Jane Malcolm-Davies is senior lecturer in textile studies at the Uppsala University. Previously, she collaborated on Beasts2Craft, an EU-funded research project investigating parchment as evidence for historical sheep husbandry. She was manager of THREAD, a refugee integration initiative funded by the Innovation Fund Denmark (2017 to 2019), and a Marie Skłodowska Curie Fellow at the Centre for Textile Research, Copenhagen, from 2015 to 2017. Her project Knitting in Early Modern Europe (KEME) developed a new protocol for recording historical evidence for knitting, published an online database of evidence for this under-researched textile production process focusing on knitted caps, and ran an experimental history project with a team of citizen scientists. Jane studied the CIETA textile analysis course at the Musée des Tissues in Lyon, France and continues to work on ways to integrate Analytical Tools for Organic Material Studies (ATOMS) into textile research. She was senior post-doctoral research fellow for the ERC project Refashioning the Renaissance at Aalto University, Helsinki, a postdoctoral research fellow at the Centre for Interpretation Studies, University of the Highlands & Islands and the Textile Conservation Centre, University of Southampton, where she developed an online database of Tudor effigies. Jane lectured in entrepreneurship and heritage management at the University of Surrey, introduced costumed interpreters at Hampton Court Palace (1992 to 2004), coordinated training for the front-of-house team at Buckingham Palace each summer (2000 to 2010), and coached volunteer guides for the new National Army Museum in London. Jane’s doctoral work was on the design of visitor experiences at heritage sites. She developed a method for benchmarking the impact of costumed interpretation on visitors’ perceptions of their experiences. Her first degree was in journalism, and she holds postgraduate diplomas in heritage interpretation and law. Jane sits on the editorial board of the Journal of Dress History and the Archaeological Textiles Review. A list of Jane’s most recent publications is available here. Jane was awarded an Agnes Geijer Foundation scholarship to continue her work on Early Modern knitted garments in June 2019.
Visit websiteNinya Mikhaila established her business making reconstructions of historic costumes for museums and heritage sites in 1994 after gaining a Higher National Diploma in Costume Interpretation at the London College of Fashion. Her clients include Historic Royal Palaces, The Royal Armouries, The National Trust, English Heritage, The National Archives and The Royal Collection. Ninya featured in a six-part BBC television series A Stitch in Time, which looks at what reconstructing period clothes can tell us about people in the past. Ninya recently made the clothing worn by Harry Lloyd as Richard III in the 2022 film The Lost King. Ninya is married to Michael Perry. They live in Nottingham with their two children.
Visit websiteCaroline Johnson (author) is co-director of JMD&Co and was responsible for researching and supervising the reproduction costumes used at Hampton Court Palace and other historic sites from 1992 to 2004. Caroline specialises in research into documentary evidence and primary sources on Tudor costume. Caroline is a former trustee of The Costume Society, has been chairman and secretary of the Southern Counties Costume Society.
Visit websiteJane Huggett is co-author of The Tudor Child. She a dress historian and costumier whose previous publications include Clothes of the Common Man and Clothes for the Common Woman (two volumes each; 1480 to 1580 and 1580 to 1660) both for Stuart Press. Jane has been making reconstructions of historic costumes for museums and heritage sites since 1987. Clients include The National Trust, Warwick Castle, Shakespeare’s Birthplace Trust, JMD&Co for Hampton Court Palace and Past Pleasures for Hampton Court Palace, The Mary Rose Trust and The Tower of London. Jane has worked as a costumed interpreter for Hampton Court Palace and is currently working in the same capacity at Milestones Museum in Basingstoke, Hampshire.
Jodie has been part of The Tudor Tailor team since 2012. She is a web developer and graphic designer specialising in user interface design, with a commitment to making scientific data about cultural heritage available to a broad public. Jodie is responsible for maintaining The Tudor Tailor website and has developed a number of digital tools to help collate and analyse our research data.
Away from the computer Jodie spends most of her time doing laps of the pool. She is ladies captain of the British Transplant Swimming Team and has won over 20 world championship gold medals.
Kendra Keller is a copy editor and proofreader for The Tudor Tailor and the token American on the team. A profound Anglophile, she realised from an early age that British history was far more interesting than American history (no president has had six wives, after all). Kendra had the good fortune to live in the UK for a number of years, during which time she did a work placement with The Tudor Tailor, helping to set up their first online shop.
When not wordsmithing, Kendra enjoys making costumes and doing theatre. Her truest, deepest love is for Shakespeare: reading, watching, performing, pondering – and occasionally finding quotes for Tudor Tailor headlines.
Originally from Rugby, Warwickshire, and now firmly based in Nottingham, Melanie Beaven joined the team as a part-time assistant. She had been waiting for an opportunity to gain entry to The Tudor Tailor workshop for several years, and events fell into place in May 2019. Melanie looks after the online sales and ordering process.
Outside of the workshop, she has a favourite daughter, a favourite son, and a deep love of playing Roller Derby. Her husband’s name is Stephen Beaven, which looks like it rhymes but doesn’t.
Michael Perry (illustrator) worked as a designer for Games Workshop from 1978-2014. As a freelance illustrator he has provided the colour plates for eight Osprey Men at Arms and Campaign Series reference books. In 2013 Michael was commissioned to produce eight large illustrated figures for inclusion in the In Fine Style exhibition for The Royal Collection. He runs Perry Miniatures, a company making 28mm historical figures for collectors, with his brother Alan. Through Perry Miniatures Michael has illustrated and published books on military history including The First Carlist War by Conrad Cairns and Go Strong into the Desert by Lt. Col. Mike Snook. He is married to Ninya Mikhaila, they live in Nottingham with their two children.
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