In human hands, these modest ingredients can repair and reinvent our wardrobes.
A stitch can fix what’s broken and enrich the boring.
Dutch textile artist Meta Struycken aims to reclaim the lost art of domestic textile
crafts.
She believes handcrafted garments can embody a beautiful rebellion against the
devastating ecological impact of the global fashion industry. “Today, more than ever,
it’s crucial to challenge the system,” Struycken argues. “It begins by valuing our
clothes, by building a more meaningful relationship with them. With sustainability at
the heart of our lifestyle choices, we should start living with clothes instead of treating
them as disposable passers-by. Repairing and reinventing our wardrobes is a
conscious - and trendsetting - way to say: I care!”
Her miniature garments (approx. 35 cm) are adorned with contemporary
interpretations of simple handicraft techniques (like stitching, embroidery, apllique
and patchwork) that, for centuries, were used in most households to repair or
repurpose clothing.
Her ambition is to restore appreciation for the beauty of domestic textile crafts and to
inspire others to pick up a needle and thread themselves.