RESEARCH
Hors Sujet is involved in a variety of research projects with the aim of providing resources and answers to matters the tailoring sector may assist with, or is encountering.
Research so far has included block development for nonconforming bodies, Trade Union organising and the production of visual histories.
Further projects are under way and will be announced soon.
VISUAL HISTORIES
VISUAL HISTORIES
Livingston (est.1896) is the last heritage bespoke tailor and outfitter in rural Britain.
To this day, the workshop continues to provide fine handcraft tailoring to local customers in Castle Douglas, South-West Scotland. Started by George Livingston over a century ago - at a time when the tailoring house was amongst thousands scattered all throughout the isle - it is now carried on by his Savile Row-trained great-grandson Andrew Livingston and his son Lewis, who is the fifth generation to work in this proudly independent family-run business.
In the face of dissolving dress codes, the loss of skilled craftspeople and rising living costs - Andrew, his family and team are determined to keep the traditions of their beloved shop alive. This film was produced for posterity, to record a now all but disappeared culture, and recognised as significant by the National Library of Scotland Moving Image Archive where it is held.
Click HERE to watch it
TRADE UNION
TRADE UNION
The National Union of Tailors and Garment Workers (NUTGW) which once made representations on behalf of our tradespeople, merged with GMB in 1992 who were thereafter responsible for the same.
After meeting with GMB reps in the summer of 2023, it was decided that an alternative new union may now be more appropriate to fulfil our needs given changes in the working landscape of the past 32 years. And so, we’re pleased to inform all tailors (including finishers, apprentices and front of house staff) that they may now instead seek representation from BECTU’s new Fashion UK Branch.
If you are interested in learning about how a union may help you with things such as pay, contractual terms and conditions, bullying, sexual harrassment or health & safety, feel free to visit your new union’s website to read more about what they do, sign up and join a WhatsApp community of over 50 tailors who are already members.
Click HERE to learn more
BLOCK DEVELOPMENT
BLOCK DEVELOPMENT
In the tradition of the cutting developments produced by the trade magazines that flooded the tailoring industry for the century spanning from the late-nineteenth to 1971, Ella Boucht and Hors Sujet have created a new lounge suit block in response to a historic unprovided need and changing contemporary morphologies.
Over the course of several months this year, a succession of fittings on a transmasculine cohort determined variations from a cisgendered starting block and variance within the transmasculine form to produce a novel and neutral starting point for sewers of all kinds to cater for a community whose specificity in dress was demanding its own specific scale draft.
We hope this ongoing work may catalyse access to better clothing for the trans community as well as others whose clothing requirements we believe might also be met through this body of work.
We are incredibly grateful to those who supported for fittings:
Killian Theofilopoulos, Kit McGuire, Zach Toppins, Rabz Lansiquot, Julian Konuk, Dill Schechner Katz, Franky Sissons, Ruiji Han, Laurie Kirwan-Ashman, Han Nightingale and Kiki Mager.
The results of this work will be published in November 2025.
