George Saunders, Tailor, Birmingham.

(With thanks to the National Trust, Back to Backs, Birmingham).
Illustration of a smiling tailor holding scissors, with a background of text and sewing patterns. The artwork also features sewing tools like a machine and fabric rolls.
A textile artwork depicting a smiling man with glasses holding a pair of scissors. He's wearing a blue shirt and a striped vest with a measuring tape around his neck. The background is filled with handwritten text. 
George Saunders - From a Back to Backs soundpoint transcript.                                                                                                              
"There was an advertisement for a tailor in the city of Birmingham and I decided to write an application for the job and a letter came back for me saying I am just the man they are looking for, please come for an interview. I got myself nicely dressed up with a tie and everything like that and I went in to see the man. The man looked at me and said the vacancy is gone. I was dumbstruck and couldn’t believe was I was hearing. He said, “I told you the job is gone, get out.
So I walked away but after I found myself a job at a biscuit factory by the name of J Hughes in Small Heath. One girl came up to me and asked me “if my colour under my white overall was the same as my arm and face.” I said to her jokingly “of course, its green underneath.” But as things went on, we began to improve and finally I started to work on my own and then we moved to Hurst Street. From 1974- 2001, we were very busy. We didn’t advertise just one person tells the other and we just built up like that. I had people coming to me to make suits from London. In the latter years we made clothes for the Queens guard and, we had a very big order from Libya.                                 
If you are having something made for you it looks entirely different from something you buy from the shop. You don’t have to look twice as that person to know the thing is well- made"


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The term “Windrush” refers to the arrival of Caribbean migrants to the UK between 1948 and the early 1970s, named after the HMT Empire Windrush, the ship that brought the first large group to Britain. They came to help rebuild the nation after World War II, answering Britain’s call for workers, but faced harsh realities of racism, inequality, and cultural dislocation.
There is a subtle yet profound detail in all the Windrush pieces – a gradual fading of (George's) clothing into it's background which is a deliberate choice.  The symbolism is there to evoke the passage of time, the erosion of memories, and the gradual assimilation of culture; a reminder of the complexities inherent in immigration 
Some process photos.
Close-up of textile art featuring a detailed quilted vest with a button, intricate stitching, and blue patterned fabric detail, resembling a shirt collar and lapel.
Close-up of a fabric art quilt featuring various textured and colored strips with text labels such as denim, wool, silk, and satin stitched on them.
Quilted artwork depicting a sewing scene with a Singer sewing machine, fabric shelves labeled with various textiles like satin and wool, pattern pieces, and text background. Features vibrant colors and detailed stitching.
Painting of a smiling tailor holding scissors, with sewing patterns on a wall, sewing machine, and fabric rolls.