IT wasn't too long ago that Josephine Ng and her husband KC had things all sewn up. After the world's top marketing services company acquired the couple's own marketing firm in 2001, they retired early, packed their suitcases and went globetrotting. The grand plan was to spend the rest of their lives doing just that - then the creative bug bit back with a vengeance and they found themselves itching to unpick the stitches. Literally.

During a social entrepreneurship and philanthropy event last year, the Ngs learned from a friend who was involved in social work that single mothers in Singapore receive limited help and support. So they decided to do something to 'address the challenges of single mothers in need and come up with possible solutions to such challenges', says Mrs Ng.

The upshot of that is Alteration Initiative, a slickly designed clothing alteration store at Dhoby Ghaut that opened in January and does away with the traditional alteration shop concept. Which means there's a) no hole-in-the-wall storefront; b) no little old lady crouched over an equally ancient Singer within; and c) no laundry services offered on the side - the shop is dedicated purely to providing quality alteration services. More significantly, it's a social enterprise that hires and trains women in need to staff it.

Says Mrs Ng: 'There are a lot of single mothers out there who are on welfare and maybe haven't been able to find a job for years because they can't get one that is flexible enough to allow them to look after their children at the same time. We work with voluntary welfare organisations such as CDAC, the NTUC WDS group and PPIS As-Salaam to select those who have the aptitude and attitude that's needed, then train them, employ them and pay them fairly. We also try and structure our work in such a way that they can work and yet look after their kids.'

It's a 'hands-up, not a hand-out, approach', she emphasises, because 'we want to help people committed to making a difference in their own lives'. Currently, Alteration Initiative employs 10 women, seven of whom are beneficiaries. The others are experienced seamstresses who, together with a training consultant, provide coaching to those learning the ropes.

The concept is working so well that the company is setting up another store called Haute Alteration Initiative next month at Mandarin Gallery. Led by a woman formerly from a top-end bridal atelier here, it will focus on high-fashion pieces and 'more challenging' jobs, as well as give seamstresses from the first shop the opportunity for career progression.

And there's already demand. 'We're getting a lot more working professionals bringing in the big brands for us to alter because they're disappointed with the alteration service provided by the brands themselves,' shares Mrs Ng. 'For example, one brand turned away a customer who wanted the excess fabric at the back of her dress taken in because they said it couldn't be done. She brought it here and one of our senior seamstresses took a look at it and said it would take a lot of work, but it was possible. So we did it for her.'

Another client started off by bringing in a pair of pants for Mrs Ng's team to alter and was so pleased with the result that he subsequently sent in 20 Armani shirts followed by six suits.

The reason there's a difference in the nipping and tucking here? Aside from it being a comfortable experience - there's a very spacious fitting room complete with satin automatic drapes, for example - 'we do it like it's tailoring', states Mrs Ng. 'We have a table for drafting; we unpick the whole piece and do it again so it's properly balanced; we hang it on mannequins to judge the fit. We are trying to establish that branding for ourselves through a commitment to quality.'

That commitment is supported chiefly by the fact that Mrs Ng and her husband, unlike the much of the sewing industry, don't pay their workers piecemeal. ('Some of my workers who used to work in garment factories told me that they were paid $12 for a pair of pants that took five hours to sew,' says Mrs Ng. 'How do you sustain a family on that?') Instead, the women here receive wages of about $8 to $9 an hour, and they are free to take the whole day to do a job if need be, so they can 'properly explore how to fix the problem'. Explains Mrs Ng: 'They should not be worried about timing but quality, no matter how much we charge the customer.' Prices start from $20 for a shortening job.

Very soon down the road, the Ngs will set up a back-end space which they will use to complement their in-store operations. 'Most of the malls haven't been receptive towards us - they keep giving us basement spaces and asking us to throw in laundry services; I think the word 'alteration' triggers alarm bells in their heads!' says Mrs Ng. 'So we're looking at flatted factories in a central location. Then we'll have more capacity to do what we want to do - that is, become more sustainable so we can reach out and support more people.'

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