Anne-Ro Dubos-Klevant Groen

Cotton is perhaps the world's most well-known fabric, however, many stories behind cotton are lesser known. These untold and sometimes unexpected perspectives have been collected and brought together in the exhibition, Knowing Cotton Otherwise. 

In the third and final chapter, Flipping the Script, designers Nsimba Valene Lontanga and Angelo Carlos Marcus Elizabeth take you on a journey through their heritage and culture while challenging you to reimagine fundamental concepts within the realm of fashion and design.  

The exhibition unpacks and brings into question established ideas of 'classic' and 'basic' style staples, as well as redefining 'typically African' design and print. What happens when we reconsider our preconceived ideas of what cotton represents around the world? 

Knowing Cotton Otherwise is open to the public until 16 October 2023 at the Fashion for Good Museum, Rokin 102,  Amsterdam.

Last year we introduced Knowing Cotton Otherwise, a multidisciplinary exhibition, covering various aspects of this versatile fibre — from its burdened history to sustainable initiatives and innovative implementations worldwide. Through this new chapter, Bodies of Work, the experience of human bodies entangled in (forced) labour in the story of cotton are amplified. With the addition of works by Sha’Mira Covington and Tricia Nganga Mokosi, the exhibition explores some of the complex issues related to cotton's history and the use and re-use of this fabric in fashion and tech. The exhibition also showcases innovative technologies in material traceability and natural fibre recycling from Fashion for Good Innovators Oritain and Natural Fiber Welding. The continuation of the exhibition invites you to consider your own body as you move through space as a spectator in the narrative. How do you position yourself within the community of stories presented here?

At a time of year when overconsumption is encouraged by many fast fashion brands, our reminder today and every day is to take a moment to pause before making a purchase, and remind ourselves that there's nothing more sustainable than taking care of and wearing what we already have in our closets! Before discarding your fashion garment or an item that’s damaged, try to repair and mend it — give your clothes a second life and embrace imperfections! Our experience? It will become the showpiece of your wardrobe.

In collaboration with Gemeente Amsterdam and New Order of Fashion, on November 25 and 26 from 10:00-17:00, you will be able to bring an item that you want to upcycle or repair to the Fashion for Good Museum (Rokin 102, Amsterdam). Upcycle artist Valentine Tinchant and tailor Atilla Kiliç from de Stadspas network, will repurpose your pre-loved items into new creations.
On November 25th and 26th we offer a free entrance to learn about the past, present and future of sustainable fashion and discover brands and innovations who are making sustainable fashion a reality.

You are also welcome to donate your unworn items at the Fashion for Good Museum where we collect textiles in the City Textile Cart from the Gemeente Amsterdam.

Types of repair or alterations possible
• Tears, rips and holes
• Patch working
• Hemming
• Embroidery
• Buttons

Please be mindful of the time, creativity and skills of the designers since they are taking care of your clothes, therefore limited spots are available. Most repairs and creations will be able to be on-the-spot (30 min). Alterations will be either machine based or hand-stitched depending on what is required.

Exhibition Knowing Cotton Otherwise
Cotton is perhaps the world's most well-known fabric, however, many stories behind cotton are less known. These untold and sometimes unexpected perspectives have been collected and brought together in the exhibition, Knowing Cotton Otherwise. Centred on collectivity and community, local artists have been invited to present work that connects and intersects with different themes relating to the story of cotton. By mixing styles and stories, Knowing Cotton Otherwise creates a multifaceted experience, inviting you to reflect, question, play and wonder. 

Fashion, art and social change
Built around different themes telling the story of cotton, the exhibition highlights the relationship between cotton and the fashion industry, the role of cotton in an increasingly intertwined web of global cultures, and the sustainable innovations driving its circular transformation. The exhibition provides questions such as where does cotton come from? How is it grown? What is the future of cotton and the role of innovation? How should we relate to the more questionable aspects of cotton, from its history of forced migration to more modern-day challenges? And how can we celebrate cotton, the connections it creates and the opportunities around it?

