Back in January l went overt to Wells in Somerset to meet the then Mayor, Cllr Tanys Pullin, who had come up with a very novel way of raising money for charity.
She encouraged people to dig out their old wedding dresses and transform them into stunning ball gowns and evening dresses. She held runway shows and even exhibited some of the transformed gows within Wells Cathedral!
She has taken inspiration from ‘The Red Dress’ – an idea conceived by British artist Kirstie Macleod – where embroiderers from around the world added their material contribution to embellish the gown in a cross-cultural exchange of talent.
Encouraged by that project’s success – and the publicity the dress received – she came up with a slightly different approach.
She appealed for wedding dresses – languishing in wardrobes – to be transformed with flowers and other patterns and dyes – into works of art!
The reason l am mentioning all of this now is that the famous ‘Red Dress’ is actually going on display in Bath!
To be more precise it will be viewable in the Michael Pennie Gallery at Bath Spa University’s Locksbrook Campus between 10am and 6pm from 23 to 27 September, 2024.
It’s part of the programme of activities to celebrate Sustainable Fashion Week. The gown was a cross-global collaborative creative project which became known as The Red Dress, which has been exhibited in various galleries and museums worldwide.
British artist, Kirstie Macleod, conceived The Red Dress project, providing an artistic platform for individuals around the world to tell their personal stories through the craft of embroidery.
The burgundy silk dupion dress has been 14 years in the making, with its 87 pieces being continuously embroidered across the globe. The garment has been worked on by 367 women and girls, 11 men and boys and 2 non-binary artists from 51 countries worldwide.
Embroiderers include established professionals and beginners, and span people seeking refuge and asylum; survivors of war; impoverished individuals; students; and even upmarket embroidery studios.
The artists were encouraged to create a work that expressed their own identities whilst adding their own cultural and traditional experience. Over the years the dress has also become a platform for self-expression and an opportunity for voices to be amplified and heard, uniting people around the world in one exquisite garment.
The Red Dress is now complete, assembled in its final configuration, celebrating the hundreds of embroiderers that have made it what it is today.
Tamara Parsons-Baker, Executive Project Manager for the National Centre for Fashion and Sustainability at Bath Spa University, said: “We are thrilled to be hosting The Red Dress exhibition as part of our programme of events in partnership with Sustainable Fashion Week.
This exhibition not only highlights the importance of identity thought art, but also celebrates the power of art and design in creating a platform for self-expression, storytelling and cultural traditions. I encourage everyone to come and see the mesmerising Red Dress.”
Book your free tickets to see The Red Dress exhibition between 23 and 27 September, and book your free tickets to join Kirstie Macleod for an exclusive talk on the project on Tuesday 24 September.
Those who can’t make it to Locksbrook can still see The Red Dress up close and personal by exploring its digital counterpart, thanks to an innovative project led by one Senior Lecturer from Bath Spa University.
The Digital Red Dress is a collaboration between BSU and Kirstie Macleod, led by Dr Coral Manton, Senior Lecturer in Creative Computing at the Bath School of Design, with support from Richard Wood and Fred Reed from the School of Art, Film, and Media.
The project involved creating a 3D digital reproduction of the Red Dress using innovative 3D scanning techniques, broadening the reach and accessibility of the Red Dress Project to an online audience.
Meanwhile, this weekend sees the inaugural Bath Fashion Festival curated by supermodel, Jade Parfitt, taking place at the iconic Holburne Museum.
A team from BSU and its National Centre for Fashion and Sustainability will host a panel of leaders expertly placed to shed light on how they are supporting the growth of a sustainable fashion sector.
Panel members include Chancellor of Bath Spa University, Sharanjit Leyl, Professor Andy Salmon who is spearheading the development of the NCFS, Professor of Fashion and Sustainability and CEO of Fashion Roundtable, Tamara Cincik, Re-Fashioning Bath Project Lead, Sophie McKinley, Regeneration Manager, Cleo Newcombe-Jones and Gabrielle Shiner-Hill, MyWorld Fellow.
