Dress embroidered by hundreds goes on display

Women from Ukraine took part in The Red Dress project

A dress embroidered by 380 people from across the world is to go on display as part of a month-long celebration of textiles.

The Red Dress is a project led by artist Kirstie Macleod, which began in 2009 and involved work by 367 women and girls, 11 men and boys and two non-binary people from 51 countries.

It will be displayed in Yorkshire for the first time as part of Woven, a biennial festival celebrating textile heritage crafts in Kirklees.

Ms Macleod said she was excited to be showcasing the piece at Oakwell Hall in Birstall.

She said: "Oakwell Hall looks absolutely breathtaking. It has its own history and tradition, so it will be interesting to see The Red Dress in such a space.

"It's brilliant that they have this festival. I haven't been to an equivalent - a whole month of textile based happenings and events is fantastic."

Hundreds of people created embroidered sections of the dress

The Red Dress exhibition, which coincides with World Stitch Day on Sunday, will be the first time the item has been on display since Ms Macleod published a book about the artwork.

It tells the story of the dress's creation, as well as some of the stories of the people involved in creating it.

Only 23 women have worn the dress, Ms Macloed said, but she has turned down many requests from people wanting to borrow it.

"You have to have contributed to the project to be able to wear the dress," she said.

"I really wanted it to have this very kind of strong, empowered feeling to it, but also hopefully be quite timeless.

"I have had so many people asking to wear it for various performances, weddings, even a coronation, but I said no because I'm trying to keep the focus of the project on the embroiderers and their stories.

"There was one curator from Bosnia who wore it and then a politician from Kosovo who was connected, otherwise it's all the embroiderers who have worn it."

Woven festival runs from 1 to 30 June and is run by Kirklees Council. It was established in 2019 and takes place every other year.

The theme for 2025 is Connecting Culture, with more than 100 events designed to bring communities together.

Curator Natalie Walton said it would be the most "inclusive and diverse festival to date".

"We're really excited to empower and connect communities together through the universal language of textiles, celebrating our rich heritage while looking toward the innovative future of the industry in the area," she said.

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