Feature: Our Common Market | Fashion Act Now
Defashion Dorset Festival, Hawkers Recreatives, Dorset, May 2024.
Meet the makers at Defashion Dorset: Rural makers reclaiming their clothing culture. It brings together members of the Dorset community, local sheep and alpaca farmers, fibre producers, clothing makers, and fashion activists, creating a collaborative space for discussion, learning, and collective action.
Local know-how, skills and customs are no longer being passed down to the next generation. Consumerism is a given. A collective sense of identity, on the whole, has been lost. But here, people gathered, yearning to cultivate a real and unique sense of culture that belongs to local people and landscape. When so many events outside of the Fashion capitals try to imitate the monolithic vernacular of Fashion, here we see people forging another path - both progressive and traditional.
100 Years Of Shopping
The Blandford Town Museum, Blandford Forum, Dorset, February 2024.
This exhibition illustrates the evolution of how we used to shop tracing the transitions through the rise of plastic usages, the notion of convenience, prevalence of disposable culture, and the surge of mass-consumerism. Local town markets were the beating heart of communities, where the spirit of commerce and connection flourished. Traders, with their stalls laden with fresh produce, artisan crafts, and a kaleidoscope of goods, transformed marketplaces into bustling hubs of activity. A symphony of sights, sounds, and scents characterized these local markets, forging bonds between merchants and customers that transcended mere transactions.
Join the conversation about the importance of supporting local businesses, the history behind our packaging, and the positive effects that can be unleashed by embracing a return to our roots.
As you navigate this exhibit, we invite you to consider the role you play in shaping the future of consumerism. Together, let us celebrate the charm, resilience, and authenticity of local town markets and rediscover the joy of connecting with our communities through the act of mindful and intentional shopping.
Welcome to a journey that transcends time, linking the cherished past with the transformative potential of the present and future. Made possible by the Green Grant from Southwest Museums Development and Arts Council.
For more, visit The Blandford Town Musuem or check out their website.
The Museum of East Asian Art, Bath, Somerset, June 2023.
The Japanese Sashiko Series accompanied the 'Connecting Threads: Fashion Inspired by the MEAA Collection' exhibition, held from June 28th to December 23rd, 2023. The exhibition drew inspiration from objects in the Museum's collection, challenging students from the Art & Design department of Bath College to create garments that would resonate with their generation.
Thea guided participants through the basics of hitsomezashi (一目刺し刺し子) and shippo tsunagi (七宝つなぎ刺し子) sashiko stitching. This series of events was in dialogue with the exhibit, focusing on the art of Japanese sashiko repair, embracing 'wabi-sabi' and explore how ancient repair practices influence slow stitch, visible mending, and mindful repair movements.
For more visit The Museum of East Asian Art or check out their website.
MFA Pop-up Exhibition, for Sustainable Fashion Week, Bath, Somerset, September 2022.
In collaboration with Sustainable Fashion Week 2022, this exhibition showcased elements of postgraduate research and practice submission, framed through curatorial activism and social practice.
"Cutting Corners Project foresees an already popular movement in the repair culture, ironically being tangled into a looming fast fashion trend. Could this paradigm shift resolve the fast fashion cycle or hinder it further?"
Offering a voice to those who are exploited by fast fashion - from garment factory workers to all engrossed consumers.