ENTER
CREATIVE CONSULTANCY X EXPERIENCE DESIGN
EXPLORING HUMAN AND MORE-THAN-HUMAN IMAGINATION AT THE INTERSECTION OF ART AND TECHNOLOGY
BY KIRSTIE MACLEOD
THE RED DRESS
The Red Dress is a global collaborative embroidery project conceived by British artist Kirstie Macleod and created over14 years from 2009–2023. It has been contributed to by 380individuals (367 women/girls, 11 men/boys and 2 non-binary artists) from 51 countries, a staggering achievement that bears repeating and which has resulted in the dress being included in the Guinness World Records 2026.
Designed initially to explore identity and unite individuals from diverse backgrounds and locations through the shared medium of embroidery, forming bonds across different languages and cultures, the garment holds millions of stitches added by both commissioned embroiderers and willing audiences at events and exhibitions worldwide. Myriad embroidery styles employed across the dress’s fabric have created a kaleidoscopic pageant of complimentary and contrasting motifs.Panels of the dress and later the completed garment have travelled to artisan communities and individuals across six continents, from remote rural areas to busy cities, to be worked on, creating an interwoven map of human experience expressed both subtly and boldly across the striking burgundy silk dupion.
The Red Dress won first prize at the Premio Valcellina Textiles Award in Maniago, Italy, in 2012, has secured funding and residencies and been the focus of political and educational gatherings. It has provided vital income and materially improved the lives of disadvantaged individuals and had extraordinary personal impact on its many makers and audiences. Following the formal completion of The Red Dress in June 2023, it has, thanks to Arts Council England funding, sales of accompanying merchandise and exhibition fees, been able to touch even more audiences globally, returning to visit commissioned embroiderers and going on tour to be displayed at major galleries and cultural institutions. The dress has sparked multiple and varied further collaborative projects, including the Calico Garment Initiative, reinforcing the message that community is its cornerstone.
As The Red Dress continues its journey to exhibition venues and engagement events, the publication of this book marks an important milestone in the wider project. In partnership with the website, the interactive Digital Red Dress, existing film footage and other documenting activities, it offers further access to the dress beyond its physical presence.
I remember how sensitively she moved her hands over the stitches, softly caressing the motifs, seams and silk dupion fabric of the dress, and each time she reached a new embroidery I was able to share the colour of the threads, what type of yarn it was and importantly who had created it, why and where they were from.
This is one of hundreds of special memories I have from the many years of guiding The Red Dress around the world; just a few minutes of time I spent with a visually impaired woman in her 70s encountering the dress (supported by charity DeafPLUS in Bath, UK) who used to work as a fashion designer in London.
Keeping The Red Dress accessible to as many people as possible has remained a central theme within the greater project. I’ve been challenged many times to think of new ways of creating connection to those who may not feel or be able to visit the garment in a public space such as a museum or gallery setting. Each time, through collaborating with professionals for advice, I’ve been moved and excited about the different sensory experiences the garment provides. - Kirstie Macleod.
Excerpt from The Red Dress: Conversations in Stitch by Kirstie Macleod, Quickthorn Books, 2025. Available to purchase here.
View a global map of embroiderers here.
View a digital version of The Red Dress here.
IMAGE CREDITS
1. Lekazia Turner, Embroiderer from Jamaica 2022. Photo by Mark Pickthall
2. Lekazia Turner, Embroiderer from Jamaica 2022. Photo by Mark Pickthall
3. Sharmin Faeq Sadiq, Iraq National Waterfront Museum, Supported by Swansea Womens Asylum and Refugee Support Group
4. Gisèle, Esther and Esprance, 2018. Photo by Nicole Esselen
5. Embroidery group in Aguacatenango, Mexico. Dress worn by Vanessa Aguilar Juarez, 2021
6. Red Dress embroidery detail by Allthreads Collective, Australia, 2018. Photo by Sophia SchorrKon
7. The Red Dress, hardback book cover, 2025
THE RED DRESS
The Red Dress is a global collaborative embroidery project conceived by British artist Kirstie Macleod and created over14 years from 2009–2023. It has been contributed to by 380individuals (367 women/girls, 11 men/boys and 2 non-binary artists) from 51 countries, a staggering achievement that bears repeating and which has resulted in the dress being included in the Guinness World Records 2026.
