a short film woven by master tailors
While helping master tailor Larnell Baldwin at his storefront in Philadelphia's Fabric Row, an aspiring designer overhears stories from a disappearing generation of master tailors. "Taking in the Tailors" is a 16mm film record of the sounds, textures and stories of a skilled generation of designers and tailors who no longer live in a world with apprentices.
"Taking in the Tailors" is a 16mm film capturing the sounds, textures and stories of a skilled generation of designers and tailors who no longer live in a world with apprentices.
“Taking in the Tailors” is a short film project instigated by seasoned master tailor Larnell Baldwin, who is amongst the last of his generation of fine custom tailors still operating in Philadelphia. The film serves as both a personal and cultural record, considering generationally-passed skills and knowledge.
As tailoring craft and spaces in Philadelphia continue to fade, this short aims to document and preserve the stories, wisdom, and techniques of a departing generation of tailors who have helped to shape the city’s fashion landscape. In particular, the film focuses on the unique, hands-on learning process that takes place in and around Baldwin’s shop on Fabric Row—a place where young designers, working mothers and aspiring hobbyists alike can learn old-world techniques on the verge of being forgotten. Through the lens of a young artist apprenticing with Baldwin, the audience is introduced to a slew of retired and aging master tailors, ensuring that their legacies are overheard and remembered.