In 2024, Story Factory collaborated with The Social Outfit to deliver a unique project to raise the profile and voices of young women from Birrong Girls and Bossley Park high schools in Western Sydney.
Students met refugee and new migrant women who are trained by, and employed at, The Social Outfit, as well as the dedicated team operating the organisation. The students, sewing technicians, artists and storytellers explored fashioning as it relates identity, culture and self expression. The young women shared their ideas and wrote a range of stories.
The students explored these topics further with artistic facilitators Issy Parker, Chatchakonrak Promchan and Sonya Price-Kelly who supported them to create physical artforms; ceramic formations, pastel and marker drawings. The culmination of these diverse creations was the inspiration for internationally renowned textile artist, Clementine Barnes, to bring to life two unique fabric designs: “Amplify” printed on 100 per cent silk and a screen print, “Story Teller” printed on cotton sateen and linen. The skilled creatives and sewing technicians at The Social Outfit designed and manufactured a garment using these two prints. The garments, fabric prints, publication and artworks created during the project were displayed in a dedicated exhibition during The Social Outfit’s 10th birthday celebration in September 2024 at Carriageworks in Eveleigh, Sydney.
The students' storytelling and musings demonstrate their strong connection to culture and identity. The young women celebrate their individuality and imagine their futures. Their written words sit alongside the rich imagery of the project in this publication, Free to Fashion.