A GROUND-BREAKING fashion project is being launched this week that aims to help Lancashire 'grow its own clothes.'
Homespun/Homegrown, which will launch in Blackburn, aims to draw on the county's rich industrial heritage to sew and grow fields of flax and woad, which will then be spun, woven and dyed to make brand new clothes.
The project is being run by designer and Great British Sewing Bee judge Patrick Grant alongside Lancashire arts commissioning group Super Slow Way and North West England Fibreshed, who will also be looking for volunteers to help with each stage of the process.
Mr Grant said: "We are looking for lots of local volunteers to join us in a ground-breaking regenerative fashion project, happening right here in Blackburn.
"We’ll be making Blackburn the first town in modern times to grow its own clothes!
"The idea is simple, we will take some unused land in the town and turn it into a field of flax and woad.
"From the flax we’ll spin and weave linen, and from the woad we’ll make natural indigo dye, we plan to make denim, and from that we’ll make some jeans.
"As well as making some great sustainable clothing we’ll be creating new habitats for wildlife and helping regenerate the soil."
A variety of natural techniques will be used to grow materials
The project will be officially launched on Friday April 23 and together the organisers hope to be able to present Blackburn's first homegrown pair of jeans at the British Textile Biennial in October.
In the long term, Mr Grant with his social enterprise Community Clothing and his partners aim to build communities of fibre and dye growers, processors, repairers and recyclers across Pennine Lancashire.
They also aim to produce home-grown textiles and garments in a healthy, resilient and regenerative textile ecosystem on its disused green spaces and in vacant cotton mills, alongside the Leeds and Liverpool Canal.
North West England Fibreshed coordinator Justine Aldersey-Williams said: "By creating short, transparent supply chains that directly link farms to fashion and reintroducing textile crops, skills and manufacturing infrastructure to UK shores, I hope the Homegrown/Homespun project will raise awareness of clothing as a renewable, agricultural product with the potential to regenerate both ecology and economy.
"In addition, as a natural dyer, it will be an honour to share this historic craft with a wider audience while hand dyeing our first pair of jeans during the British Textile Biennial in October.”
The project is looking for volunteers to get involved
In the meantime though, Mr Grant hopes that the project will be an excellent outlet for people in Blackburn and beyond to get outdoor and learn new skills.
He said: "We want people to please come along, get their hands dirty and do something amazing for the planet on Friday April 23, when we will be sowing the flax, and inviting people to come and meet the team and see how they can get involved.”
The launch will be taking place between 10am and 2pm on Friday on land near Jan’s Conference Centre, Higher Audley Street, Blackburn with anyone interested in volunteering welcome to attend.
To find out more, go to: https://superslowway.org.uk/.
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