Textiles as Global Storytellers

Putting on your clothes for the day can bring you in touch with people from around the world. Our clothes are almost exclusively made overseas. As an interesting and informative exercise, look at the labels in the clothes you put on in the morning, then when you have a minute look up something about those countries. What's the story of its  people, traditions and environment? For instance, today I am wearing a hot pink, velour sweatshirt made in Cambodia. I Googled Cambodia and the first article screamed this headline:

• Cambodia has closed markets in its capital and extended a two-week lockdown, designating some areas red zones and prohibiting people from going out
• This has created a food emergency for many textile and other workers, with a labour analyst calling the government’s response ‘out of control’ South China Morning Post

Cambodia's garment workers have been hard hit by the Corona virus. Life has always been hard for underpaid garment workers and now it is even harder! 

What else did I learn in just a few minutes? Built in the 12th century, Angor Wat is the largest religious structure in the world by land area. It's one of the most important pilgrimage sites for Buddhists around the world. A line drawing of the temple appears on Cambodia's national flag, and it is the country's main tourist attraction. 

Let your clothes be your armchair tour guide to the
​fascinating and diverse world we live in!