Last month I visited the Barbican in London to see the ‘Dirty Looks’ exhibition which has just closed (25th January 2026). It looked at Fashion from bold, intriguing and sometimes disturbing viewpoints. The collection of over a hundred fashion garments is ably introduced in this video: https//www. youtube.com/watch?v=SK2IhL2Vh1s Watching it will enable you to make sense of the comments below.
Some stand-out items for me were garments made from ‘rubbish’ which might otherwise be thrown away. A top created from the blue top section of dozens of plastic bottles from the Paco Rabanne Haute Couture collection of Autumn /Winter 1992 was eye-catching. Another (named ‘Cocaine Nights’ designed by Andrew Groves, Spring/Summer 1999) comprising a fabric made from razor blades was strangely beautiful, yet horrifying. There was also a dress made entirely of dessert spoons…
As a quilter who loves patchwork, I enjoyed seeing a dress with elbow length sleeves and a large bell-shaped skirt by Junya Watanabe (Spring/Summer 2019) made from assorted fraying pieces of denim. It was surprisingly beautiful.
I continue to be acutely aware of the damage to the environment caused by the production of textiles for fashion. The exhibition did not shy away from the questions of the expense of producing fabric, the damage to the environment from processes such as dyeing, the ‘churn’ of the fashion industry which constantly requires something new and the appalling waste of discarded clothing. One section of the show featured garments that designers had made from clothing that had been thrown away.
Included in the exhibition was a film of models at a show literally rolling in mud and there was also a series of garments which had been altered to look as if they had been sullied by bodily fluids. In both cases the need to be innovative apparently pushing designers to extraordinary lengths,
At the other end of the the spectrum was a sumptuous black and cream designer gown by Robert Wun entitled ‘The White Moth, time’ (Haute Couture Autumn/Winter 2024). The cream dress with black and cream flared, long skirt is covered with beautiful three-dimensional moths (traditionally the enemy of clothing!)
As we continue to over-use the earth’s resources, this exhibition was interesting and provoking and it asked some important questions; I’m glad I got to see it.
As my own small contribution to the debate, I have produced a recycling project, ‘Pinstripe’ which is made entirely from recycled men’s shirts. Get the pattern here
Shirts can be a rich source of fabric for quilt-making. See this post here about how to successfully recycle a men’s shirt.
I made this quilt entirely from four shirts and showed it in the ‘Sustainable’ section of the Festival of Quilts at Birmingham in 2023.
Amanda Jane Textiles will be @candcmarkets at The Landmark Centre, Deal, Kent, UK on Saturday 14th February 2026. Come and see my quilts for sale, and find other talented Kent makers, artists and producers . Delicious hot food, drinks and snacks are available and there will be live music. Look forward to seeing you there!
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