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The British Council is bringing together young people from Manchester’s care system and survivors of war in Kitgum, Uganda in a new creative project, Woven Worlds. This collaboration uses fashion, poetry and textiles to explore identity, resilience and sustainability, while addressing the environmental impact of fast fashion and fostering cross-cultural connections.
At the core of Woven Worlds is an artistic partnership between Salford Slow Fashion CIC and IGC Fashion, a Ugandan fashion label, which both share a commitment to addressing the environmental and ethical issues of global fashion. Through this project, they aim to amplify the voices of marginalised communities, using art to challenge the stigma faced by care-experienced individuals and survivors of war, while raising awareness about the urgent need for more sustainable fashion practices worldwide.
The Woven Worlds project is supported by the British Council’s International Collaboration Grants programme, which cultivates global artistic partnerships to address social challenges and encourage long-lasting cultural exchange.
This project is built on a series of workshops in the UK and Uganda, where young people explore identity through fashion, poetry, and textiles.
At Manchester’s 42nd Street, workshop participants have been engaging in hands-on activities like tie-dye, applique, and screen printing, fostering personal expression and cross-cultural dialogue while addressing issues like fast fashion and the need for sustainable design.
Jessie Stringer-Fewtrill, textile artist, seamstress and founder of Salford Slow Fashion, has been leading these workshops with care-experienced young people in the Greater Manchester area. Commenting on the Woven Worlds project and her own experiences growing up in care, Jessie said:
“Receiving this project grant has meant more to me than words can express. For years, I struggled with shame and stigma about my experiences in care, but this project has empowered both myself and the young people to express our identities without fear.
“Finding a space where I can connect with other care-experienced individuals – where we can create art and have real, meaningful conversations – has been incredibly fulfilling. For so long, I stayed quiet about my experiences growing up in care, held back by stigma, shame, and my own introverted nature. It wasn’t until I was 28 (now 32) that I finally opened up.
“Collaborating with artists, learning from diverse cultures, and having the chance to contribute to something so powerful has been a true blessing. I’m incredibly grateful to the British Council for making this partnership possible and supporting our work together.”
In Uganda, IGC Fashion is reviving Bark Cloth, a raw, traditional textile that was once central to Ugandan identity but stigmatised during the colonial era. Woven Worlds celebrates such techniques, sparking important conversations around sustainability, textile waste, and the preservation of local crafts.
Katende Godfrey, Founder of IGC Fashion, said:
“Woven Worlds has been eye-opening for me in so many ways, from working with the communities in Kitgum to collaborating closely with Jessie.
In Kitgum, very few people speak English, especially the group I worked with, but we used art as our shared language, which was incredibly powerful. Witnessing how fashion transformed the youth, creating unity and joy, was truly moving.
Having Jessie visit Uganda, learning crafts together, and discussing how our views are merging both our countries into this collection has been the best experience ever. I can’t wait to see how people will react to what’s coming out of this collaboration.”
A young participant of the workshops, Rob, Age 20 from Greater Manchester said:
“My time within these workshops was unique. It gave me a chance to express myself through creating the quilt. I hope to be involved in future works, the staff were kind, understanding and down to earth.”
Later this month, Katende Godfrey, Founder of IGC Fashion, will travel to Manchester to collaborate with Jessie Stringer-Fewtrill of Salford Slow Fashion and local artists at Islington Mill, a historic site integral to the city’s textile heritage. Through natural rust dyeing, embroidery, and quilt-making, they will blend the rich textile traditions of both Manchester and Uganda, creating a collection that honours the history and spirit of both places while promoting sustainable fashion.
The project will culminate in digital and physical exhibitions in Manchester and Kampala in Summer 2025, with a dedicated website to showcase the collection and the stories behind it. Woven Worlds hopes to spark global conversations on ethical fashion, textile waste, and the power of community-led design, with the ambition to take the collection on a global tour, continuing to amplify marginalised voices worldwide.