Designed initially to explore identity and unite individuals from diverse backgrounds and locations through the shared medium of embroidery, forming bonds across different languages and cultures, the garment holds millions of stitches added by both commissioned embroiderers and willing audiences at events and exhibitions worldwide. Myriad embroidery styles employed across the dress’s fabric have created a kaleidoscopic pageant of complimentary and contrasting motifs.Panels of the dress and later the completed garment have travelled to artisan communities and individuals across six continents, from remote rural areas to busy cities, to be worked on, creating an interwoven map of human experience expressed both subtly and boldly across the striking burgundy silk dupion.
The Red Dress won first prize at the Premio Valcellina Textiles Award in Maniago, Italy, in 2012, has secured funding and residencies and been the focus of political and educational gatherings. It has provided vital income and materially improved the lives of disadvantaged individuals and had extraordinary personal impact on its many makers and audiences. Following the formal completion of The Red Dress in June 2023, it has, thanks to Arts Council England funding, sales of accompanying merchandise and exhibition fees, been able to touch even more audiences globally, returning to visit commissioned embroiderers and going on tour to be displayed at major galleries and cultural institutions. The dress has sparked multiple and varied further collaborative projects, including the Calico Garment Initiative, reinforcing the message that community is its cornerstone.
As The Red Dress continues its journey to exhibition venues and engagement events, the publication of this book marks an important milestone in the wider project. In partnership with the website, the interactive Digital Red Dress, existing film footage and other documenting activities, it offers further access to the dress beyond its physical presence.
I remember how sensitively she moved her hands over the stitches, softly caressing the motifs, seams and silk dupion fabric of the dress, and each time she reached a new embroidery I was able to share the colour of the threads, what type of yarn it was and importantly who had created it, why and where they were from.
This is one of hundreds of special memories I have from the many years of guiding The Red Dress around the world; just a few minutes of time I spent with a visually impaired woman in her 70s encountering the dress (supported by charity DeafPLUS in Bath, UK) who used to work as a fashion designer in London.
Keeping The Red Dress accessible to as many people as possible has remained a central theme within the greater project. I’ve been challenged many times to think of new ways of creating connection to those who may not feel or be able to visit the garment in a public space such as a museum or gallery setting. Each time, through collaborating with professionals for advice, I’ve been moved and excited about the different sensory experiences the garment provides. - Kirstie Macleod.
Excerpt from The Red Dress: Conversations in Stitch by Kirstie Macleod, Quickthorn Books, 2025. Available to purchase here.
View a global map of embroiderers here.
View a digital version of The Red Dress here.
IMAGE CREDITS
1. Lekazia Turner, Embroiderer from Jamaica 2022. Photo by Mark Pickthall
2. Lekazia Turner, Embroiderer from Jamaica 2022. Photo by Mark Pickthall
3. Sharmin Faeq Sadiq, Iraq National Waterfront Museum, Supported by Swansea Womens Asylum and Refugee Support Group
4. Gisèle, Esther and Esprance, 2018. Photo by Nicole Esselen
5. Embroidery group in Aguacatenango, Mexico. Dress worn by Vanessa Aguilar Juarez, 2021
6. Red Dress embroidery detail by Allthreads Collective, Australia, 2018. Photo by Sophia SchorrKon
7. The Red Dress, hardback book cover, 2025
Kirstie Macleod has worked as an artist for over 20 years, and on the Red Dress for the last 16. What began as a sketch on the back of a napkin in 2009, has grown into a global collaborative project involving and connecting with thousands of people all over the world.
BY KIRSTIE MACLEOD
THE RED DRESS
The Red Dress is a global collaborative embroidery project conceived by British artist Kirstie Macleod and created over14 years from 2009–2023. It has been contributed to by 380individuals (367 women/girls, 11 men/boys and 2 non-binary artists) from 51 countries, a staggering achievement that bears repeating and which has resulted in the dress being included in the Guinness World Records 2026.
