#Textiles & fashion
Experiences

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?

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.

The expo: 'Fashion Week: A New Era' celebrates fashion through the years and explores how this phenomenon developed over time. How does the event influence the fashion industry? And what does the future hold for fashion week?

Every year during Fashion Week the latest fashion is shown on catwalks in Paris, Milan and New York and other metropoles across the globe. This iconic event has a major impact on the fashion industry and on our own wardrobes. In 'Fashion Week: A New Era', the Fashion for Good Museum unpacks the Fashion Week, delving into its past, present and future. View historic looks from the runways of Balenciaga, Versace, Moschino and many more; discover the innovative work of Dutch fashion designer Ronald van der Kemp and digital fashion house The Fabricant.

In the Miele Inspirience Center in Vianen the Materials, Software and Operations of Bundles are demonstrated.

Bundles offers home appliances in a subscription model: Pay per Use. You don't pay for a washing machine, but you pay each time the Bundles washing machine delivers clean laundry. In this product-as-a-service business model the user lowers his total cost of, for example, washing, and the whole chain of companies delivering the service optimize their use of resources and thus margins.

In the Miele Experience Centerin Vianen the Materials, Software and Operations of Bundles are demonstrated. And you get a peak into the impact of the circular subscription economy in your Kitchen

The workshop we offer includes one hour of demo and one hour of testing.