Why it is on the list
CYC was founded in 1935 by two Shanghainese tailors, Chiang Yick Ching and his wife Foo Ah Neok, and built its name on Swiss fused collars sewn with Shanghainese technique.1 Lee Kuan Yew had his shirts made here, and several from the 1970s are kept in the house archive.2 The founder's granddaughter, Fong Loo Fern, runs it now; in the 1990s she cut it back from ten shops to garments made for one person at a time.2 The shirts are drafted and sewn in-house by about 20 pattern drafters and seamstresses, some with more than 40 years at the firm, from cloth kept in stock, Thomas Mason cottons among it.2 Every detail is chosen at the fitting: cloth, collar, cuffs and buttons.3
It is a shirtmaker, not a suit tailor: for a bespoke suit, go to Kevin Seah. It also needs time in the city, since the shirt is tried on in the shop before it is handed over.3
How to get it
Book a fitting through the shirt tailoring page or call the shop on 6336 3556; it is open every day from 11am to 8pm.45 At the first appointment the cloth is chosen and the measurements taken; sewing takes two to three weeks, a text message says when the shirt is ready, and it is tried on at the shop in Capitol Singapore.3 Allow three to four weeks from the first visit.3 Shirts start from $200.3
Discretion
Fittings are by appointment, in the shop in the 1930s Capitol Theatre complex, beside the Supreme Court and Parliament House.325
Sources
- CYC Tailors – Heritage & Craft Since 1935. cyctailor.com, read 25 September 2026.
- CYC Singapore: Equatorial Sartorialism. thomasmason.co.uk, read 25 September 2026.
- Custom Tailored Shirts - Handcrafted Elegance in Singapore. cyctailor.com, read 25 September 2026.
- Shirt Tailoring. cyctailor.com, read 25 September 2026.
- CYC Store Locator – Tailor Near You. cyctailor.com, read 25 September 2026.
Last checked 25 September 2026, against the venue's own pages. The next check is due by 25 October 2026.