Family tailoring legacy finds a home in Bethlehem

In his green plaid suit and black-framed glasses, Edwing Joseph makes people feel like their most authentic selves, which he said is the most rewarding part of his job at his tailor shop. 

As the owner of Edwing Joseph & Sons, Edwing Joseph prides himself on keeping family at the heart of his company’s values.

Located on Linden Street on the North Side of Bethlehem, the shop tailors clothes from jeans to suits. But the family-owned storefront is rooted in a tradition that began in 1985, when Edgard Joseph — Edwing Joseph’s father — opened a tailor shop in Haiti. 

Edwing Joseph said he lived in Haiti until he was nine years old, learning from his father everything there was to know about the tailor business.

After being held at gunpoint and living in an unsafe area in Haiti, his family decided it was best for him to move to the United States for a safer life. 

While his family stayed in Haiti, Edwing Joseph moved in with his aunt, uncle and cousins in Hackensack, New Jersey. He then had to learn how to adjust to his new life at a new school, all while familiarizing himself with the English language. 

After going to middle school and high school in New Jersey, he studied business management at Bergen Community College. 

When he realized he wanted to open his own business, Edwing Joseph decided he was going to learn how to do it himself.

“I went on my own route and was like, ‘I’m going to learn from other business people and find work,’ ” he said. 

Edwing Joseph then worked for a company in Hackensack that made and sold uniforms, where he learned how to do alterations on police uniforms. 

Once he had more hands-on tailoring experience, Edwing Joseph was invited to sell T-shirts with a friend in Pennsylvania. Because he liked the area and the people, he decided it was time to start his own business. 

He started handing out flyers and knocking on doors in the Lehigh Valley, gaining enough traction to open a showroom on Airport Road. After trying out a few different locations, his tailor shop in Bethlehem on Linden Street was the one that stuck in 2014.

Edwing Joseph said the tailor shop’s name was originally “Gagoute,”  French for “gentlemen, attire and taste.”  He decided to change it to Edwing Joseph & Sons because he wanted his children to be involved in his business, just as he learned tailoring from his father as a child. 

“I heard you shouldn’t have your kid in the business,” he said. “And ever since that day, I don’t want no one ever telling me that my son cannot be here.”

Growing up, Edwing Joseph said he would watch his father work and tailor suits for the Haitian Government and the United Nations. He said he remembered customers would light up when his dad would tailor their clothes, and he wants the same experience for his children. 

“I brought my sons here the other day, and I see them sitting there watching me,” Edwing  Joseph said. “I’m like, ‘Wow, they’re going to do the same thing soon.’”

Now, Edwing Joseph works alongside his father, Edgard Joseph, who got his United States residency about two years ago. 

Since the business is growing, Edwing Joseph said his father’s assistance has been a huge help in making and tailoring custom suits. 

Edgard Joseph said he is very proud and happy to work with his son again. 

“He took this from my blood and now he is doing the same thing that I used to do,” Edgard Joseph said. 

With the lack of tailors and seamstresses in the area, Edwing Joseph said the community has turned to Edwing Joseph & Sons for their services. 

Edgard Joseph said while he wants the business to grow, he also wants to focus on hiring extra help to service their current clientele.

Kornelia Hayes, ‘26, said she was in need of a tailor for her jeans, and her friend convinced her to use Edwing Joseph & Sons. 

“It was a luxury tailor,” Hayes said. “I’ve gone to one other tailor in Bethlehem my freshman year, and I was getting a dress tailored, and the lady stuck me with the pin, so compared to that, this experience was a 10.”

She said the staff at the shop were incredibly kind, and she would surely go again if she needed their services. 

Edwing Joseph said his shop offers customers a quality experience and well-tailored clothes. He also said Edwing Joseph & Sons is completely customer-focused to ensure people receive the best services possible. 

“When people come through the door and I see the suit fits well — it gives me butterflies that I did a good job,” he said.