News & Stories

What if your favourite hoodie could talk? What stories would your trainers tell?

“The Stories Our Clothes Tell”, a workshop run by De Montford University (DMU), invited young people aged 12–17 to explore clothing consumption and sustainability in a creative and thought-provoking way. Across a full day of activities, students were encouraged to look beyond fashion trends and consider the hidden journeys behind the clothes they wear every day.

Two Good Life Schools from Leicester; Brook Mead Academy and Sir Jonathan North were lucky enough to attend the workshop exploring clothing, consumption, and sustainability to help inspire their Good Life School journey.

The workshop began with students sharing personal stories about items they buy, revealing how clothing connects to identity, memory, and self-expression. From there, discussions and interactive activities introduced the environmental and social impacts of fast fashion, prompting students to question how and why they consume clothing.

The heart of the day was a storytelling challenge. In groups, students created fictional clothing characters — imagining their thoughts, feelings, and fears. Was the garment forgotten at the back of a wardrobe? Threatened by a new trend? Saved through repair or donation? By giving clothes a voice, students explored sustainability through empathy and imagination.

In the afternoon, these stories were brought to life using tablets to capture their plasticine clothing characters story through stop-motion animation techniques.

Students created some amazing animations, from a ripped t-shirt being repaired and then when ripped again used as a bicycle cloth, to a christening dress being passed down through generations of family.

The day concluded with reflection, as students pledged individual small, everyday choices which could shape a more sustainable future.

Thank you to DMU and Leicester City Council for providing the workshop.