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GFA22@STOF

On 30 June 2022, a number of GFA22 hosting coalitions hosted an online workshop Practicing Decoloniality at the International Fashion Conference: Ways of Caring Practicing - Solidarity organised by Artez Design School for the biennale State of Fashion in Arnhem. The workshop drew on our experiences of what it means to practice decoloniality (in curating a fashion programme) by decentring ways of working collectively. Five elements that have been key to the GFA’s development were explored, namely notions of listening, humbling, and hosting; and, questions of global time, and translation/translatability. Together we explored our processes to find pathways to be in relation with a network of fashion(ing) communities in order to practice decoloniality beyond content. The workshop engaged with concepts of collaboration that are key to the future of fashion, expand the nexus of decoloniality and fashion, and engage multiple partners and stakeholders across diverse, global fashion(ing) systems.

Watch the full recording on the GFA Youtube channel

Events: Values
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GLOBAL FASHIONING ASSEMBLY 2022

On 21-23 October, the first Global Fashioning Assembly (GFA22) took place, hosted by twelve coalitions in fourteen countries, across six continents, for thirty-six hours. The coalitions organised conversations, screenings, visits, workshops and crafts, both online and offline, addressing museum collections, artisan knowledges and heritages, decolonial creative practices and critical research.  


DAY 1: 21 OCTOBER 2022

The Fashioning Assembly Aotearoa

The New Zealand Fashion Museum, coordinated by Doris de Pont, presented the Fashioning Assembly Aotearoa, starting off the GFA22 with a ritual blessing and a series of talks, workshops and presentations that explored diverse ways of self-fashioning and communal care for future generation.

Watch their session


Coming Home/Elge Oralu

explored the search for identity, place of origin and sense of home in Kazakhstan history and culture with interviews, performances and presentations coordinated by Aika Alemi, Nursulu Jaxybai, Akerke Adejan, Vlad Sludskiy & Born Nomad artisans.

Watch their session

The Pakistan Collective for Decolonial Practices

The PCDP hosted an interdisciplinary seminar offering multiple perspectives on the possibilities of and need for decolonising the curriculum,  featuring Zeb Bilal, Sonya Battla, Rohma Khan, Kohi Marri, Mehwish Abid and Pakeezah Zaidi.

Watch their session

Own Your Culture

OYC brought together founder Chepkemboi Mang'ira and cultural change makers and social entrepreneurs Sylvia Omina and Angela Mutethya who shared stories about their work aimed at restoring Kenyan culture and craftsmanship through a digital platform.

Watch their session

AFRI_inConversation: Threads of Thought 

The African Fashion Research Institute (AFRI)  presented an immersive dialogue between four South African creatives, Erica de Greef, King Debs, Lesiba Mabitsela and Scott Williams, about how they meet as South African creatives, why they do what they do and how they navigating contemporary, decentred praxis and critical pedagogies.

Watch their session

DAY 2: 22 OCTOBER 2022

The Centre for Research of Fashion and Clothing (CIMO)

CIMO, a non-profit organization based in Zagreb that focusses on contextualizing local fashion practices and phenomena in relation to the global fashion system and dominant fashion discourse, presented a re-reading of workwear clothing practices, working class cultures and socialist industrial production histories.

Watch their full session

TLP@GFA22

The Research Collective for Decoloniality and Fashion (RCDF) invited The Linen Project (TLP), which was initiated in 2018 to investigate and work towards reactivating the economic viability of small-scale local flax cultivation and linen production in the Netherlands. It seeks to reinstate the economy as a social, ecological and cultural domain and to strengthen socio-economic patterns and behaviours rooted in a commoning approach. The programme included inspiring presentations and testimonies by Joan den Exter (Linen Project Coordinator), Karin Wijnen (independent researcher), Hans Hutting (steward and designer), Carolien Evers (steward and knitwork designer) and Henrike Gootjes (steward and designer). The day will be moderated by Sandra Niessen (textile anthropologist).

Watch their session

Fashion Liberation Collective North Africa 

The FLCNA had three local coalitions host the GFA, presenting their take on decolonising design by exploring education as sites to think through collage as decolonial method in Egypt, weaving as embodied knowledges in Morocco, and memes as decolonial cracks in Wales.

Watch the Egyptian session

Watch the Moroccan session

Watch the Wales session

DAY 3: 23 OCTOBER 2022

Decoloniality Collective: Crossroads in the Global South

CoMoDe premiered the screening of an artistic adaptation of the academic article ‘The Fashion Crossroad Method’ written by CoMoDe researchers based in Brazil. The screening was followed by a conversation moderated by Mi Midrado.

Watch their session

Mute the Dominant Mic

The North Carolina Museum of Art saw Amanda Maples, Alexus Rhone, Chef Kabui and Shemora Shaikh share practices of communal healing with mindful fashioning, tea-drinking and henna painting.

Watch their session


Ghana International Fashion Team

GIFT presented a critical dialogue with fashion creatives Beatrice "Bee" Arthur, Nuel Bans, Rania Odaymat and Clara Pinkrah - Sam, in a panel discussion weaving together aspects of Ghanaian culture for a decolonized future fashion.

Watch their session  

Awamaki

Awamaki closed the GFA programme by offering a journey through weaving and sharing with artisan women in rural Andean communities in Peru, with Mandish Kalsi in dialogue with the Director of Awamaki, Kennedy Leavens.

Watch their session

Events: Values

SAVE THE DATE

GFA 2024

The GFA will return in 2024 for our next biennale. If you would like to become a host or have an idea you would like to share, get in touch via email.

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