As we continue highlighting the work of postgraduate research taking place through the RAU Textiles Research Centre and Facility, we are excited to share Gemma Goldfinch’s 2026 Master of Design research, A Vindication of Disorderly Women: Using contemporary fashion design to respond to and portray the historical exclusion of women from tailoring practice.
Turning to history to understand why the fashion industry has not achieved gender equality, Goldfinch’s MDes research uncovers the story of women’s exclusion from tailoring guilds, highlighting the ingenuity required to carve out a space for themselves. The work intertwines contemporary and historical garment production techniques to imagine a world where Early Modern women had creative freedom.
Read more about A Vindication of Disorderly Women on our RAU Research pages, here.