On Textiles
the stories of movement, fashion and textiles
Textiles serve as vessels for much more than material. It is through fabric that stories of movement, identity, and resilience are stitched together. Underpinning LAGO Collective’s collaborations with textile designers and creatives is the view that textiles hold intricate narratives of history and culture, boundaries and connection.
Textiles as Vessels of Creativity
For centuries, textiles have acted as markers of identity, creative exploration, economic exchange, and social resilience. Across the globe, there are many textile designers and organisations working at the intersection of sustainability and creativity, using discarded second-hand textiles and garments to tell a new story. The merging of creativity and re-use is at the heart of some of the most exciting projects happening today. In places like Accra, Ghana, and London, UK, local makers are reimagining the future of fashion by upcycling textile waste into valuable, wearable art. At LAGO Collective, we believe in the beauty of textiles to not only preserve cultural heritage but also innovate sustainability.
Collaboration Across Borders
Textiles and materials move across borders, swayed by the flows of fast fashion, global consumer demands and waste cycles. Kantamanto Market receives 15 million garments every week, with the majority coming from the UK, and received by traders, and designers who repurpose the items into something beautiful.
In October 2024, LAGO Collective collaborated with ODI Global and ReLondon to deliver a ‘Circular Economy for Textiles Exchange’ trip to Accra, Ghana for four UK-based SMEs, to advance Circular Economy practices across the global textiles and fashion value chain, initiate dialogue and foster collaboration between different stakeholders. The ripple effects of this exchange included a collaboration between The Revival and FibreLab, who produced a series of patchwork jackets made entirely from 100% upcycled materials sourced from Kantamanto Market. Every stitch tells a story of cross-cultural exchange, innovative and curious creativity and sustainability. The entire production process—design, manufacturing, and final assembly—takes place within The Revival’s studio, underscoring the power of local production, championing sustainable fashion practices and serving as a powerful example of how textile waste can be transformed into high-quality items, rich with individuality.
When members of the LAGO team visited Kantamanto in Accra, Ghana, they saw a bustling market where what would be considered "waste" in the fashion industry is being transformed into something entirely new. Skilled local artisans and traders specialise in upcycling fashion garments, breathing new life into textiles that might otherwise end up in landfills. "We see textile waste as a resource and a blank canvas to express our creativity," says Yayra Agbofah, founder of The Revival, a Ghana-based organisation that’s redefining fashion's relationship with waste. Through meticulous craftsmanship and design, discarded clothes are turned into something valuable - clothing that is innovatively both purposeful and beautiful.
These stories are part of a larger global movement that emphasises collaboration between cities, creatives, and communities. Through initiatives like the ones supported by ODI Global and the cities of Freetown, Milan, Durban, and London, the exchange of ideas, resources, and creative practices is growing. This collaboration is vital to reshaping the fashion industry in a way that is inclusive, sustainable, and driven by cultural exchange. When we embrace the movement of people and ideas, we open doors to new ways of working, designing, and creating that transcend the limitations of borders.
Textiles as Identity, Heritage and Resistance
Within dress and textiles, careful choices speak to the wearer’s identity. Defined by colours, stitches, textiles, motifs and patterns, textiles can be indicators to an individual’s personal and societal identity, and emblematic of the political contexts in which it was made.
Tatreez is an ancient Palestinian craft of hand-embroidery characterised by complex embroidery and beauty and constitutes a visual language reflecting the makers’ origins and identities. Tatreez has historically been, and remains today, a practice embedded in nature – e.g. taking inspiration from local fauna and flora -, in symbolism – with the motifs of the ‘Embroidered Woman’ becoming powerfully symbolic of resistance to Israeli occupation after the Nakba –, in preserving stories and histories, and as an act of communal work and solidarity.
This speaks to the role of textiles as an act of resistance and as an act of preserving familial solidarity in the face of oppression. A creative collaboration between Nawal, from Walaja and her son Hatim who was imprisoned by Israel is a powerful example of this. The two would pass a lampshade between the two of them, embroidering pieces together in turns. When craft objects were banned, some people hoarded olive stones to use for beading, de-threading towels for embroidery and smuggling needles in book spines. The preservation of tatreez in the midst of an attack on Palestinian identity is resistance and defiance. There is also a softness and tenderness within the process, in embodying both personal and public resistance, of transporting words, messages and comfort within textiles.
The fabric of our world is woven not only from threads of textile but from the stories, and experiences of those who cross borders—whether physical, emotional, cultural, or creative borders. These textiles, full of movement and history, are reminders of the importance of collaboration, of resilience, and heritage. In a world where fashion is constantly evolving, one thread remains consistent: the power of textiles to unite people, foster creative practices and embody personal and public resistance.