Designed initially to explore identity and unite individuals from diverse backgrounds and locations through the shared medium of embroidery, forming bonds across different languages and cultures, the garment holds millions of stitches added by both commissioned embroiderers and willing audiences at events and exhibitions worldwide. Myriad embroidery styles employed across the dress’s fabric have created a kaleidoscopic pageant of complimentary and contrasting motifs.Panels of the dress and later the completed garment have travelled to artisan communities and individuals across six continents, from remote rural areas to busy cities, to be worked on, creating an interwoven map of human experience expressed both subtly and boldly across the striking burgundy silk dupion.
The Red Dress won first prize at the Premio Valcellina Textiles Award in Maniago, Italy, in 2012, has secured funding and residencies and been the focus of political and educational gatherings. It has provided vital income and materially improved the lives of disadvantaged individuals and had extraordinary personal impact on its many makers and audiences. Following the formal completion of The Red Dress in June 2023, it has, thanks to Arts Council England funding, sales of accompanying merchandise and exhibition fees, been able to touch even more audiences globally, returning to visit commissioned embroiderers and going on tour to be displayed at major galleries and cultural institutions. The dress has sparked multiple and varied further collaborative projects, including the Calico Garment Initiative, reinforcing the message that community is its cornerstone.
As The Red Dress continues its journey to exhibition venues and engagement events, the publication of this book marks an important milestone in the wider project. In partnership with the website, the interactive Digital Red Dress, existing film footage and other documenting activities, it offers further access to the dress beyond its physical presence.
I remember how sensitively she moved her hands over the stitches, softly caressing the motifs, seams and silk dupion fabric of the dress, and each time she reached a new embroidery I was able to share the colour of the threads, what type of yarn it was and importantly who had created it, why and where they were from.
This is one of hundreds of special memories I have from the many years of guiding The Red Dress around the world; just a few minutes of time I spent with a visually impaired woman in her 70s encountering the dress (supported by charity DeafPLUS in Bath, UK) who used to work as a fashion designer in London.
Keeping The Red Dress accessible to as many people as possible has remained a central theme within the greater project. I’ve been challenged many times to think of new ways of creating connection to those who may not feel or be able to visit the garment in a public space such as a museum or gallery setting. Each time, through collaborating with professionals for advice, I’ve been moved and excited about the different sensory experiences the garment provides. - Kirstie Macleod.
Excerpt from The Red Dress: Conversations in Stitch by Kirstie Macleod, Quickthorn Books, 2025. Available to purchase here.
View a global map of embroiderers here.
View a digital version of The Red Dress here.
IMAGE CREDITS
1. Lekazia Turner, Embroiderer from Jamaica 2022. Photo by Mark Pickthall
2. Lekazia Turner, Embroiderer from Jamaica 2022. Photo by Mark Pickthall
3. Sharmin Faeq Sadiq, Iraq National Waterfront Museum, Supported by Swansea Womens Asylum and Refugee Support Group
4. Gisèle, Esther and Esprance, 2018. Photo by Nicole Esselen
5. Embroidery group in Aguacatenango, Mexico. Dress worn by Vanessa Aguilar Juarez, 2021
6. Red Dress embroidery detail by Allthreads Collective, Australia, 2018. Photo by Sophia SchorrKon
7. The Red Dress, hardback book cover, 2025
THE RED DRESS
The Red Dress is a global collaborative embroidery project conceived by British artist Kirstie Macleod and created over14 years from 2009–2023. It has been contributed to by 380individuals (367 women/girls, 11 men/boys and 2 non-binary artists) from 51 countries, a staggering achievement that bears repeating and which has resulted in the dress being included in the Guinness World Records 2026.
