DECOLONISING FASHION

How East London Is Empowering Refugees Through Fashion

“At LCF, we want to use fashion to shape better lives. Fashion in the non-mainstream sense is an opportunity to reconnect, a tool to share stories, and dig deeper into feelings and emotions. Beyond what we wear, it is a form of cultural expression and valuable skills that can support livelihoods.” - Dr Francesco Mazzarella.

LCF’s Centre for Sustainable Fashion, led by Dr Francesco Mazzarella, embarked on a pivotal participatory action research exploring cultural sustainability and community resilience. The research project, titled  “Decolonising Fashion and Textiles,” […] engaged forty-one participants with either refugee or asylum-seeking status from  nineteen countries, some fleeing war, others fleeing gender-based violence, racial discrimination or  religious or political oppression. They built new connections through their textile skills and stories to  shape their experience in a new country.