Collectivity and Community
Knowing Cotton Otherwise is presented in different phases throughout the year in which the exhibition grows and changes. The first phase features artists Benoît Gilles Michel, Caithlin Courtney Chong, Mario Gonsalves, Niño Divino, Noah Cohen, Nsimba Valene and Tasio Bidegain as well as the collectives OSSO Archive, Studio Papa and The Gang is Beautiful. The exhibition also showcases innovative technologies in material traceability and dyeing from Fashion for Good Innovators Oritain and Officina39. Knowing Cotton Otherwise invites you to question the content presented, examine your ideas and engage together in a process of self-reflection and critical consideration.

On Tuesday, the 13th of September 2022, the Fashion for Good Museum is organising a new edition of the Clothes Swap. A perfect way of giving your unworn items a new home and an easy and fun way to refresh your wardrobe with new (second hand) items. Good for you, the planet and your wallet!

Want to join?
Do you have any clothes you’re not wearing anymore? Those items that have been stuck in the back of your wardrobe for ages and never make the cut? Perfect clothing pieces to swap!

Collect your items and hand them in at the Fashion for Good Museum (Rokin 102, Amsterdam) from 31 august to 12 sept (daily between 11 am - 5 pm, please note: the museum is closed on Tuesdays!). Please note this timeframe is before the actual event, because we want to make sure all items handed in get a proper quality control, so that you can do happy and relaxed swapping!

Clothes Swap rules:
- You can hand in a maximum of 5 items per person

The following types of clothing are NOT accepted:
- Underwear
- Swimwear
- Company workwear
- Fur
- Shoes in fair condition (Note. we have a strict curation for shoes and only take the ones that are in perfect condition)
-Clothes must be clean and washed
- Torn, stained or worn out clothing will not be accepted

We will categorise the clothing handed in one of the following categories:
Yellow: fast fashion brands <> worth 1 token
Red: mid end brands <> worth 2 tokens
Blue: high end brands <> worth 3 tokens

Example of token system: you bring in 2 yellow items (=worth 2 tokens), 2 red items (=worth 4 tokens) and 1 blue item (=worth 3 tokens) gives you a total of 9 tokens available for ‘buying’ your new items! You could spend this on 9 yellow items, or 3 blue items for example.
Be quick! There is a limited amount of tickets available.

What does "circularity" mean? What are the benefits of a circular economy? All of this and more will be answered during the movie night organised at the Fashion for Good Museum.

The new documentary ‘Going Circular’ unlocks the secrets to an innovative concept called circularity -- an economic system that eliminates waste and saves the planet’s resources. The film tells the story of four visionaries from around the world - 102-year-old inventor Dr. James Lovelock, biomimicry biologist Janine Benyus, designer Arthur Huang, and financier John Fullerton - whose extraordinary experiences changed the way they think about humanity’s future. Each of their stories leads them to a fundamental reassessment of what our food, our cities, our financial system, even our fashion industry could look like if we create, produce, and distribute within Earth's natural boundaries.

Afterwards, we will talk to the organisation behind the movie, Circle Economy. Camilla Visconti en Patricia Coelho (consultants of Circle Economy) discuss the importance of the movie Going Circular. Moreover, Ellen Windemuth, the executive producer of the documentary (from Off the Fence - known for My octopus teacher) shares more about the process behind the scenes and her biggest insights after producing the movie. Lastly, Fashion for Goods Director of Strategy Brittany Burns, who is the moderator of the panel talk, gives more insights about the current and future fashion-innovation and -circularity. 

19:00 doors open
19:30 Welcome words & start screening
21:30 Circularity Q&A & discussion with Circle Economy, Off the Fence and Fashion for Good
22.00 End event

Fashion for Good believes that the fashion industry can and must change and is an expert in spreading the right knowledge about this. The museum on the Rokin in Amsterdam tells the stories behind the clothes you wear and how the right choices for those clothes can have a positive impact on the fashion industry.

Off the Fence is a leading non-fiction content company of global scale and reach, producing and distributing exceptional factual programming. Owned by ZDF Enterprises since 2019, and established in 1994, Off the Fence is a 360 factual content company. OTF develops, finances, produces and co-produces international non-fiction programmes across a range of genres including Natural History, Science, Travel & Adventure, Lifestyle, History, People & Culture, Crime and Feature Docs.

Ellen Windemuth is the CEO of WaterBear Network, overseeing the strategy and direction of the new interactive video-on-demand platform dedicated to storytelling around the UN Sustainable Development Goals. WaterBear is already partnered with over 140 global NGOs and is currently available in 194 countries.