Seeking the Light & Truth Within: The Red Dress
The Red Dress is a thirteen-year global collaborative embroidery project and brainchild of Somerset artist, Kirstie Macleod. The Red Dress is currently on show at London's Fashion & Textile Museum, as part of a World Tour.
The Red Dress provides an artistic platform for women, many of whom have been marginalised and live in poverty, to tell their personal stories. From 2009 to 2022, pieces of the Red Dress travelled the globe being continuously embroidered onto. Constructed out of 84 pieces of burgundy silk dupion, the garment has been worked on by 336 women and 7 men, from 46 countries, with all 136 commissioned artisans paid for their work (as well as receiving a portion of all ongoing exhibition fees). The rest of the embroidery was added by willing audience at various exhibitions & events.
Embroiderers include female refugees from Palestine and Syria, women seeking asylum in the UK from Iraq, China, Nigeria and Namibia, victims of war in Kosovo, Rwanda, and DR Congo; impoverished women in South Africa, Mexico, and Egypt; individuals in Kenya, Japan, Turkey, Sweden, Peru, Czech Republic, Dubai, Afghanistan, Australia, Argentina, Switzerland, Canada, Tobago, Vietnam, Estonia, USA, Russia, Pakistan, Wales, Colombia and England, students from Montenegro, Brazil, Malta, Singapore, Eritrea, Norway, Poland, Finland, Ireland, Romania and Hong Kong as well as upmarket embroidery studios in India and Saudi Arabia. Initially the project sought to generate a dialogue of identity through embroidery, merging diverse cultures, with no borders. However, over the 13 years the dress has also become a platform for self-expression and an opportunity for voices to be amplified and heard. Many of the artisans are established embroiderers, but there are also pieces created by first time embroiderers. The artisans were encouraged to create a work that expressed their own identities whilst adding their own cultural and traditional experience. Some used specific styles of embroidery practiced for hundreds of years within their family, village, or town whilst others chose simple stitches to convey powerful events from their past. Some of the women are re-building their lives with the help of embroidery, by using their skill or being trained in embroidery to earn a decent and consistent living.
“It was a pleasure working with Helen from start to finish. Her unique vision and mission were perfectly aligned to the Red Dress’s story, and her flexibility with my limitations on timing and the filming itself were worked around with ease. Helen is clearly very passionate about her work and has the experience and understanding of her practice to produce engaging, thought-provoking pieces of film. Hugest of thanks Helen!”
For more information: https://reddressembroidery.com/
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