you accept the job, never after.

What is the busiest time for tailors?

Many tailors find the last months of the year are the busiest, with weddings, parties and Christmas together. Your own order book will show you the pattern for your town.

What is aso-ebi?

It is the matching cloth or outfit that family and friends wear together at an event. For a tailor, an aso-ebi order is one job with many customers.