Cultural Threads

Year 2018 - 2019

A community arts project through Arts Ekta, working with schools and youth groups to discuss how our clothes and our fashion consumption has an effect on the world we live in.

Most UK high-street garments are made in Bangladesh, India, China, Vietnam, Ethiopia, Indonesia, Sri Lanka and the Philippines. Along with the rising tide of fast fashion comes a proliferation of abysmal labour conditions, a lack of worker’s rights, and unacceptable environmental practices.

In Cultural Threads, we explored the subject of cultural identity, global citizenship and consumption.

We discussed the impact of the fashion industry, and our part within it. We talked about how our clothes are made, the harms of large-scale garment production, how to help mitigate some of the negative impacts, and what we as individuals can do to make our voices heard. We learned about textile recycling and the power of protest. We used our creativity to reimagine and re-design old clothes and other waste products into new garments and accessories. And we made some truly fabulous hats.

The Fashion Show

The young people’s creations made during the Cultural Threads project were displayed in a fashion showcase at Belfast Mela in 2019. Garments and headpieces were modelled by their designers and by members of associated community groups. In partnership with Oxfam Vintage Belfast, a curated selection of vintage clothing was also modelled along with protest signs designed by the children and young people involved in the project.