Auto upholstery has long been seen as a man’s trade — gritty, hands-on, and tucked away in the back corners of custom shops and factories. But here’s the truth: women have been shaping the look and feel of car interiors since the very beginning.
From early design departments to factory sewing rooms, they’ve been behind some of the most intricate, stylish and technically demanding upholstery work the industry has ever seen.
Don’t believe us? Just check out these historic photos:
Packard Motor Car Company
Women working on seat cushions at Packard’s upholstery department in Detroit, Michigan, circa 1925.
Two women sitting among piles of fabric and foam, sewing seat covers for automobiles.
Packard hired women as early as the 1910s for interior work because of their skill, speed and attention to detail.
Ford Motor Company
A snapshot of women designers examining upholstery samples for Ford cars in Dearborn, Michigan.
Not only were women stitching interiors, they were part of the design teams deciding how car interiors should look and feel.
Studebaker
Women sewing vehicle seat covers at a Studebaker factory in Detroit, Michigan.
Back in the day, car interiors were fully hand-stitched. No CNC, no automation — just skill, muscle memory and a lot of patience.
An Invaluable Legacy
Throughout the early 1900s, many automakers employed women to upholster car interiors. At a time when they were barred from many factory roles, upholstery was considered “acceptable” women’s work — especially because it required fine sewing and craftsmanship, something already associated with women’s traditional domestic skills.
But don’t mistake that for a lack of importance. Auto upholstery was (and still is) an art form — and these women were masters of it. In fact, by the 1920s, it wasn’t uncommon to find entire trim departments staffed primarily by women in major automaker factories like Packard, Ford and Studebaker.
Fast-forward to now, and women are still making their mark in the auto upholstery industry — from designers to shop owners, trimmers and fabricators. Whether it’s restoring the interiors of classic cruisers or crafting one-off leather interiors for show builds, women continue to prove they belong in every corner of the garage.
So next time someone says auto upholstery is a “man’s industry,” show them these photos and then introduce them to one of the many badass women still pushing the craft forward.
[Photos via Detroit Public Library]
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