Example of Brass-Knuckle "Guildsman's Shears" Presented to militant tailors upon acceptance into the Militant Guild of Rural Tailors. (circa 1888/origin unknown)
Late Period Example of Brass-Knuckle "Guildsman's Shears" (circa 1972: Prague/Czech Republic)
Smaller Late Period Example of Brass-Knuckle "Guildsman's Shears". Like the 12" example above, this more modern variation features black powder-coated grips instead of the original brass. (circa 1979: Birmingham, Alabama)
Exterior of Guildsman's Shears Presentation Box
Additional example of Brass Knuckle "Guildsman's Shears" in Presentation Box This example is courtesy of guitarist Joe Perry from Aerosmith, an avid collector of rare blades. (circa 1890-1905/Joe Perry Collection: Boston, Massachusetts)
Exterior of reproduction Guildsman's Shears Presentation Box
Handmade reproduction Brass Knuckle "Guildsman's Shears" in presentation Box From the collection of Niall Maher, Commercial Director of Rogan & Loomstate and creator of the Druthers Appointments concept. (circa 2005/origin Amsterdam, the Netherlands)
Thimble-Tipped Bullet Medallion/Talisman Thought to have been worn as an unofficial sign of fraternity within the guild to symbolize nonviolent resistance to the threat of mass-production whereby tailorwise invention and secret knowledge or gnosis were thought to be be most effective defense against trade obsolescence. The "bullet" was intended for the machines or automata threatening artisan jobs. (circa 1976/origin NYC, New York)
Tailors Crown Crafted from traditional scissor-parts taken from initiated tailors in exchange for the Brass Knuckle Guildsman's Shears shown above and presented in clandestine annual ceremonies to bestow honor on the single guild member from across the international network thought to have most advanced the art of rural tailoring. The crown would be displayed in secret in the winner's atelier for a year before it was then awarded to the next honoree (similar to the Stanley Cup). (circa 1891/Dublin, Ireland)
Detail from Tailor's Crown Above
Reproduction Silk Hanger Silk covered garment hanger used by guild members to display new designs for consideration during the ceremony described above. Hangers like this would be hung from scissors which had been "stabbed" into the wall of a guildhall to present garments by rural tailors competing for the Tailor's Crown. (circa 2006/Los Angles, California)
Reproduction Guildsman's Specimen Case Cases like this were thought to have been used to transport garments to guild meetings for review by members coming from long distances including epic journey overseas. This example was created on request of ISETAN in Tokyo for presentation in their International Creator's Floor. (circa 2007/Paris, France)
Tailor's Jockey or Dummy This is a slightly whimsical variation intended to symbolize the marriage of Artisan Craft (design) and Idea (inspiration or enlightenment). Courtesy of the working atelier of Young Meagher in Amsterdam. (circa 1968/London, UK)
Stabbing Shears Brackets At some stage the practice of stabbing scissors during the competition for the Tailor's Crown was replaced and welded brackets symbolizing the vitality of the original ceremony were created for the event. These were used for an event at the gallery of An Ernest Cut & Sew. (circa and origin unknown)
Guild Seal Correspondence between guild members was sealed with the symbol of the Guildsman's Shears. This is a modern example and ones like this are now in the collection of Shawn Stussy (Stussy), Maurizio Donadi (Polo Double-RL), Scott Morrison (Ernest Sewn) Barnzley Armitage (House of Zoltan), Ilan Bitton (Legion LA), Dr. Romanelli (181 Martel), David Gensler (The KDU), Noriyuki Hashizume (Isetan), Arman Hadida (L'Eclaireur), and others in the contemporary menswear industry sympathetic to the historic struggle between artisan craft and mass production. (circa 2007/Crafted by John Stoltz of Old World Seals in the USA)
Novice's Veil Masks like this (and those below) were required to be worn by candidates seeking initiation in order to prevent nepotism influencing selection. Would-be guild tailors were referred to as "Fresh Faces" by the inner guild which refered to the practice adopted by candidate of decorating their masks in order to show a little bit more of the tailorwise dexterity during their application regimine. This reproduction and those below were created for GenArt during New York Fashion Week. (circa 2007/Amsterdam, the Netherlands)
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