Skip to content

WELCOME TO OUR STORE

SUPPORT OUR WORK

  • HOME
  • MAGAZINE
    • CURRENT ISSUE
    • ALL ISSUES
    • FIND SELVEDGE
    • ORDER FAQS
  • SUBSCRIBE
    • FOR YOURSELF
    • FOR SOMEONE ELSE
    • FOR STUDENTS
    • FOR AN INSTITUTION
    • SUBSCRIBER FAQS
    • SUBSCRIBER ACCESS
  • STORIES
  • SHOP
    • SELVEDGE GOODS
    • SELVEDGE TOTES
    • ARTISAN GOODS
      • ALL
      • CLOTHING
      • INTERIORS
      • ACCESSORIES
      • TOYS
      • YARDAGE
      • EXPLORE ARTISANS
      • ACCESS TALKS
    • MAGAZINES
    • BOOKS
    • ORDER FAQs
  • LEARN
    • BOOK A WORKSHOP
    • LISTEN TO A TALK
    • MEET THE MAKER
    • SLOW TV
    • TRAVEL WITH US
  • EVENTS
    • MAKERS FAIR, BATH
    • WINTER FAIR
    • TEXTILE MONTH
    • SELVEDGE TOURS
    • EVENT FAQS
  • COMMUNITY
    • JOIN OUR COMMUNITY
    • LISTEN TO A PODCAST
    • SELVEDGE OPEN STUDIO
    • VISIT A TEXTILE COLLECTION
    • SEE AN EXHIBITION
    • ENTER A PRIZE DRAW
    • MAKE A PROJECT
  • COLLABORATE
    • ADVERTISE WITH US
    • WORK WITH US
    • WRITE FOR US
    • WRITE FOR THE BLOG
    • BECOME A STOCKIST
  • OUR STORY
    • READ OUR STORY
    • GET TO KNOW US
    • READ ABOUT US
  • CONTACT US
Log in
  • Facebook
  • Pinterest
  • Instagram
  • YouTube
  • Vimeo
Selvedge Magazine
  • HOME
  • MAGAZINE
    • CURRENT ISSUE
    • ALL ISSUES
    • FIND SELVEDGE
    • ORDER FAQS
  • SUBSCRIBE
    • FOR YOURSELF
    • FOR SOMEONE ELSE
    • FOR STUDENTS
    • FOR AN INSTITUTION
    • SUBSCRIBER FAQS
    • SUBSCRIBER ACCESS
  • STORIES
  • SHOP
    • SELVEDGE GOODS
    • SELVEDGE TOTES
    • ARTISAN GOODS
      • ALL
      • CLOTHING
      • INTERIORS
      • ACCESSORIES
      • TOYS
      • YARDAGE
      • EXPLORE ARTISANS
      • ACCESS TALKS
    • MAGAZINES
    • BOOKS
    • ORDER FAQs
  • LEARN
    • BOOK A WORKSHOP
    • LISTEN TO A TALK
    • MEET THE MAKER
    • SLOW TV
    • TRAVEL WITH US
  • EVENTS
    • MAKERS FAIR, BATH
    • WINTER FAIR
    • TEXTILE MONTH
    • SELVEDGE TOURS
    • EVENT FAQS
  • COMMUNITY
    • JOIN OUR COMMUNITY
    • LISTEN TO A PODCAST
    • SELVEDGE OPEN STUDIO
    • VISIT A TEXTILE COLLECTION
    • SEE AN EXHIBITION
    • ENTER A PRIZE DRAW
    • MAKE A PROJECT
  • COLLABORATE
    • ADVERTISE WITH US
    • WORK WITH US
    • WRITE FOR US
    • WRITE FOR THE BLOG
    • BECOME A STOCKIST
  • OUR STORY
    • READ OUR STORY
    • GET TO KNOW US
    • READ ABOUT US
  • CONTACT US
Log in Cart

Item added to your cart

Access Denied
IMPORTANT! If you’re a store owner, please make sure you have Customer accounts enabled in your Store Admin, as you have customer based locks set up with EasyLockdown app. Enable Customer Accounts
SLOWING DOWN

SLOWING DOWN

September 4, 2017
Share

They say millennials are the most ethically responsible generation that ever existed. From slow food to slow fashion, there's no doubt that there's a growing culture of consuming responsibly in today’s world – and textiles are playing a key role in building this momentum. Seasoned cloth lovers of any generation will already know the benefits of designing, making and buying garments for quality and longevity, but what is it exactly that’s attracting more and more people to this textile-led life? The simple answer is artistry.

How we got to such an astute appreciation for the artistry of cloth is another article in itself –for now, we’re focussing on the makers essential to fuelling this eco-friendly movement, and one such artist in particular: UK based textiles designer and weaving and embroidery specialist, Kate Whitehead. ‘My work is a protest,’ says Kate, ‘against the way textiles are consumed in western society.’ In her work, she revels in fabrics that are in a sense humble, and quiet. Kate uses only natural materials such as cotton and calico, and specialises in dyeing with indigo. Pushing against the sheen of mass-produced, fast fashion clothing, her work shines some much needed light on older, forgotten fabrics; those bits and pieces with stories hidden in between the folds, with faded dyes and tears and frays.

‘I want to go back to slower processes,’ she explains, ‘embrace tradition, salvage the discarded, and fix the broken.’ Kate’s perspective on cloth is completely in line with the slow fashion movement, which encourages slower production schedules, fair wages, lower carbon footprints and minimum waste. Author of ‘In Praise of Slowness’ Carl Honoré claims that this slow approach intervenes as a revolutionary act in today’s world, because it encourages taking time to give quality and value to the product, and contemplating the connection with the environment. 

Every day we connect to the environment through cloth, and it’s makers like Kate who are surfacing it more and more. Whether it comes from the millennials, Gen X or Gen Y, the growing interest in sustainability is not only fuelled by consumer demands, but by artisans meeting them.

You can take part in a memory and meaning workshop with Kate Whitehead at the Selvedge Fair in Pendle this September 23rd. For more information and to book your place, click here.

www.kate-whitehead.co.uk

www.selvedge.org/pendle

Back to blog

1 comment

I love this article. I want to learn to dye….

Blair GlennSeptember 8, 2017

Leave a comment

Please note, comments need to be approved before they are published.

Invalid password
Enter

Quick links

  • SEARCH
  • ABOUT US
  • T&Cs
  • FAQs
  • PRIVACY POLICY

Subscribe to our newsletter by entering your email address below. "I just wanted to say how much I admire your informative and inspirational newsletters - I always look forward to them!" Tricia, San Rafael, USA

  • Facebook
  • Pinterest
  • Instagram
  • YouTube
  • Vimeo
Payment methods
  • American Express
  • Apple Pay
  • Diners Club
  • Discover
  • Google Pay
  • Maestro
  • Mastercard
  • Shop Pay
  • Union Pay
  • Visa
© 2025, Selvedge Magazine Powered by Shopify
  • Choosing a selection results in a full page refresh.