Jews and the shmatte trade
JVL Introduction
An exhibition at the Museum of London Docklands showcases the Jewish contribution to the fashion industry in the UK in Fashion City: How Jewish Londoners Shaped Global Style.
Around 60% of the 100,000 Jewish immigrants in London between 1881 and 1914 worked in the clothing and accessories industries.
Emma Louise Rixhon explains why so many Jews were in the shmatte trade and the connections between the East and the West End – the production side and the higher-end consumption outlets. Jews were at both ends of it and in this exhibition the West End “turns into a celebration of the more visible mid-century achievements of Jewish designers and businesspeople”.
It also explores the global nature of London’s status as a Fashion City, tied as it was – and is –to migration, whether of those who work in the industry or of the materials and clothes themselves.
It is clearly an exhibition that has to be visited, where you can begin to explore, in Rixhon’s words, “the seemingly endless chain of links between fashion, London, and Jewish identities”.
RK
This article was originally published by The Pickle on Fri 5 Jan 2024. Read the original here.
Stitching together ‘Britishness’ from Mile End to Mayfair
Emma Louise Rixhon explores the complex relationship of Jewish migration to London fashion in their review of the Museum of London Docklands’ new exhibition Fashion City: How Jewish Londoners Shaped Global Style.
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I like the article .
I recall my Auntie Rae telling me that Abe was thrown down the stairs for being Socialist by the Guvnor in the shmatte trade where she worked and lost his job .