Quilting the fashion Pluriverse

Join in with a new, creative community patchwork 'quilt' project where we will refashion our existing ideas of all that fashion can be, and stitch a new fashion vision into being: a vision of "flourishing, resilient communities and clothing systems that restore our planet on which we depend."

As part of the 'quilting the fashion pluriverse' project, we hope to produce a physical object, in the form of a community 'patchwork quilt', made by many members of the community, with each piece of the patchwork representing that maker's vision for an alternative fashion world. These pieces will make up our collective visions of a fashion pluriverse...

A pluriverse is "a world where many worlds fit and all people’s worlds coexist with dignity & peace without being subject to diminishment, exploitation, misery."

Just like the pluriverse, a patchwork quilt is formed by stitching together lots of pieces of different types of fabric, from different times and places, holding different ideas and stories, representing diverse identities.

The pieces of our quilt will be made from deconstructed, discarded clothing, collected locally, and we will quilt the pieces together, slowly, together, as we imagine and create diverse new visions of all that fashion could be and do.

Throughout the project, we will unpick our existing ideas and understandings, as we unpick items of clothing reproduced by the existing Fashion system, and stitch together new visions of flourishing fashion communities.

We hope that lots of you will want to take part in this project, which we plan to be working on slowly, over the coming weeks, months, even years.

You don't need to be an experienced sewist or quilter, you might not have ever even picked up a needle and thread. All you need is your imagination, and willingness to share your ideas with others.

If you're coming for the first time, you will find out more about the vision and how to get involved with the project, and perhaps have a go at some gentle unpicking and stitching with us on the evening. If you've been before, you can work on your existing quilt piece, or help stitch the existing pieces together.

All materials and equipment will be provided. Quilters of all ages are welcome, but all under-18s must be accompanied.

What does it cost?

There is a suggested minimum donation to take part in these sessions each month, based on the level of your financial privilege.

We use the Green Bottle sliding scale as a measure of financial privilege. We suggest you budget for around £5 if if your financial situation is best described by the full bottle, and for around £3 if your financial circumstances are best described by the half-full bottle.

Any donations you make over and above covering venue hire and refreshments go straight into supporting our work, including things like buying materials and equipment, and subsidising activities for those who cannot afford to access them, so if you are in a position to and would liek to give more, all donations and support are gratefully received.

If you are unwaged, or low-waged (ie. your green bottle is nearly empty), meaning a donation is not possible for you, you are welcome to attend the learning circle for free, but we would encourage you to think about how you could donate an hour of your time per month to support the work of We Wear The Trousers, if this is possible for you.

You can donate by via eventbrite by selecting the 'donation' option, which will allow you to choose how much to donate. You can also donate by cash or card on the night- Select the 'I prefer to donate in person' option and your ticket will appear as free on Eventbrite.

We do ask that if you book without paying but find you need to cancel, that you cancel with 48 hours notice. This allows us to make the decision about whether to cancel the event if we don't have enough people booked on to cover the venue costs. If you cancel with less than 48 hours notice, we ask you to consider still making your donation, if you are able to do so.

What to bring with you:

We are able to make hot or cold drinks at the venue, so do please bring a reusable cup or bottle with you if you would like to make a drink.

You are very welcome to bring food or snacks with you; lots of us eat a sandwich or thermos with soup to eat at about 6pm as for those coming straight from work, it gets a bit late to eat tea when we finish at 8.30pm!

You are welcome to bring your own sewing materials with you, but there is no need to bring anything, as all materials and equipment will be provided.

The Venue:

The Stage is on the west side of St Augustine’s Street, near the turning into Sussex Street. There are cycle racks at either end of St Augustine’s Street and in Sussex Street and the venue is close to bus links and parking at Anglia Square.

The venue has a wheelchair accessible toilet but this is not a changing places toilet, and requires the user to be able to transfer themselves onto the toilet without assistance. There is step-free access from the back of the building, accessible via Sussex Street. Drop-off is possible at the back of the building.

If you have any questions about accessibility, please get in touch with us by email at wewearthetrousers (at) gmail.com or message us via social media.

Event Venue & Nearby Stays

The Stage, 52 St Augustines St, Norwich, United Kingdom