Red dress stitched in 51 countries completes 14-year journey

Kirstie Macleod sketched the design on a napkin in a London café in 2009. The garment took 14 years to finish. It weighs 15 pounds now. Between 2009 and 2023, 380 people across 51 countries added embroidery to 87 pieces of burgundy silk, the Fuller Craft Museum says. Most stitchers were women, many vulnerable and living in poverty; Macleod commissioned and paid them for the work. Visitors added stitches too, at exhibitions along the way.
Many stitchers were vulnerable women paid by Macleod for their work. The dress gave their stories a global audience.
Source: The Red Dress - Fuller Craft Museum (fullercraft.org). Spotted via Upworthy.
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