Tailor-Made

Materials: bespoke pin striped business suit, abaca fibres, thread 

The piece was made in response to a brief for the 62 Group exhibition ‘Tailored’ at Sunny Bank Mills Gallery. (The blue background is the gallery wall). The work explores the term Tailor-Made, which means to make or adapt something for a particular purpose or person. 

Inspiration was drawn from two examples of tailoring: bespoke clothing crafted by Master Tailors and the skill of tailorbirds, who stitch leaves together to conceal their nests. Both of these examples of tailoring produce outputs that are adapted to fit into their very different surroundings. A business suit is designed to blend into a formal or professional setting, while a tailorbird's stitched nest serves as camouflage to help it blend into its natural environment. 

The materials used were selected for their association to the theme. The separate units were constructed using pockets cut from a man's bespoke suit. The number of units was determined by the number of pockets in the suit. The suiting fabric features a pin stripe pattern similar to ones historically woven at Sunny Bank Mills. The suit that was used to make this piece was made by Master Tailor Beno Dorn, who also created the first suits worn by the Beatles. The natural abaca fibres and the shape of the units were chosen to reference the tailorbird nests.