TD 1
Almost two years ago, armed with an enduring este
em for master-craftsmen, I set out to chronicle Dublin’s finest repair people. Five talented fixers were plucked from across the city – a cobbler, a luthier, a hoover fixer, a sewing machine mechanic and a typewriter repairer – their skillsets stretching from niche profession to vanishing trade. Their seldomheard voices spoke on the dwindling consumer demands corroding their work, lamenting the lack of apprentices to inject fresh life into a family business. The tradesmen involved were embodiments of industrious graft, their customers serviced with pride and passion, but one personal objective was never seen through: a thirst to pinpoint female craftspeople alongside these dexterous men. When Work / Wear commenced its conceptual genesis – a photo-centric spread exploring intrinsic ties between work clothes and identity – I went into the research phase with pre-conceived notions. Surmising that our male interviewees would be secured in a heartbeat, their female counterparts a struggle to track down, the arrival of Ruth Connolly (a fantastic photographer and first-time collaborator) took the project on an exciting trajectory. She had come into contact with Jen Kelly, an industrial abseiler and founder of Women In Trades Network Ireland (WITNI) and, as she connected with an increasing number of talented tradeswomen from their ranks, she proposed we make our quintet of interviewees an all-female force. I leapt at the chance! These women had ripped up the rulebook of maledominated trade, slamming gendered prejudices in the workplace and the regressive, “masculine” labels which characterise their professions. When WITNI came into being, forming Ireland’s first women-intrades network, it forged iron-clad connections with female tradies across the country, many of whom had felt perennially alone in their profession (as it stands, less than 1% of on-site, manual tradespeople are women). For those eager to take up a trade but faced with gendered obstacles from the outset – from discouraging guidance counsellors to unwilling employers – WITNI’s online ‘Career Stories’ segment provides the ultimate fuel to push forward their agenda. These women also brought the symbolism of workwear to a deeper significance: with trade clothes traditionally designed for a standardised male shape, more petite tradies are swimming in their work overalls, whilst their trousers never fit both waist and hip. The problem this presents is two-fold: firstly, ill-fitting gear can be a serious hazard on-site, encumbering (rather than enabling) the wearer’s safety and ability to get the job done. Secondly, many women describe sporting oversized workwear as feeling like they’re playing dress up, raiding the grown-ups’ wardrobe; surely a walking catalyst for imposter syndrome. Subliminally or otherwise, that sensation of wearing someone else’s work clothes – clothes perfectly catered to a man – can add to a sense that, as a woman, you’re not really supposed to be here. The strides of Snickers Workwear and overseas companies show that while there’s a long way to go before female workwear achieves omnipresence, we’re certainly speeding in the right direction. This pentagon of professional tradeswomen – an industrial abseiler, a carpenter, a painter-decorator, a welder and an apprentice of heavy vehicle mechanics – have pioneered tirelessly for progressions in the workplace. The reticence of would-be women tradies often stems from the messages – some subconscious, most overt – that have been sent to them since childhood; urging them to put down that power tool while the boys have a go, or asking them if they’re really sure they don’t mind their clothes getting dirty on the job. For these reasons, WITNI are keen to dismantle gendered stereotypes from as early an age as possible: engaging with schools and engineering hands-on activities for those who want to develop their skills. Their words stem from a much larger, long-term conversation – one which hopes to galvanise a new generation of female boundary-breakers. witni.ie 23