Established in 2023, WIT is a not-for-profit community, providing opportunities for discussion and education by hosting quarterly events that connect women from all sectors of the industry.
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Women in Tailoring: From Apprentice to Founder
In association with The Campaign for Wool
To celebrate Wool Month, the Women in Tailoring community gathered at Fedro Gaudenzi’s atelier on Cork Street, Mayfair, for an evening of conversation about careers in bespoke tailoring.
The panel brought together four women at very different stages of their working lives: Kathryn Sargent, Founder and Master Tailor of Kathryn Sargent Bespoke; Audie Charles, Creative Director of Anderson & Sheppard; Jinny Seals, Master Coatmaker; and Ciara Pignatelli, Apprentice Cutter at Dege & Skinner. Moderated by Anda Rowland of Anderson & Sheppard, the discussion explored how each found her way into the craft, the changes she has navigated along the way, and what she has learned about building a working life with her hands.
Few of the panellists had planned their route into tailoring. Kathryn discovered Savile Row through a tutor while she was studying menswear. Audie was steered towards fashion almost by chance and went on to spend thirty years with Doug Hayward on Mount Street. Jinny left a drawing course at Camberwell once she realised that what she loved most was a well-made suit, and Ciara came to Savile Row from costume. Kathryn explained what led her to leave her role as head cutter and set up her own house, and how she balances the craft with the demands of running a business. Audie talked about creating an atmosphere where every client feels welcome and remembered, and about keeping her eye fresh by watching how people dress. Jinny described the traditional apprenticeship and the satisfaction of passing her skills on. Ciara spoke about learning by watching and repeating, and about making uniforms for a growing number of female officers.
The panel agreed that the future of bespoke depends on protecting the quality of training, and on seeing themselves, in Kathryn’s words, as “custodians of our craft”. In the audience questions that followed, the conversation turned to “craft-washing” and the importance of showing clients who makes their garments, as well as building confidence early in a career and the women who had inspired each panellist along the way.
Audie brought the evening to a close with a fitting image. “There are gardeners and there are flowers,” she said. “People enjoy the flowers, but they don’t realise that behind the flowers are the gardeners. We are in a room of gardeners.”
We are very grateful to Fedro, Veronika Greenhill and the team at Fedro Gaudenzi for being such generous hosts, to The Campaign for Wool for their support, and to our panellists for sharing their stories so openly.
About Fedro Gaudenzi
Fedro Gaudenzi is a contemporary bespoke house where Italian creativity meets the precision of British tailoring. A member of the Savile Row Bespoke Association, Fedro combines traditional craftsmanship with modern imagination, creating beautifully structured coats, suits, couture, casualwear and truly unconventional commissions, each designed around the individual.
Photography by Lloyd Almond, Lloyd Almond Productions.
We celebrated the publication of They Are Dandy with an evening at No. 31 Holland & Sherry on Tuesday 29 September, joined by the book’s creators, writer Nathaniel Adams and photographer Rose Callahan, who shared the inspiration and process behind their latest work.
Nathaniel, a writer and historian of dandyism, subculture and menswear, and Rose, a photographer whose portraits celebrate the transformative power of style, have spent more than a decade travelling the world to document modern dandies. They Are Dandy is the third book in their series, following I Am Dandy and We Are Dandy, and captures style as something lived rather than posed: at home, in the studio and out in public.
Our thanks to everyone who joined us, to the team at No. 31 Holland & Sherry for hosting the evening, and to Nathaniel and Rose for sharing their stories so generously.
About the book
What does dandyism mean today? Through intimate portraits and personal stories, They Are Dandy introduces a remarkable cast of individuals whose lives reflect diverse histories, identities and perspectives. Together, they show that dandyism is less about fashion than about individuality, imagination and the desire to live life with purpose. The result is a thoughtful portrait of contemporary elegance in all its forms.
They Are Dandy is published by Gestalten.
