Six Years of SHEWORKS: What We Have Learned
SHEWORKS began in 2020. Six years on, the work has grown beyond the first pieces we made—and so has our understanding of what it takes to build around craft.
We have explored handloom, Khadi, Ajrak, Chunri, Rilli, block printing, embroidery, Sheesha work, Katran and regional stitches. Each has brought us into another relationship with material and another conversation with someone who knows how to work with it.
The learning stays with us
Some of that research has become clothing: kurtas, kaftans, shirts, jackets and contemporary separates. Some has taken us towards menswear and home textiles, including cushions, throws, runners and bedding.
Other work remains in samples, photographs, notes and questions. A piece that did not work still teaches us something. A conversation can stay useful long after a field visit. A technique we have not yet understood gives us a reason to return.
These things help us make decisions with more care. They shape what we develop, what we repeat and what we leave alone.
Be clear about the work we want to make
We have become more certain about beginning with craft and textile knowledge. We favour restrained forms, thoughtful development and pieces people can continue to wear or live with.
That ambition asks for patience. Research and sampling have to be given time. So do the relationships that make the work possible.
There is still a great deal of Pakistan's textile knowledge we have not explored. We cannot claim to preserve all of it. We can keep approaching the work with curiosity, recognise the people who carry it and make considered pieces that give it a place in everyday life.
That is what we want the next chapter of SHEWORKS to build on.