Leicester has been a historic hub for the garment and footwear industries in the UK for almost 200 years and was Europe’s second richest city in the 1930’s due to the prosperity brought to the city through its clothing and hosiery industry. Entire generations were provided work through textiles at firms such as Corah, Wolsey, and the British United Shoe Machinery Company with hundreds of employees creating close-knit communities that centred around the industry and the social life that was connected to it. With some of these specialist skills still in living memory, it is imperative that those that had first-hand experience of the industry have a chance to share their knowledge with other generations.
As well as Leicester’s rich industrial heritage with textiles we believe that the city’s unique diversity can be celebrated through their personal connections with textiles.
Whether it’s a way to express our identity through the clothes we wear, a pathway to making a living, or a connection to a collective heritage, all of us, whatever our background, age or culture have connections to textiles and how we interact with it. And who best to express that than the people of Leicester?
During the build-up to The Leicester Textiles Festival, we would like to invite you to tell us your connections with textiles. If you would like to share your Love Note with us, please get in touch.
A Love Note To Textiles on YouTube
A Love Note to Textiles on Instagram
Read Rachel Clynick’s Love Note to Textiles
Leicester Textiles Festival 