Old fabrics : πε.ρι.το_οι.κει.ο

Abstract

The proposed project positions itself within the field of museum, material
culture and heritage studies but at the same time it shifts the attention to the history of
fashion and fashion industry while drawing on local community and work force. The
interdisciplinary nature of the idea links together the debate on sustainability and
reuse of heritage with the social history of fabrics, retail shops and cloth makers and
opens up possibilities for more transparency in the process of cloth making and the
management of raw materials.
First, I look at the discourse of sustainability and link it with heritage and the fashion
industry. Then, I turn to the particular and examine a) the repurposing of the
Etmektzoglou silk deadstock produced at the Etmektzoglou silk mill in Volos during
the 20th century b) the research idea revolving around the art of sewing and the reuse
of fabrics and clothes from homes in urban Athens, during 1920-1980.