Meet the Quailors, the LGBTQ+ Tailors Bringing Pride to London’s Savile Row
Tailoring, as a trade, has become globally synonymous with London’s Savile Row, where tailors began to set up shop in the 1800s. (Interestingly, the word tailor derives from the French term “tailler” used throughout the 14th century.) While there is no record of the first queer tailor on the scene at that time (despite 18th-century London being home to a flourishing gay subculture, according to the V&A Museum), a new collective is bringing queer tailors front and center on the Row. Dubbed the Quailors, the group serves as a diverse community for LBGTQ+ tailors and allies today.
James Macauslan, a 10-year vet at Budd Shirtmaker, was first approached with the idea for the Quailors in 2019 by freelance coat maker and co-founder Andrew Johnson. A year later, the duo began putting the pieces together to cultivate a safe haven for gay tailors in the industry. “We just wanted to see who else was out there and create a social community, for people to come together. But the response was a lot bigger than we expected,” Macauslan tells Robb Report over a Zoom call.
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“The industry does go outside of Savile Row. And so, we had people from cultural backgrounds, we had people from costume, we had people from film, as well as theater costume,” says Macauslan, who is one of three in-house bespoke shirtmakers at Budd. The Quailors plan to be a sounding board for diversity in a profession where most may think of older, white cis males as the face of the industry. But while that may be what you see from the outside, the trade is based on immigrants who’ve worked hard behind the scenes for centuries.
“It’s based off the Windrush generations or sort of any kind of immigrants,” Macauslan explains. “So it’s quite a diverse industry, even though people don’t think about it as such.” Many of the Quailors’ members are in their mid to early 20s, spanning different cultural backgrounds. Coming into the seemingly strict world of tailoring “can be daunting for someone young,” Macauslan says. “As a result of that, the industry has always struggled to find new people. So, it’s quite impressive that we’ve managed to get a group [this size] together.”
Membership is close to 50 now with a small but growing following on Instagram. On the grid, you’ll come across names such as coat maker Nick Colledge of Chittleborough & Morgan and 2023 Golden Shears Winner Mila Dastugue of MD Couture who are acting members with their own unique stories. “We are creating the stepping stones for the future of the trade,” Macauslan says.
Aside from spotlighting talent, the Quailors co-founders see the group as having a watercooler effect, where members can comfortably ask questions on how to make things and share job opportunities—outside of formal office settings. “Often on our chat room, somebody will share a job opportunity, and everyone on there will get the opportunity to see it before a lot of other people,” Macauslan says. “That’s connecting people,” which he explains is another big part of the group’s ethos.
The Quailors took a big step by marching in London Pride, back in July 2022, seeing as “the tailoring trade had never been put on such a global stage and the LGBT aspect of it had never been celebrated in any way, shape, or form,” Macauslan explains. “This year, we were hoping to do [something] a little bit bigger.” On June 30, the group will host drinks at The Deck on Savile Row, where friends and allies are invited to join in on the fun. And on July 1, the Quailors will once again walk in the official Pride march. A post-Pride party will be held by the group at The Windmill that evening to celebrate as well. You can contact the Quailors via Instagram at @quailors or by email at info@quailors.org for timings. Inquiries to join the group are also reviewed through Instagram where a member might ask you to share your phone number to be added to its WhatsApp chat as a new member. “It’s pretty chilled and relaxed,” Macauslan says.
The co-founder is now toying with the idea of developing a book that acts as an encyclopedia of gay-friendly tailoring places to go for locals and tourists alike. “If you are somebody who doesn’t quite fit into what you think Savile Row should be, and you want a well-made suit or shirt, you can come to us, look at our encyclopedia, and find the tailors that are appropriate for you.” Which, really, is what bespoke tailoring should always be about. Macauslan also adds that the group is open to expanding beyond London. “We are still very young and finding our feet for the next steps but hope and are working on bigger and better things.”
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