Fashion / Fashion
A female fashion revolution
SisterWorks is an innovative and inspiring Bristol female empowerment organisation created by a collective of women who aspire to encourage more women (and those identifying as women) into the creative and music industries.
The collective aim to inspire women to try a new skill, find their confidence, encourage and support them by running workshops and events, collaborating with successful women in industry, to share their skills with other women, whilst promoting equality, including disabilities and ethnic minorities, in business and every day life.
Volunteers from the SisterWorks collective
The first ever SisterWorks event was held at dBs Music. Being a university college, it was perfect for the event with open spaces and lecture theatres for panel discussions and dance, soundproof music rooms equipped with turntables, instruments and music tech plus computer suites and break out areas, which worked well for the smaller workshops including fashion.
is needed now More than ever
“We are so, so happy with how it all went,” said SisterWorks founder, Dutty Girl DJ and fashion designer, Louisa Jones. “There was an amazing buzz of excitement in the air and a great amount of support and love between everybody who attended. We’ve had some brilliant feedback from participants, hosts and panellists who came along, I know that from the team’s side too, we ourselves felt so inspired by the day. There was a real sense of solidarity.
“The three fashion workshops were really great with some fantastic hosts on board. The women attending really got to explore so many different aspects of fashion, from illustration to writing and blogging to the actual process of making. Lydia Higginson’s workshop saw the women make up their own pair of French knickers! Just how fantastic and empowering is that? We really can’t wait to offer even more creative workshops going forward and to showcase more of the many different areas of the fashion industry.”
Saskia Kovandzich Photography
Fashion designer Fran Moon May designs work the streetwear fashion brand Tail End and founder of the Fashion Front projects, where she gets together with local marginalised groups to inspire and encourage them to create amazing fashion garments that are then showcased at the now legendary Fashion Front fashion shows alongside other independent Bristol designers including Neat Frontage and Kokomo.
Fran is no stranger to sharing skills and nurturing talent so it seemed obvious that she should host a workshop at the SisterWorks event. Many of the workshops were taster classes which allowed people to learn in their own time and decide if each workshop was for them or not, Fran hosted a 50-minute Fashion Illustration workshop.
“I was over the moon when invited to host a workshop at the SisterWorks event this year, a welcomed project to bring in the new year and shake away the January blues,” says Fran. “The SisterWorks ethic is one that I hold close to my heart, any chance to support a fellow female and I will jump at that opportunities. The day started with a warm welcome from enthusiastic team members who showed me to my well-equipped room. I was running a fashion workshop that I developed when working on a project teaching women going through the criminal justice system.”
Fran Moon May hosts a Fashion Illustration workshop at the Sisterworks event.
“The workshop is a simple yet effective way of producing a striking fashion drawing without the need to have strong drawing skills,” adds Fran. “The aim of any workshop I hold is to instill confidence and creativity in the people who are taking part. The day was a well organised event with a wide range of activities spanning from panel talks with industry professionals to sessions in how to love yourself. Every corner was filled with excited, supportive, inspiring women. I even got to have a go at becoming a hip-hop R’n’B DJ. A day I would never forget that made me feel empowered and connected from my head to my toes. ten out of ten. When is the next event? Sign me up!”
The overwhelming feeling of support and that something new was happening at the SisterWorks event was embraced by the inspirational women in industry talks which included, Knowle West Media Centre’s Mena Fombo a leadership coach and activist for equality, local singer songwriter Eva Lazurus, singer Lizz.E from Fresh 4 and singer/songwriter and The Voice contestant Tanya Lacey, who spoke about their successes and difficulties being a women in industry, the powerful talks left every attendee feeling energised, motivated and proud to be a women.
The second half of the day included more in-depth workshops, where attendees got to be a bit more hands on with a chosen skill, with a chance to get to know their hosts and the other females in their chosen workshops, a little better. All ticket holders got to choose three different new skills before the event, which worked effortlessly as you made your way to your next workshop (helped along the way by the many SisterWorks volunteers) making the whole day run efficiently with no time wasted deciding over what workshop you should attend.
The inspiring fashion designer and seamstress Lydia Higginson hosted a very popular Fashion Sewing-Lace lingerie workshop. This attracted a great buzz on the day, with the chance to make your own knickers! Lydia is London based but runs her own sewing workshops at the Bristol Textile Quarter and writes a blog under the name Made My Wardrobe, where she first got media attention for giving away all of her shop bought clothes and successfully handmade all of her clothes, creating her dream wardrobe.
Fashion workshop host Lydia Higginson of Made My Wardrobe
“The whole event was an amazing way to bring together so many talented women from across the creative sector in Bristol,” Lydia says. “For me fashion and music will always be intrinsically kinked so it was great to collaborate with lots of the women who are the driving force behind the Bristol music scene. I’m a seamstress and my background is in costume for theatre, which will always be where I’m most inspired creatively. I think clothes are very powerful tools on stage and in everyday life, I want to inspire others to make themselves beautiful clothes that they love to wear.”
In the five months the SisterWorks collective have been together they have achieved so much,
it was positively inspiring to see so many different women get together, share stories, learn new skills and feel empowered. Alongside groups like Bristol Women in Music, Saffron Records, Gal Dem, Womens Tech Hub and now SisterWorks, there is a female revolution happening in Bristol and about time too!
Keep up with SisterWorks news and events at www.facebook.com/sisterworks.co
Read our Fashion Editor Emma’s blog No Dubutante at www.no-debutante.blogspot.co.uk
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