Ling (left) receives the award from Federation of Malaysia Chinese Guilds Association president Datuk Senator Chai Kim Sen. Also seen is Wee.
SIBU: Award-winning tailor Ling Ee Ching, 45, has received the Malaysian Golden Enterprise Award (MGEA) in the tailor category — the first person to do so.
Unlike his previous awards, which were for creativity, this latest accolade recognises the hard work he has put in since venturing into the industry.
Ling was among 19 others from different fields who received the award on Feb 7 during the second MGEA in Kuala Lumpur.
Organised by the Federation of Malaysia Chinese Guilds Association and China Press, MGEA recognises and encourages young entrepreneurs to expand their businesses.
Ling entered the competition following a recommendation from Advancement of Malaysian Entrepreneurs (SAME) secretariat CEO Neil Foo.
“Foo knew about my achievements; the competitions I had entered and the awards received and so recommended me to enter,” he said.
“It feels so good to have won something. For me it is an inspiration to enhance my tailoring skills and to give better services to my clients.”
Over six consecutive years of participating in tailoring competitions, Ling has won more than 10 awards including gold, silver, and bronze in Malaysia and globally.
The awards include gold during the 34th World Congress Of Masters Tailors in Rome (creative category) in 2011; bronze for the cutting competition award during the 24th Congress of Federation of Asian Master Tailors in Singapore in 2012; and bronze in the Golden Needle and Golden Thread of the 35th World Federation of Master Tailors International in Korea in 2013.
In 2013, he won gold in the cutting category of the 13th National Congress of the Federation of Tailors Guilds Malaysia in Negeri Sembilan, as well as gold and silver for the creativity category and bronze for the office wear category.
Last July, Ling won bronze in the creative category during the 25th Congress of the Federation of Asian Master Tailors in Kobe, Japan.
Ling, who runs a small shop at Bank Road, has customers from all over the country including Minister in the Prime Minister’s Department Datuk Dr Wee Ka Siong.
“I always set a limit on how many clothes I will tailor because I want quality not quantity,” he said.
Ling is now looking forward to competing in August’s World Federation of Master Tailors International in Finland.
“I really hope the government can sponsor tailors for the various competitions,” he said.
“I cannot afford the trip on my own, so I have to ask for some sponsorship and the rest of the expenses I have to fork out from my savings.”