How can I make it easier for the Bespoke Tailoring students to learn specialist vocabulary?
Creating an image based glossary for Bespoke Tailoring (and a Pictionary style game)
Introduction
In this action research project, I explore how I can make it easier for Bespoke Tailoring students to learn specialist vocabulary. I hope to even out the playing field for the First Year students on our course, and mitigate some of the disadvantages students encounter because of neurodivergence, differences in cultural capital and proficiency in English. I will make a prototype of an image based glossary that can also be used to play a Pictionary style game. Through observation, peer feedback and a questionnaire, I will investigate if the students find this resource useful and if there is a possibility to co-create the glossary with them.
My Positionality
I am interested in languages and the social psychology of communication. As a foreigner and an alumni of the Bespoke Tailoring course, I am familiar with the struggle of navigating unknown vocabulary and cultural references. (See Thelin, 2025)
Though I arrived in London as an industry outsider, through my studies and professional work I could now be considered an insider by my students. As a lecturer I hold a position of authority, while as a tailor I have worked for many years for Savile Row (See Thelin, 2024).
With authority comes responsibility. In the case of this action research project, it means a responsibility to ensure that the glossary includes the correct information. I do not want to reduce the richness of tailoring terminology or reproduce (or even create) a hierarchy by favouring certain terms over others. I want to balance the complexity of language with the need for clarity.
Context: Student Experience and Bespoke Tailoring Terminology
“In my Bespoke Tailoring course, this language gap became even more evident. Many technical terms and professional expressions were completely new to me. When the tutor explained garment construction, tailoring techniques, or fabric composition, I sometimes found myself lost (…) At times this made me feel overwhelmed and even question whether I could keep up with the course.” (Bespoke Tailoring Student, 2025)
The above quote is from a reflective statement from one of my international students. Many of our students express through their reflective statements and personal tutorials how their understanding of the vocabulary influences their overall comprehension of the delivered content, as well as their ability to talk about their work and ask questions. Because of the specialist nature of the terminology, the difficulty is even shared by many students who have English as their first language.
During their first week on the Bespoke Tailoring course, our students are presented with more than 100 words of tailoring terminology, including tools on their equipment list, materials and garment parts. Though more concentrated at the beginning of the year, the exposure to specialist vocabulary continues throughout the course, and also include trade jargon (Aldrich, 2011, Cabrera, 2022, Savile Row Bespoke, 2025). Currently, words and expressions are explained mainly through written text in technical presentations, glossary lists and worksheets. Though we introduce the terminology during our sessions, many students struggle to learn the vocabulary.
References:
Aldrich, W. (2011) Metric Pattern Cutting for menswear. Fifth edition. Chichester: John Wiley
Bespoke Tailoring Student (2025) ‘Refective Statement’. Assignment for Introduction to Bespoke Tailoring, BA (Hons) Bespoke Tailoring, UAL. Unpublished.
Cabrera, R and Meyers, P.F. (2022) Classic Tailoring Techniques for menswear: a construction guide. 3rd edition. New York: Fairchild.
Savile Row Bespoke. Tailoring Terms. Available at: https://www.savilerowbespoke.com/about-us/tailoring-terms/ (Accessed 23 May 2025)
Thelin, M. (2025). IP Unit: Reflective Report – An Imaged Based Glossary. Available at: https://maria.myblog.arts.ac.uk/2025/07/18/ip-unit-reflective-report-draft/ (Accessed 17 December 2025)
Thelin, M. (2024). Introduction. Available at: https://maria.myblog.arts.ac.uk/2024/12/ (Accessed 17 December 2025)