‘Made In Huddersfield’

‘Made in Huddersfield’: a journey through textiles past, present and future

In 2020, at the height of the Covid-19 pandemic, eleven young people from Kirklees took part in a challenge from Ignite Yorkshire and Chol Theatre: write, produce and star in a drama piece inspired by the rich textiles heritage of their region.

The youth-led development of the piece brought new, unexpected dimensions to the topic of textiles heritage. Social and political movements happening across the world at the time of development informed the way participants engaged with the subject of textiles. Fast fashion emerged as particularly important to young people, and became a central theme of the piece. Alongside the environmental impact of fast fashion, participants also explored the legacy of colonialism and economic exploitation the fast fashion industry is reliant upon. And so ‘Made in Huddersfield’ was born.

The film was shown at WOVEN Festival in 2021. Our blog post explores the story of the film’s production.