Guild of Tailors

"As early as thirteenth century, an enterprising French tailor devised a crude set of basic patterns made from thin slabs of wood. From these, a few varieties of design could be developed which reflected the fashionable silhouette of that era. But the Guild of Tailors restrained him from commercializing his wood-pattern slabs-because, in so doing, he might reveal the secrets of their profession to the common classes. Even in this modern day, when so much depends upon the cultivation of our creative minds in America, we have modern versions of that "guild of tailors." We have craft men and creators who are jealously secretive of their knowledge. These shortsighted individuals fail to realize, however, that, through basic principles of a craft or art be made available to everyone, only a limited number of truly creative and artistic persons rise to recognition and leadership in the interpretation of this knowledge. And these few people, in each generation, receive recognition and tribute commensurate with their individual talent and ability.

Our modern "guild of tailors" overlooks the fact, too, that our present day art has been endowed by the unselfish teachings of artists of a former day. Without this endowment, how little could our artistically gifted men and women of today reveal their talents! Costume designing is an art. As in all other related arts-painting, music, sculpture,architecture,and literature-ambitious students find much available reference material for supplementary reading. They acquire their first basic training in established schools; they go to museums and libraries to search further-to gain that deeper appreciation of what has been accomplished by artist before them."
Harriet Pepin Modern Pattern Design 1942

I myself have been guilty of this. Just think how much more we can accomplish as a group than we can as individuals. It's better to relish in the fact that we help each other move ahead than to rot in jealousy or envy of others work. Nothing we create is new, it is only our interpretation of what has gone before.