Designed initially to explore identity and unite individuals from diverse backgrounds and locations through the shared medium of embroidery, forming bonds across different languages and cultures, the garment holds millions of stitches added by both commissioned embroiderers and willing audiences at events and exhibitions worldwide. Myriad embroidery styles employed across the dress’s fabric have created a kaleidoscopic pageant of complimentary and contrasting motifs.Panels of the dress and later the completed garment have travelled to artisan communities and individuals across six continents, from remote rural areas to busy cities, to be worked on, creating an interwoven map of human experience expressed both subtly and boldly across the striking burgundy silk dupion.
The Red Dress won first prize at the Premio Valcellina Textiles Award in Maniago, Italy, in 2012, has secured funding and residencies and been the focus of political and educational gatherings. It has provided vital income and materially improved the lives of disadvantaged individuals and had extraordinary personal impact on its many makers and audiences. Following the formal completion of The Red Dress in June 2023, it has, thanks to Arts Council England funding, sales of accompanying merchandise and exhibition fees, been able to touch even more audiences globally, returning to visit commissioned embroiderers and going on tour to be displayed at major galleries and cultural institutions. The dress has sparked multiple and varied further collaborative projects, including the Calico Garment Initiative, reinforcing the message that community is its cornerstone.
As The Red Dress continues its journey to exhibition venues and engagement events, the publication of this book marks an important milestone in the wider project. In partnership with the website, the interactive Digital Red Dress, existing film footage and other documenting activities, it offers further access to the dress beyond its physical presence.
I remember how sensitively she moved her hands over the stitches, softly caressing the motifs, seams and silk dupion fabric of the dress, and each time she reached a new embroidery I was able to share the colour of the threads, what type of yarn it was and importantly who had created it, why and where they were from.
This is one of hundreds of special memories I have from the many years of guiding The Red Dress around the world; just a few minutes of time I spent with a visually impaired woman in her 70s encountering the dress (supported by charity DeafPLUS in Bath, UK) who used to work as a fashion designer in London.
Keeping The Red Dress accessible to as many people as possible has remained a central theme within the greater project. I’ve been challenged many times to think of new ways of creating connection to those who may not feel or be able to visit the garment in a public space such as a museum or gallery setting. Each time, through collaborating with professionals for advice, I’ve been moved and excited about the different sensory experiences the garment provides. - Kirstie Macleod.
Excerpt from The Red Dress: Conversations in Stitch by Kirstie Macleod, Quickthorn Books, 2025. Available to purchase here.
View a global map of embroiderers here.
View a digital version of The Red Dress here.
IMAGE CREDITS
1. Lekazia Turner, Embroiderer from Jamaica 2022. Photo by Mark Pickthall
2. Lekazia Turner, Embroiderer from Jamaica 2022. Photo by Mark Pickthall
3. Sharmin Faeq Sadiq, Iraq National Waterfront Museum, Supported by Swansea Womens Asylum and Refugee Support Group
4. Gisèle, Esther and Esprance, 2018. Photo by Nicole Esselen
5. Embroidery group in Aguacatenango, Mexico. Dress worn by Vanessa Aguilar Juarez, 2021
6. Red Dress embroidery detail by Allthreads Collective, Australia, 2018. Photo by Sophia SchorrKon
7. The Red Dress, hardback book cover, 2025
Kirstie Macleod has worked as an artist for over 20 years, and on the Red Dress for the last 16. What began as a sketch on the back of a napkin in 2009, has grown into a global collaborative project involving and connecting with thousands of people all over the world.
BY KIRSTIE MACLEOD
THE RED DRESS
The Red Dress is a global collaborative embroidery project conceived by British artist Kirstie Macleod and created over14 years from 2009–2023. It has been contributed to by 380individuals (367 women/girls, 11 men/boys and 2 non-binary artists) from 51 countries, a staggering achievement that bears repeating and which has resulted in the dress being included in the Guinness World Records 2026.
Designed initially to explore identity and unite individuals from diverse backgrounds and locations through the shared medium of embroidery, forming bonds across different languages and cultures, the garment holds millions of stitches added by both commissioned embroiderers and willing audiences at events and exhibitions worldwide. Myriad embroidery styles employed across the dress’s fabric have created a kaleidoscopic pageant of complimentary and contrasting motifs.Panels of the dress and later the completed garment have travelled to artisan communities and individuals across six continents, from remote rural areas to busy cities, to be worked on, creating an interwoven map of human experience expressed both subtly and boldly across the striking burgundy silk dupion.
