FASHIONING CHANGE WORKSHOP
LCF x REGO

Type

Workshop, Fashion Design

Location

London, UK

Year

2021

REGO, led by Dr. Francesco Mazzarella, is a strategic design project connecting creatives across disciplines. It aims to empower young people to shape their lives with purpose. As part of the MA Fashion Future course, I led a design team that developed a workshop at Belmont Park School. Our workshop used fashion activism to raise awareness about the rise of knife crimes among East London's youth.

It is essential to end the stigmatization and discrimination faced by young people. Providing them with a strong support system during adolescence is crucial for their growth and development. By listening to their voices, diverting them from toxic environments and encouraging them to find solutions to problems and conflicts, we can help them become the best versions of themselves. This project's primary priorities are guiding young people in making sound decisions and empowering them to take charge of their lives.

Based on our research, our design team identified a way to contribute to reducing youth crime: supporting youth services, social care, and extracurricular activities. With this in mind, we have decided to create a workshop at Belmont Park School in East London. The workshop aims to raise awareness about youth violence and provide students with alternative paths to explore.

DESIGNING A WORKSHOP:
Fashioning Change Workshop

This workshop is part of the ReGo Collaborative Challenge, using fashion activism to create new designs, a social enterprise and new narratives against youth violence. Our team of LCF MA students (Design team of ReGo Collaborative Challenge Project) delivered this workshop at Belmont Park School in Waltham Forest, London. It is designed to be collaborative and interactive, engaging students in an art activity while teaching them about fashion activism. The workshop aims to bring joy and playfulness, introducing sustainability in fashion and encouraging students to participate in hands-on creative activities with a fashion activism approach.

The workshop was conducted in a joyful and lighthearted manner, as the goal was not to instil fear but to focus on empowering young people to shape their lives with purpose and create positive social change. Students were encouraged to tap into their happy memories, interests, and hobbies, and use shapes and colors to customize hats made with a zero-waste pattern cutting technique. Additionally, their creations were displayed at the ReGo Collaborative Challenge presentation, providing a sense of accomplishment and boosting their self-confidence.

Zero Waste Hat

Watch our zero-waste bucket hat-making process in this short video. Inspired by Japanese origami, the hat is made from a single square of fabric, leaving no offcuts.

In addition to raising awareness of youth violence, we aim to spotlight the environmental impact of the fashion industry. By showcasing alternative design methods, we emphasize the importance of seeking sustainable solutions and rethinking traditional approaches.

During the workshop, we presented this video as a demonstration for the activity segment. In this activity, we encouraged students to express their inner thoughts, feelings, and hopes by drawing symbols of joy on the zero-waste hat. The video served as inspiration for their creative journey.

THE 'SHAPES OF JOY' BAG

The captivating shapes and designs from the students' drawings are transformed into badges and charms, crafted from metal sheets sourced from knives. These badges symbolize the students' hopes and dreams, often overlooked or misrepresented by media coverage of youth violence, which unfairly impacts all young people. The drawings reflect their youthful spirit and playfulness, conveying meaningful messages without words. These badges are skillfully sewn onto a versatile multiway bag made from recycled denim, which is proudly displayed in the Rego Exhibition.