Fashion Revolution is the stylish NGO which encourages radical change to the way that clothing is produced. As a part of their third instalment, they have introduced their Open Studios Initiative, curated by TANK magazine’s fashion director, Tamsin Blanchard, which sees a week of workshops, studio visits and seminars meant to connect designers around the globe with the public at large.
In London, British designer Christopher Raeburn will be conducting various tours and workshops throughout the week from his Hackney studio space in the old Burberry factory. One such event will give guests the opportunity to create and personalise their own tote bag using samples from his past collections. His workshops will teach basic sewing skills, enabling the public to repair and customise their clothes and accessories instead of discarding them or buying ones. Raeburn notes “I am very proud of my studio and like to open it up as a creative and community hub whenever I can, with regular workshops to teach people how to sew as well as how to repair and customise their clothes and accessories”.
The Open Studios will launch with The Queen of Crochet, Katie Jones, conducting a workshop on how to use the revolutionary patches she made in collaboration with Beyond Retro. Another notable participant this is Central Saint Martins graduate, John Alexander Skelton. Upon completion of his Masters last year, Skelton won the coveted L’Oreal prize and is know for his locally sourced hand-woven fabrics, one-off jackets, and rare breed wools. Kepler, a new label based in Dalston will give visitors a go at making their own linocut fabrics while Jodie Ruffle, known for disrupting luxury sportswear conventions, will be illustrating her artisanal embroidery technique. Ruffle notes “I will be working throughout the day on a new project so will have embroidery frames etc set up – it would be nice to be able to show people how I work.”
Other global events to keep an eye out for include open-air workshops in Prato, Italy; a tie-dye workshop by Raquel Allegra in Los Angeles; shirt-making with Wilsen Willim in Jakarta; and a behind the scenes look with Kit X in Sydney.
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