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.

Weather cleaning

“This is a traditional tweed jacket that my parents bought for me during a holiday in Ireland
about thirteen years ago now... I’ve never washed it - I wear it in the rain.”    


London - December 2012
Photograph by Tim Mitchell