The Wandle Wardrobe exhibition by Elly Platt is now open at our upstairs gallery window in Stretford Mall.
The Wandle Wardrobe project is the work of costume maker and sustainable fashion advocate Elly Platt, who spent several weeks during lockdown walking the length of the River Wandle near her home in South London. The river has a long connection with textile production in the area.
During these walks, Elly gathered up any lost or discarded pieces of clothing or textiles that she found. Using these she has created a collection of quilts and garments which, together, are the Wandle Wardrobe.
Most of the clothes I found seemed legitimately lost rather than dumped, but in an era when clothes are so cheap and plentiful, have we lost our emotional attachment to our clothes? Do we lead such busy lives that it doesn’t feel worth it to look for something we’ve lost? I hope that the Wandle Wardrobe project in its various forms will spark conversations about how we treat our clothes, and our green spaces.
Elly Platt
We’re delighted to be presenting an exhibition of some of Elly Platt’s Wandle Wardrobe pieces in Manchester. The exhibition can be found in the gallery window above Stitched Up’s workshop space inside Stretford Mall. The exhibition is open now until 16th January 2022 and is free to view anytime during mall opening hours.
Visit the Wandle Wardrobe exhibition: Stitched Up, Unit 40, Stretford Mall, Chester Road, M32 9BB until 16th january 2022.
Find out more about Elly Platt’s work via her blog or follow her on Instagram.
