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WOVEN 2025 saw the world renowned Red Dress take the festival centre stage at the historic Oakwell Hall.
The Red Dress project was initiated by British artist Kirstie Macleod in 2009 to help communities, predominantly women, tell their stories through stitching, uniting people around the world without borders. The dress now features the work of more than 350 embroiderers from 51 countries and has been exhibited in galleries and museums worldwide.
The museum team took the lead in bringing the Red Dress to Oakwell Hall for the month of June, sparking a rich collaboration between Curator Frances Stonehouse and artist Kirstie Macleod. Together, they explored how best to display the dress – balancing textile conservation with showcasing the dramatic character of the historic venue, particularly its great hall with dark wooden panelling.
"It was a pleasure to be invited to be a part of WOVEN 2025. The Red Dress’s thoughtful display inside the beautiful and historic Oakwell Hall was unique and memorable, serving not only to share voices from the global embroidery project but also to inspire creativity within the Kirklees community. The festival was thoughtfully curated with access at the heart of every decision, and certainly succeeded in bringing local community together; from workshops and displays to connecting with textile makers and local charities, honouring textiles as a way to connect, heal and empower. Working with the WOVEN team was a pleasure from start to finish. The exhibition and events were extremely well organised, implemented and delivered, with every detail considered."
In order to achieve this stunning installation, we brought in a specialist lighting company to black out the large feature window and spotlight the dress, museum interns working with the team custom made a new plinth for the dress to the artist’s specifications, the team of front of house staff went on a crash course about the dress and how to care for her before we opened the doors to queues of people.
“I went to see the Red Dress yesterday at Oakwell Hall. Part of the WOVEN Festival. It is so stunningly beautiful it's difficult to find enough superlatives to describe it. The workmanship is awe inspiring, so many different embroidery techniques from around the world, so many stories behind each piece of work and such a great celebration of women's history.”
"Our Kurdish sisters wore beautifully embroidered dresses, showcasing their cultural heritage. Elegant and sophisticated, our Arab friends added a touch of grace to the event. Sudanese dresses offered vibrant colours and patterns bringing a festive atmosphere to our gathering. Our Algerian friends wore stunning outfits, reflecting their rich cultural history. Beautifully crafted Pakistani dresses added a pop of colour to our group. And, of course, our English friends looked lovely in their own unique styles, blending traditional and modern elements.”
“We had an incredible time visiting Oakwell Hall to see the stunning Red Dress exhibition as part of the WOVEN in Kirklees project! What made the day even more special was that we dressed in our traditional attire, proudly showcasing our diverse cultural heritage."
The Red Dress and the WOVEN 2025 festival were launched on June 1st with our World Stitch Day, in which we invited communities and makers across Kirklees to join us to showcase the diversity of stich across different cultures, including 6 Million+ and the refugees they have been working with; Iqra, a local Pakistani designer; Seiko, whose Japanese heritage is rooted in the tradition of Sashiko stitch; This Crafty Octopus, creating intricate lace; and Dorset Button makers Grandma’s Attic and Ginni’s Dorset Buttons.
“It was a brilliant day! There was a definite buzz felt. I didn't know anyone else in the room but it didn't take long to connect as it felt like we were all on the same page and just excited as artists to come together. I met some lovely people at my stall and had a fair few opportunities open up. On a personal note, the whole day reignited my passion for all kinds of arts and crafts.”
“Wow, what a brilliant day it was yesterday.. I'm still buzzing!! Thanks again for a fantastic opportunity to do my thing at an event!! Loved it!”
“Thank you for bringing this beautiful dress to Oakwell. Quite literally has started WOVEN off in style. Gave me goosebumps just seeing it!”
“Extremely emotionally wonderful experience.”
Our public programme supported a sold out in person talk by the artist Kirstie Macleod and a well attended online talk attracting a national audience. Alongside we hosted regular family workshops – Stitch Saturdays – part of the Every Child Challenge programme which aspires for all school children to learn 5 basic stitches, as well as a teachers CPD event and curator tours.
“Please express our thanks and well done to everyone involved in the day. It was so fantastic to listen to the positive feedback about all the activities and the wonderful people.”
Alongside providing BSL interpretation at the talks, we partnered with Minds Eye to create an audio description of the Red Dress, streamed online for both visitors and remote audiences. We also hosted a live session designed for people with visual impairments, giving them the opportunity to explore the dress in greater detail. This initiative not only enhanced accessibility but also inspired the museum team to consider new possibilities for showcasing its own collections in the future.
The Red Dress was also well covered by the press:
Huddersfield Examiner
Style Clinic – Yorkshire Post
We’re thrilled to announce that we’ve secured funding to build on the success of the Red Dress project with Kirstie’s Calico Dress initiative. This will enable communities across Kirklees to create their own unique “sister” community dress project. Alongside this, we’re forging new partnerships and seeking additional funds to create the Yorkshire Calico Dress Project – five dresses, each representing one of the West Yorkshire districts. With the plan for each dress to come together in a special exhibition as part of WOVEN 2027.
All images by Studio Bokehgo, excluding the Calico Dress by JMA Photography
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