The Red Dress won first prize at the Premio Valcellina Textiles Award in Maniago, Italy, in 2012, has secured funding and residencies and been the focus of political and educational gatherings. It has provided vital income and materially improved the lives of disadvantaged individuals and had extraordinary personal impact on its many makers and audiences. Following the formal completion of The Red Dress in June 2023, it has, thanks to Arts Council England funding, sales of accompanying merchandise and exhibition fees, been able to touch even more audiences globally, returning to visit commissioned embroiderers and going on tour to be displayed at major galleries and cultural institutions. The dress has sparked multiple and varied further collaborative projects, including the Calico Garment Initiative, reinforcing the message that community is its cornerstone.
As The Red Dress continues its journey to exhibition venues and engagement events, the publication of this book marks an important milestone in the wider project. In partnership with the website, the interactive Digital Red Dress, existing film footage and other documenting activities, it offers further access to the dress beyond its physical presence.
I remember how sensitively she moved her hands over the stitches, softly caressing the motifs, seams and silk dupion fabric of the dress, and each time she reached a new embroidery I was able to share the colour of the threads, what type of yarn it was and importantly who had created it, why and where they were from.
This is one of hundreds of special memories I have from the many years of guiding The Red Dress around the world; just a few minutes of time I spent with a visually impaired woman in her 70s encountering the dress (supported by charity DeafPLUS in Bath, UK) who used to work as a fashion designer in London.
Keeping The Red Dress accessible to as many people as possible has remained a central theme within the greater project. I’ve been challenged many times to think of new ways of creating connection to those who may not feel or be able to visit the garment in a public space such as a museum or gallery setting. Each time, through collaborating with professionals for advice, I’ve been moved and excited about the different sensory experiences the garment provides. - Kirstie Macleod.
Excerpt from The Red Dress: Conversations in Stitch by Kirstie Macleod, Quickthorn Books, 2025. Available to purchase here.
View a global map of embroiderers here.
View a digital version of The Red Dress here.
IMAGE CREDITS
1. Lekazia Turner, Embroiderer from Jamaica 2022. Photo by Mark Pickthall
2. Lekazia Turner, Embroiderer from Jamaica 2022. Photo by Mark Pickthall
3. Sharmin Faeq Sadiq, Iraq National Waterfront Museum, Supported by Swansea Womens Asylum and Refugee Support Group
4. Gisèle, Esther and Esprance, 2018. Photo by Nicole Esselen
5. Embroidery group in Aguacatenango, Mexico. Dress worn by Vanessa Aguilar Juarez, 2021
6. Red Dress embroidery detail by Allthreads Collective, Australia, 2018. Photo by Sophia SchorrKon
7. The Red Dress, hardback book cover, 2025
THE RED DRESS
The Red Dress is a global collaborative embroidery project conceived by British artist Kirstie Macleod and created over14 years from 2009–2023. It has been contributed to by 380individuals (367 women/girls, 11 men/boys and 2 non-binary artists) from 51 countries, a staggering achievement that bears repeating and which has resulted in the dress being included in the Guinness World Records 2026.
Designed initially to explore identity and unite individuals from diverse backgrounds and locations through the shared medium of embroidery, forming bonds across different languages and cultures, the garment holds millions of stitches added by both commissioned embroiderers and willing audiences at events and exhibitions worldwide. Myriad embroidery styles employed across the dress’s fabric have created a kaleidoscopic pageant of complimentary and contrasting motifs.Panels of the dress and later the completed garment have travelled to artisan communities and individuals across six continents, from remote rural areas to busy cities, to be worked on, creating an interwoven map of human experience expressed both subtly and boldly across the striking burgundy silk dupion.
