Reconstruction: Cultural Heritage and the Making of Contemporary Fashion

‘Reconstruction’ was developed specifically for audiences in this region and focused on the ways in which designers in the UK distil elements of their own cultural heritage and personal experiences to inform their collections. Case studies included work from Paul Smith, Vivienne Westwood, Hussein Chalayan, Peter Jensen, Osman Yousefzada, Marios Schwab and Sophia Kokosalaki. This exhibition aimed to inspire audiences in these countries to re-evaluate their own cultural heritage and personal memories, and how this can be used as a source of inspiration for their work.

Moloney developed the concept for this exhibition after three years of extensive research and engagement on the ground with a network of emerging designers and craft practitioners in Central and South Asia between 2008 and 2011. Moloney visited the countries which the exhibition toured to (Kazakhstan, Uzbekistan, Bangladesh, Pakistan) and interviewed local fashion designers, fashion students and lecturers. During her time in this region it became clear that there was often a rejection of local crafts or cultural signifiers by emerging designers who looked to the West for their fashion cues.

Through extensive research of the archives of the participating designers and through interviews with the designers or their design teams, Moloney selected the garments for the exhibition and carried out the background research material to the collections.

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