Social Fabric exhibition delves into the multifaceted phenomena of fashion at EMMA, in collaboration with the Nordic fashion organisation ALPHA

Clothing has the power to connect us with communities and networks and how we consume and produce fashion is tied to cultural behaviours both locally and globally. Social Fabric invites visitors to explore fashion beyond mere garments. It creates a space to celebrate the artistry and craftmanship of fashion, and a platform for reflecting on the complex role fashion plays in our lives. Characteristic of EMMA, the exhibition bridges art and design; the engaging display consists of fashion, textile art, sculpture, and film, by 10 established and emerging designers and artists.

“Contemporary fashion designers are spearheading a new critical practice of fashion. They are exploring complex cultural structural issues, as well as how social bonds are sustained and the role that fashion plays in challenging these”, the exhibition’s curator, Ane Lynge-Jorlén from ALPHA emphasises. 

Highlighting the waste and throw-away culture associated with fashion, the exhibition begins with an entrance made from repurposed garments. The commissioned installation Traces is co-designed by five Aalto University students of fashion, using poor-conditioned clothing donated by the Helsinki Metropolitan Area Recycling Center.

Themes of sustainability, consumerism, bodily autonomy, re-examination of history, and the politics of fashion run throughout the works. Jeremy Hutchison critiques the global second-hand clothing trade in the video Dead White Man, while Abbas Mandegar reflects on his own experiences of child labor in his collection Made in Pakistan. Idaliina Friman explores inherited trauma and displacement through her collection influenced by her grandparents’ migration from Karelia and Lapland during WWII, and Lauri Greis merges Karelian folk dress with contemporary sportswear in Karelian Sportlore, questioning national fashion identity.

Resistance and identity are explored in Margaret Abeshu’s Nkisi Riders, based on black- and Afro-diasporan experiences, and Sinéad O’Dwyer’s Supervisor and Everything Opens to Touch, which challenge restrictive body standards in fashion. Sofie Winther examines material overconsumption and collective behaviour in performance Birth Control and installation Hoarders Hive, while Linea Matei’s Spine reflects on human connections through a textile sculpture of intertwined bodies. Duran Lantink in collaboration with the Dutch social-artistic project Pennywafelhuis explore the future of traditional clothing in Crackle Tendril, using repurposed garments to bridge local and global perspectives. Sasha Heinsaar’s PERIPETEIA reinterprets Slavic folk tales through handmade textiles, addressing the ongoing political climate in the region. 

“At EMMA, we believe it is important to consider fashion at the intersection of design and art. We wanted to curate an exhibition where a young generation of designers could share their visions and, at the same time, discuss the future of fashion design. That’s why we have collaborated closely with Aalto University and also explored other Nordic fashion education programs during the curatorial process.” Reetta Kalajo, EMMA’s Chief Curator of Education. 

Social Fabric is the third instalment of a wider, ongoing Nordic exhibition collaboration between ALPHA, the Röhsska Museum of Craft and Design, Sweden, the National Museum in Oslo, Norway, EMMA – Espoo Museum of Modern Art, Finland and Copenhagen Contemporary, Denmark.

Artists and designers of Social Fabric: Margaret Abeshu, Idaliina Friman, Lauri Greis, Sasha Heinsaar, Jeremy Hutchison, Duran Lantink, Abbas Mandegar, Linea Matei, Sinéad O'Dwyer and Sofie Winther.

The work by Aalto University: Apollo Da Costa Doria, Nhung Huynh, Y Kiili, Kuutti Lemmetyinen and Ruusa Vuori. Group mentor: Elina Määttänen.