Sewing Rebellion: Motifs, Migrations and Misappropriations

In this hands-on workshop, participants will learn how to cut and sew a coat using t-shirts, a “natural resource” and a symbol of the consumer culture of late western capitalism. The Sewing Rebellion will present a glimpse of Syrian garment history, the fast fashion supply chain, and instructions for making a knock-off of a Syrian child’s coat, a garment held in the collection of the Textile Museum in Washington DC. 

This production supports the Institute 4 Labor Generosity Workers & Uniforms (ILGWU) campaign to make fast fashion’s appropriation of silhouettes and motifs more transparent, through the MOTIFS, MIGRATIONS AND MISAPPROPRIATIONS campaign. This campaign reveals the exploitation and appropriation of cultural motifs by fast fashion: While cheap disposable garments travel the world, inhabitants of the countries where the motifs originate (like Syria) are banned and unwelcome to cross borders as they flee violence. 

This garment is one in a series of collaborations between museums and the Sewing Rebellion. The Sewing Rebellion is invited to choose a garment from a museum collection to put into production scheme.  Garments are chosen based on the complexity of the garment production, and the garment’s ability to represent and draw attention to contemporary injustice.

Participants should provide (if you have):

Sewing Machine

Fabric Scissors

2 t-shirts

Ruler