Sewing Box for the Future: an exploration of participatory design in fashion, to identify strategies for prolonging the lifetime of everyday clothing.

Sewing Box for the Future’, is a live research project and pop-up exhibition with participatory resources developed in partnership with V&A Dundee and the University of Dundee. Using the idea of the sewing box as a metaphor, to raise awareness about diminishing sewing skills through exploration of participatory design in fashion, to identity strategies for prolonging the lifetime of everyday clothing. It argues for further research within the sphere of the ‘use phase’ of clothing by focusing on three themes: care, repair and customisation. The materiality of this project has proven to be a vital part supported by a Sewing Box for the Future toolkit, a resource with ten activity cards and resources, these critical artefacts use speculative narratives to enable individuals to re-imagine the possibilities for maintaining existing wardrobes.

This research argues for a more human-centred approach to caring for our clothing to explore opportunities for extending their lifetime. Fashion and the clothing we wear is part of the social fabric of our daily lives, we can use it to tell stories, to educate and upskill and to inspire new possibilities. This project will continue to learn, grow and respond to how the enabling artifacts are being utilised and applied, to explore further re-use strategies for a regenerative fashion system and to advocate for change-making by nurturing the exchange of knowledge, skills and empowering individuals.