Post-Grad Mixer: Melanin Modalities x Decolonising Fashion Society

To celebrate the Melanin Modalities in Fashion and Culture exhibition, Post-Grad Community organised a mixer with MA Fashion Futures graduate Tolu Ashiru, Decolonising Fashion Society, and the Fashion Space Gallery.

Over 30 students joined us for the evening, which began with the opportunity to view - and smell - the exhibition, the scent of vanilla following us as we approached the displays. Conversation flowed as we took in the incredible work on display from London College of Fashion staff, students and alumni, which inspired a new depth of appreciation for the contributions of Black culture, history and artists to fashion.

After seeing the exhibition, everyone was very excited to begin Tolu Ashiru’s workshop and learn more about her creative practice and research. Adire is a traditional Nigerian textile craft, using resist-dying techniques that have been developed over centuries. Tolu’s technique involves heat-fusing waste plastic material to upcycle fabric with Adire-influenced designs.

The LCF John Prince’s Street canteen became a hive of activity, as participants first created their designs, choosing motifs from the books and other materials Tolu provided to explore, and drawing these onto the back of the plastic. Many people chose patterns or images that had personal significance for them. These were then cut out by hand and placed onto pieces of fabric that had been donated to the SWAP SHOP at Central Saint Martins.

The heat fusing process was fascinating – many people said the machine Tolu uses is like a giant sandwich press – but most fantastic of all was seeing each person’s final product. Some attendees said they would frame their piece, others plan to incorporate it into a cushion or garment. As everyone drew, cut, and lined up for the heat press, they shared stories about textiles, culture, their own artistic practices, and of course their experiences so far at UAL.

Thank you to Tolu Ashiru, for running an incredible workshop, Yaska Sahara Hirani Harji and the rest of the Decolonising Fashion Society for co-hosting, and the staff at the Fashion Space Gallery for supporting the event, including Jessica Taylor, Tamsin Ace, and Cyrus K. Corbin.