Selvedge World Fair: Free to Exhibit

Image: Kavango Open Basket by Omba Arts Trust.

The deadline for applying to take part in the next Selvedge World Fair is fast approaching - 31 January 2021. We want to hear from you if you are a maker of handmade textiles using a heritage technique, process or fibre. The virtual 2021 event, celebrating cloth, culture and creativity, will take place over five days: 31 August - 4 September. The event will represent textile traditions from at least fifty countries and will include virtual workshops, talks and panel discussions. It is free to apply, and if you are selected, free to take part in.

Image courtesy of Omba Arts Trust.

As well as taking part in the event, there’s an opportunity to sell to the Selvedge audience throughout the year. The Selvedge Artisan Goods store is an ongoing project where exhibitors can continue to sell their products. For inspiration take a look at the profile pages and stores for the Omba Arts Trust from Namibia and Gönül Paksoy from Turkey. The Omba Arts Trust is more than a promoter of quality Namibian crafts and art; as a registered member of the World Fair Trade Organisation, Omba supports the sustainable livelihoods of marginalised communities in Namibia. With over 20 years refining and developing traditional and contemporary crafts in rural villages, Omba offers a diverse range of unique products - each with a story to tell. Designer and collector Gönül Paksoy absorbs elements of old and new, east and west in an astonishingly creative compound of beautiful clothing and accessories.

Image: Necklace by Gönül Paksoy.

The 2021 selections for the Selvedge World Fair will be made by six independent panels grouped according to continent. There will be an additional category of cross-cultural collaborations, for work produced as a result of a collaboration between two or more individuals from different geographic regions. The selection panels will be looking for the following: Does the work connect to the cultural heritage of the maker's home country or countries? Does it represent the diversity of handmade textile production around the world? Is the work environmentally and economically sustainable?