‘Do you consider him to be a fit addition to the British Nation?’: Exploring twentieth century fashion businesses through naturalization records

This paper will focus on four Jewish immigrants to Britain who helped to shape the early history of the wholesale couture trade. It will illustrate how naturalisation records can be utilised to find in-depth information regarding migrant owned fashion businesses.

The term wholesale couture was first used to describe the pinnacle of the ready-to-wear fashion industry in London in the 1930s. However, the trade had earlier antecedents with many company directors working for, or, establishing firms broadly connected to the fashion trade- covering everything from ostrich feather dealers, to shoe repairers and tailoring firms- in the first two decades of the twentieth century. Almost all of the founders or owners of wholesale couture business were Jewish first- and second-generation immigrants, whose families had travelled to London between c 1880 and 1939 to establish new lives in the city.

The research presented here relates to the early history of three key wholesale couture firms; Koupy, Simon Massey and Brenner Sports and the four men that founded these companies; Chas. Kuperstein, Harry Massey and Aron and Nathan Brenner. Extremely limited business records survive from these firms. However, in this paper I will demonstrate the surprisingly rich and detailed information regarding fashion businesses that these men’s naturalisation records reveal. These records include details such as wages, profits and number of employees and information about the types of garments they produced. Some records, as I will demonstrate, even point to the anti-Semitism they experienced in Britain. I will illustrate furthermore how these naturalisation records can be used in tandem with the 1921 census and trade publication Drapers’ Organiser to create a rich and detailed picture of a network of Jewish migrants- from seamstresses to entrepreneurs- who were engaged in the high-end ready-to-wear fashion trade.

The 'Global Dress and Migration in History' workshop will explore the history of migration through the lens of dress in a global dimension.

-- This workshop will be held online and is open and free. Details on access via Zoom will be sent out prior to the workshop. The keynote lecture will be delivered by Aanchal Malhotra. See the complete schedule below. --

Throughout history and up to contemporary times, people have migrated for a variety of reasons, to seek economic stability, educational and professional opportunities, to accompany their spouses and families, or to flee natural disasters, discrimination, persecution and violent conflicts. During and following migration, significant changes occur. Migrants are confronted with previously unknown climate conditions that require them to dress differently from what they are used to. With dress habits and norms differing between the countries of origin and new 'homeland', dynamics of inclusion and excusion are often expressed, felt and perceived in the sphere of dress and appearance.

Experiences are as diverse as the migrants' backgrounds and motivations but always marked by hierarchies between the Global North and the Global South, rural and urban spaces, and according to social class, gender, and definitions of race and ethnicity. The migrants' experiences upon their arrival marked by dynmaics of inclusion, exclusion, integration and adaption are equally diverse and differ along the criteria mentioned. With this workshop, we aim to explore these themes and dynamics through the lens of dress in historical and global perspective.

Papers will explore the themes including networks and communities; approaches to primary sources; skills and knowledge; migrant experiences; fashion, style and taste; and intangible cultural heritage.

The workshop is organised by Dr Svenja Bethke (University of Leicester) and Dr Eliza McKee (National Archives London) in collaboration with Leicester Museums and Galleries, funded by the Arts Humanities and Research Council (AHRC) as part of Svenja Bethke's AHRC Research, Development and Engagament Fellowship (2023-2026).