After years working in the industry- trying to get consumers to embrace 'sustainable fashion' alternatives with the brand Little Black Pants Club, artists Alice Holloway and Joel Gray decided to try a new approach.
The thing is, its not really consumers fault. By the time a garment ends up in their hands- all the important decisions have been made. And even if they don't buy it, in some ways the damage has already been done, because brands carry on making. They make first and sell later. The pesticides are sprayed on the cotton, and the dyes are dumped in the rivers, and the cutting room waste is sent to landfill, without the consumer even knowing what it is they'll be told to buy next season.
So instead of just writing another dry blog post, trying to explain how thousands of cotton farmers in India were committing suicide because they were so indebted to pesticide companies, we decided to make art, and disrupt how consumers think about clothes with an immersive experience.
Sweatshop is a participatory performance artwork, where the public are invited to take part in the creation of a one off, upcycled, sustainable, organic, zero carbon sweatshirt of their very own.
We take them through every step of creating a sweatshirt- choosing the right size pattern (spoiler; they all want oversized), picking out the fabrics (when else can you have the sleeves different colours) and then pedalling to power the machine whilst a skilled machinist sews it all together right there in front of you.
From humble beginnings down an alley by some railway arches in Brixton London. Sweatshop has toured London and the South of England, making over 100 unique sweatshirts at 15 festivals and community events in 2022.
"What did you enjoy most about your day at Thrive? 'The Sweatshop bike- having something to take home to remember Thrive' Alex, Thrive (Festival by Sense Charity) steering group"
For us its about the joy. This sweatshirt isn't just another sweatshirt. There's nothing quite like seeing kids running around still wearing an up cycled wool blanket at the end of the day. Its a chance to enter a new imaginary, where fashion cares what you think. Where fashion cares that your favourite colour is green and you want flappy arms so you can impersonate a penguin.
If we are going to shift the system, and it needs to shift a very frighteningly large amount. Joy, inclusion, care and creativity are much better motivators than dense science or overwhelming guilt.
What's the next step for Sweatshop? We're currently working with industrial designers to create our own transportable, hand crank, jersey knitting machine. Rolling back the 4th wall one more step and inviting participants to make the fabric that their sweatshop is made of!
To be part of this next step- BOOK US. All profits from our bookings are reinvested in the next phase.
