Issue link: https://digital.copcomm.com/i/1546058
Left to right: Haunted Mansion costume; Mrs. Oh (Myung Oh), Hannah (Myong Sin Choe) and Mr. Lim (Sang Keun Lim). 46 FALL 2026 come work for his dad, Mr. Pae of K&P Costume (another 705 signatory custom workroom), as a secretary until something else came along. "That's how I got started. It was just going to be a few months and then I was gonna just leave. But hey, I really liked it. I thought, 'I can make a career out of this.'" With hard work and a determination to learn what she didn't know, Han worked her way up to project manager. Myung Oh had a very different upbringing. Born and raised in South Korea, she learned to sew at a trade school when she was 16. It was there that she perfected her hand-sewing skills, practicing the finishing touches on suits. Mrs. Oh did not come to the United States until 2000, and she immediately started working at a tailor shop in Koreatown in Los Angeles. A few years later, she was working for K&P Costume, where she met Han. Han says, "When you see her sewing, she is so fast!" While Mrs. Oh is more than adept on the industrial sewing machines, her specialty is hand-sewing, beading, and anything that needs a keen eye and de fingers. She worked at K&P for 18 years before partnering with Han. The duo had never owned a business before, but knew that with their combined experiences, they could make it work. They had no idea how long it would take to find and set up their workroom, and at the time, they thought it had taken forever. From starting their search in December, to finding the space in February, both Han and Mrs. Oh now agree that they accomplished the task in record time. Initially looking to find space in the Hollywood or Burbank areas, they seled on a site situated just north of Western Costume Co. in Sun Valley; a convenient proximity to other costume houses as well. With a lile elbow grease and support from Han's parents who helped acquire used machines through their sewing machine business, the ladies were set up and ready to go to work in less than a month. At some point, they may need a larger space or a few more machines, but for now, Han says they are confident that they have created an environment where they can enjoy what they do and be comfortable. Being a signatory workroom has never been a question for Han. "I guess that was non-negotiable. I just wanted to be a signatory because I came from one." It is very important to Han that her employees are treated fairly and provided for, and that their clients appreciate patronizing a business where they can count on that as well. Currently, Stitch Costume is a small staff of four: Han, project and office manager, Mrs. Oh, Stitcher, Sang Keun Lim (Mr. Lim), Paern Maker/foreperson, and Myung Sin Choe (Hannah), also a Stitcher. But when a large project or a specialty out of their purview comes in, Han doesn't hesitate to hire reinforcements. "Right now, that would be tailoring suits. We don't have an in- house person. So we do hire for the job." The worst part of hiring extra help for the ladies is that they don't want to let go of the new hires. Han would like to be able to keep them on full time, but, currently, that isn't possible for the small company. Still they love it all. They are excited by the challenge of every project that comes through their doors and "the change of something new every day."