Aberdeen Tailors Incorporation, one of seven trades of Aberdeen, have accepted a female new member for the first time in their history – breaking a 500-year barrier.
Josie Steed, a senior lecturer at RGU’s Gray’s School of Art, is smashing through the ancient boundary this year as she joins the Tailor’s ranks.
Since its founding in 1511, Aberdeen’s Tailor Incorporation has only admitted men as members. However, they are keen to change their traditional rules and have admitted their first female craft member.
The Tailor’s Incorporation forms part of Aberdeen’s seven trades, an ancient and prestigious society.
The Seven Incorporated Trades of Aberdeen was founded in 1587 with the aim of each craftsman using their trade for the good of the city. The trades include tailors, weavers, bakers, shoemakers, fleshers (butchers), hammermen, wrights and coopers (a range of various craftsmen).
It was their hope to pass on these skills onto each new generation through apprenticeships and education. In the years since, the trades have become a dedicated fundraising body helping to support a number of local charities.
However, despite existing for more than 500 years they have never admitted a female member – until now.
‘I was quite daunted’
RGU lecturer Ms Steed said fashion textiles is something she has always been interested in.
Getting her first job at the Royal Opera House, she spent a few years in theatre wardrobe departments while getting to work on some of London’s biggest productions such as Les Miserables.
She went on to get degrees in fashion textiles. It was later on in her role as course leader for the Fashion Textiles BA Hons course at RGU’s Gray’s School of Art that she worked with the Tailor’s Incorporation in Aberdeen.
During her time in the role, an award was created with the Tailor’s Incorporation for second and third year students in the course.
The tailors later approached Ms Steed to extend the historic offer of membership.
Ms Steed said: “It’s quite an honour but there’s a lot of procedures to go through to become a member so I was quite daunted by that.”
In order to become a member, many discussions have to take place and hopeful participants have to produce a brief. Ms Steed was asked to design and make a skirt that had to meet certain requirements such as hand stitching techniques and correct measurements.
She explained that this is to demonstrate that you hold high skills in your craft. She said: “To become a member of the tailors you’re essentially demonstrating you have the requisite craft skills and expertise to become a tailor in the city of Aberdeen.
“That’s the history of the trade is that you become what is known as a burgess of Aberdeen city which essentially gives you the right to become a professional tailor in the city of Aberdeen.”
To become a burgess of Aberdeen, a ceremony is held at Trinity Hall where new members are admitted by Aberdeen City Council.
Pave the way for other female members
Being the first woman to be submitted as a member in the Tailor’s Incorporation, Ms Steed said she feels very honoured – relishing the opportunity to “change the organisations history”.
As part of her role as a member, the 57-year-old lecturer is hoping to better spread awareness about the trades and their importance in Aberdeen.
She said: “‘I’m very keen to, in my role as a member, to really publicise and to help promote the importance of the trades and craft because ultimately they were responsible for developing those skills and crafts skills over a number of centuries.”
“I think for me a lot of what I can offer is through my research and education background which is an opportunity to develop the tailors for the future. To help really them remain, I suppose, relevant in today’s society.”
While the tailors first formed in 1511 in order to prevent women from encroaching on their craft, they are hoping to change this perception. Ms Steed said that the tailors are very forward thinking and keen to bring in “new thinking and new blood” into the incorporation.
She said: “I’m just very honoured to be that first woman to be brought in as a member.”
“I really hope the floodgates open now. I think it’s definitely their ambition, it’s certainly my ambition as well to pave the way now for other female members.”
Changing traditions and rules has taken time
Richard Sainsbury, Deacon of the Tailors Incorporation, said it has taken some time to get to this point.
Being a very traditional society, it has taken a while to change the trade rules.
He said: “As with lots of clubs societies, traditions take a while to perhaps be broken down. The tailors have never had any concerns about opening up for female members but traditionally for all the trades, our rule books were not gender neutral.”
Mr Sainsbury said the tailors were delighted to bring Ms Steed on board as a member after working with her for the student award.
He said: “Josie’s background is out of this world when it comes to the textiles side of things. We worked with Josie and we were absolutely delighted to admit her as a member. And she really will be a fantastic addition to the incorporation.”
“She’ll bring a lot to it with her association from Gray’s School of Art it will help us with our tailor award scheme. And she’ll bring a lot to us in the fact that she is the first female member and it lets people know that we are open to lady members.”