An international fashion research project exploring the 'craft of use'

Never Washed

Laundering is high impact and yet not laundering is socially unacceptable. But some pieces defy social pressure and are never washed, often motivated by the fear that laundering causes something precious to be lost: a scent, a memory, the particular way a garment fits, the quality of handwork, and even a political stance.

Lazy

"It’s just a dark blue woollen jumper and it was given to me by my girlfriend but I haven’t got round to washing it yet ‘cause it’s ‘hand wash only’ and I’m a bit lazy and you know, wool is, is self-cleaning isn’t it?"


London - January 2010
Photograph by Sean Michael