The Red Dress: Conversations in Stitch celebrates the award-winning garment conceived by artist Kirstie Macleod and created by 380 individuals in 51 countries over 14 years from 2009-2023. The dress weaves together the diverse stories of its contributors across borders and boundaries uniting artisans and audiences in the shared community of embroidery. Composed of 87 panels of burgundy silk dupion (approx. 25m of fabric) embellished with an estimated 1-1.5 billion stitches using a wide variety of traditional techniques, The Red Dress was created by 141 commissioned artisans and 239 willing embroiderers at exhibitions and events.
Since its completion, The Red Dress has travelled to major cultural and educational venues and festivals worldwide, including galleries, museums, heritage institutions and creative centres, as well as to political gatherings such as the Parliamentary Assembly of the Council of Europe (PACE) and the British Embassy in Cairo. It has ignited discussion, debate, collaboration and creativity including the Calico Garment Initiative (to date there are eight accompanying calico 'sister dresses' and a calico cloak) and many other projects which have been inspired by the dress and initiated as a result of or alongside it's display.
Available in softback, limited-edition hardback and as an e-book, The Red Dress: Conversations in Stitch is a sensitive but energetic curation of material from the dress' incredible ongoing journey. It features poignant hand-selected embroiderer stories, thought-provoking and illuminating commissioned essays on themes The Red Dress brings up, such as identity, empowerment and healing trauma, and reflections from milestones in the project. The book explores links with the Royal School of Needlework, its invitation to the PACE Winter Session on Equality and Non-Discrimination in 2023 and its inclusion in the 'Knots that Bind' exhibition at Hampi Art Labs in India in 2024, nearly two decades after Kirstie's original travels to the country which sewed the first seeds for the garment.
As creator and custodian of The Red Dress, Kirstie Macleod traces the metamorphosis of the project, which originally saw her wearing and embroidering directly onto the dress from inside a Perspex box, in terms of both design, impact and ambition. She reveals personal insights from her extensive travels with the dress, which will be listed in the Guinness World Records 2025 as the largest collaborative embroidery project, including details of its creation, reception and continuing exhibition tour. Kirstie also shares the background of and practical instructions for specific embroidery styles featured on the dress.
'There are so many special and unique memories to recount from the project, such as four-year old Ukrainian refugee Adele presenting me with her design for the dress at the Council of Europe in Strasbourg, France, Bedouin Jabaliya women dancing around the completed dress in Egypt's Sinai desert and mother and daughter Sabina and Ajna Jusic embracing each other while draped in the bodice and skirt of the dress at the 'Speaking Out' exhibition at the War Childhood Museum in Sarajevo, Bosnia and Herzegovina,' says Kirstie. 'Through a combination of text, images and detailed illustrations, the book captures and communicates these moments and many more, amplifying their messages and meaning.'
The project has now achieved (supported by a successful Crowdfunder campaign and donations) its aspiration to produce a book as part of wider activities to document the garment which also include The Red Dress website, interactive Digital Red Dress, existing footage and a further planned film and archiving activities. Published by Quickthorn Books UK, which has also published On Mending: Stories of damage and repair by Celia Pym, Intelligent Hands: Why making is a skill for life by Charlotte Abrahams and Katy Bevan and Finding Quiet Strength: Emotional intelligence, embodied awareness by Judith Kleinman, The Red Dress: Conversations in Stitch joins a growing canon of literature highlighting the importance of artistic endeavours in fostering community, resolving conflict and enabling self-expression.
'I'm delighted to be able to support Kirstie and her project,' says Katy Bevan, Quickthorn publisher. 'The first time I saw The Red Dress in real life I was bowled over with how powerful it is. Just to be in the presence of the beautiful, detailed and time-consuming work that gives voice to so many women who have been silenced by society - you can almost hear it singing.'
The Red Dress: Conversations in Stitch softback book (ISBN 978-1-7393160-8-2) is published by independent publisher Quickthorn Books UK and available to purchase from quickthornbooks.com and good bookshops and online retailers for GBP25.99 (hardback GBP45.00 ISBN 978-1-0683215-0-4, e-book GBP8.99 ISBN 978-1-0683215-1-1).
Further Quotes
'What a magnificent symbol of how art can represent the power and spirit of women all over the world and transform their work, their imagination and their hope into a thing of beauty,' said Beatrice Fresko-Rolfo, Vice-President of the Committee on Equality and Non-Discrimination, at the Council of Europe in 2023 (further detailed in the book). 'Congratulations to Kirstie Macleod for having conceived this project, for having travelled all over the world to give women in towns, villages, cities, and in the country, the opportunity to express themselves individually and collectively on The Red Dress. Now we can read this dress as if it was a book, telling the personal stories of each embroiderer.' [Extract from The Red Dress: Conversations in Stitch, transcript of Council of Europe speech by Beatrice Fresko-Rolfo]
'Kirstie Macleod should be the recipient of a special international award for her unwavering resolve to draw the world's attention to the many marginalized artisan communities around the world in dire need of respect and help,' says Nana Wagner, curator at iThemba CraftArt Gallery in Stellenbosch, South Africa, where the dress travelled in July 2024, revisiting the community of one of its earliest contributors (included in the book). 'Their voices deserve to be heard, their creativity to be appreciated, their hopes for a better life strengthened and a viable future for them and their families made possible, their dignity and self-worth restored. May the beauty of The Red Dress and Kirstie Macleod's extraordinary project be seen as a beacon of hope and give a voice to the voiceless.' [Extract from The Red Dress: Conversations in Stitch, commissioned essay by Nana Wagner]
About the Author :
About Kirstie Macleod
Kirstie Macleod is an artist exploring issues of identity, the subconscious and the passage of time through colour and repetitive mark making. With a background in fine art, textiles and costume, her practice began in creating large scale installations often involving garments alongside photography, film, embroidery and painting. During 2015- 2023 she worked full time on The Red Dress project.
Useful Links
https://reddressembroidery.com/
