guest blog by Alessandra Lopez y Royo (aka Alex Bruni)
Sustainable Fashion, Migrants, Embroidery: Ateliers of 'Social Integration' is my latest book focused on fashion. Published in August 2024 by Bloomsbury as part of the Dress and Fashion research series, it delves into community-led solidarity ateliers that are carving out a vital alternative to neoliberal and neo-colonial fashion paradigms.
As we grapple with pressing issues of 'sustainability' and strive to move away from fast fashion’s exploitative business models—along with the economic, ecological, cultural, and human waste they perpetuate—these ateliers solidaires are emerging as grassroots disruptors, quietly redefining the boundaries of what constitutes ‘fashion’.
These ateliers, found both in the global North and South, under various names and guises, are embedded within a broader, varied and ever-evolving 'economy of solidarity and sharing.'
The majority of these ateliers are driven by a powerful social inclusion agenda, often working with disenfranchised communities, particularly migrants and refugees.
By valuing diverse skills in sewing and embroidery, they foster skills exchange and collaboration in clothes-making. They take the form of social enterprises, charity-run initiatives, and not-for-profit collectives, all striving for de-growth, post-growth, or simply slow growth. These ateliers nurture a community spirit, emphasising recycling and upcycling while moving away from dominant neoliberal, neocolonial, and Eurocentric fashion frameworks.
Reflecting on my fieldwork in Morocco and Southern Italy - and to a lesser extent in Turkey - I contrast these experiences with my knowledge of a few London-based initiatives. I explore select ateliers solidaires and their significance, challenging widely accepted notions of 'empowerment' and 'social integration' while offering a fresh perspective on repurposing and upcycling, informed by my background in archaeology and material culture studies.
The London-based projects are not the main focus of the book; they serve more as a counterpoint, illustrating how social tailoring fits into a larger economy of solidarity and sharing that’s here to stay. I briefly discuss businesses like Birdsong London for its significant impact on local production and its community-based approach.
In the book I wrote, “Birdsong’s commitment to its cause and indomitable spirit is admirable…the brand has been exemplary in forging ahead and keeping its production local, advocating and espousing a collaborative and community-based approach to fashion-making…a true point of reference in the London slow-fashionscape” (pp. 96-99).
Why this book, and why me?
There are countless books on sustainable fashion, so why mine? It’s written from the perspective of an advocate for change, someone who believes that migration is an integral part of the conversation on sustainability, not just in fashion but in every sphere. I consider myself an activist. Here, I quote Bolivian social anthropologist Silvia Rivera Cusicanqui: “There are two ways of approaching solidarity… there is an activism that feeds the ego, self-hype, and ‘revolutionary’ complacency, competing to show who is more ‘radical’… then there is another kind, more humble and with fewer claims to a leading role” (my translation from the original Spanish).
I'm an old hand. For many years, I was an academic, teaching visual culture and performance. I hold a PhD in Art and Archaeology from SOAS, with a background in anthropology and research fellowships at several universities. Over ten years ago, I stepped away from my post as a Reader to focus on writing and research.
My interest in fashion grew and after spending several months in Indonesia with the École française d’Extrême-Orient in Jakarta, I published a book on contemporary Indonesian fashion.
My aim was to challenge the deeply entrenched Eurocentrism in the concept of “global fashion,” questioning homogenising beauty standards and body image discourses I encountered every day when looking at the fashion and beauty industry and its impact on women.
The current book on sustainable fashion connects to the previous one through the invisible thread of decolonising fashion. My exploration of solidarity ateliers was sparked by the captivating idea of people making fashion together—sometimes outside the conventional system, though I recognise how hard it is to completely step away from it due to the economic structures we’re all bound to.
The idea of sharing knowledge - different embroidery traditions and styles - on an equal footing almost naturally led to a decolonial approach.
The Future of Social Tailoring
I’m an optimist and believe that social tailoring is here to stay, bringing fresh approaches to clothes-making. What we really need are networks that support each other. While there’s a lot of goodwill in this space, I’ve noticed a tendency to reinvent the wheel—projects operating in isolation without sufficient communication. We need to move away from a mindset of competition, which is deeply rooted in capitalism, and instead foster collaboration. Working together could establish a more sustainable and resilient presence for social tailoring initiatives.
Sustainable fashion, migrants, embroidery. Ateliers of ‘social integration’ is available from Bloomsbury Publishing.
You can listen to a podcast by Alex on the main themes of her
book(s), recorded for the Green Dialogues series of the STARS project, at this link.
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