Talking Threads

Hidden Tales of Scotland’s Fashion & Music

Curated by SR:D as part of the Year of Stories 2022, the Talking Threads exhibition looked for hidden stories and musical connections behind textile working practices, in a sector which has always mainly featured women workers. We connected threads between women working to produce Scotland’s historic fashions and textiles, through the soundtrack of the pre-industrial era, and the post - the 1960’s to 90’s, up to current playlists for Scotland’s contemporary design studios.

Scotland has an incredibly rich textile and fashion history, recognised and celebrated the world over by designers, customers and creators, especially from those choosing to live and work in Scotland.

In a big shift from the exodus of the 90’s and 2000’s to London and beyond, the industry is now attracting people in and is worth over £2.8billion a year to the Scottish economy. It features an array of talent ranging from designers and manufacturers to international models, make-up artists, producers, museums, shops and photographers.

SRD’s exhibition showcased initial research discovering key stories from across these three major musical eras of Scottish traditional craft textiles and fashion practices to new audiences. Weaving these story threads together to produce a rich tapestry demonstrating what people's lives were really like, the music they listened to, work they did and how each made an impact on society.

Stories from each era guide us through a historical journey with consideration of the tools that were used and the kinds of fashion and textiles that were produced. We also explored the people behind the fabrics, especially hearing stories from those involved in production, as well as hearing about who they were making the clothing for.

What we found when doing the research for this project, is that almost anyone you ask can come up with some link or other to the Scottish textile industry through at least one point in the three eras we have identified. We are really keen to continue this project, so please do get in touch if you have a story you would like to share. This initial exhibition was just the start of something, stay tuned to see where the thread weaves next.

This event has been supported by the Year of Stories 2022 Community Stories Fund. This fund is being delivered in partnership between VisitScotland and Museums Galleries Scotland with support from National Lottery Heritage Fund thanks to National Lottery players.

Did you, or someone you know, work in a Scottish Mill or Factory? We would love to hear from you and to build on our picture of the industrY.

Please contact us now with your tales and recollections, photos or videos about your experiences from Timex to crafts, shops, factories and studios.