The Red Dress won first prize at the Premio Valcellina Textiles Award in Maniago, Italy, in 2012, has secured funding and residencies and been the focus of political and educational gatherings. It has provided vital income and materially improved the lives of disadvantaged individuals and had extraordinary personal impact on its many makers and audiences. Following the formal completion of The Red Dress in June 2023, it has, thanks to Arts Council England funding, sales of accompanying merchandise and exhibition fees, been able to touch even more audiences globally, returning to visit commissioned embroiderers and going on tour to be displayed at major galleries and cultural institutions. The dress has sparked multiple and varied further collaborative projects, including the Calico Garment Initiative, reinforcing the message that community is its cornerstone.
As The Red Dress continues its journey to exhibition venues and engagement events, the publication of this book marks an important milestone in the wider project. In partnership with the website, the interactive Digital Red Dress, existing film footage and other documenting activities, it offers further access to the dress beyond its physical presence.
I remember how sensitively she moved her hands over the stitches, softly caressing the motifs, seams and silk dupion fabric of the dress, and each time she reached a new embroidery I was able to share the colour of the threads, what type of yarn it was and importantly who had created it, why and where they were from.
This is one of hundreds of special memories I have from the many years of guiding The Red Dress around the world; just a few minutes of time I spent with a visually impaired woman in her 70s encountering the dress (supported by charity DeafPLUS in Bath, UK) who used to work as a fashion designer in London.
Keeping The Red Dress accessible to as many people as possible has remained a central theme within the greater project. I’ve been challenged many times to think of new ways of creating connection to those who may not feel or be able to visit the garment in a public space such as a museum or gallery setting. Each time, through collaborating with professionals for advice, I’ve been moved and excited about the different sensory experiences the garment provides. - Kirstie Macleod.
Excerpt from The Red Dress: Conversations in Stitch by Kirstie Macleod, Quickthorn Books, 2025. Available to purchase here.
View a global map of embroiderers here.
View a digital version of The Red Dress here.
IMAGE CREDITS
1. Lekazia Turner, Embroiderer from Jamaica 2022. Photo by Mark Pickthall
2. Lekazia Turner, Embroiderer from Jamaica 2022. Photo by Mark Pickthall
3. Sharmin Faeq Sadiq, Iraq National Waterfront Museum, Supported by Swansea Womens Asylum and Refugee Support Group
4. Gisèle, Esther and Esprance, 2018. Photo by Nicole Esselen
5. Embroidery group in Aguacatenango, Mexico. Dress worn by Vanessa Aguilar Juarez, 2021
6. Red Dress embroidery detail by Allthreads Collective, Australia, 2018. Photo by Sophia SchorrKon
7. The Red Dress, hardback book cover, 2025
Kirstie Macleod has worked as an artist for over 20 years, and on the Red Dress for the last 16. What began as a sketch on the back of a napkin in 2009, has grown into a global collaborative project involving and connecting with thousands of people all over the world.
BY KIRSTIE MACLEOD
THE RED DRESS
The Red Dress is a global collaborative embroidery project conceived by British artist Kirstie Macleod and created over14 years from 2009–2023. It has been contributed to by 380individuals (367 women/girls, 11 men/boys and 2 non-binary artists) from 51 countries, a staggering achievement that bears repeating and which has resulted in the dress being included in the Guinness World Records 2026.
Designed initially to explore identity and unite individuals from diverse backgrounds and locations through the shared medium of embroidery, forming bonds across different languages and cultures, the garment holds millions of stitches added by both commissioned embroiderers and willing audiences at events and exhibitions worldwide. Myriad embroidery styles employed across the dress’s fabric have created a kaleidoscopic pageant of complimentary and contrasting motifs.Panels of the dress and later the completed garment have travelled to artisan communities and individuals across six continents, from remote rural areas to busy cities, to be worked on, creating an interwoven map of human experience expressed both subtly and boldly across the striking burgundy silk dupion.
The Red Dress won first prize at the Premio Valcellina Textiles Award in Maniago, Italy, in 2012, has secured funding and residencies and been the focus of political and educational gatherings. It has provided vital income and materially improved the lives of disadvantaged individuals and had extraordinary personal impact on its many makers and audiences. Following the formal completion of The Red Dress in June 2023, it has, thanks to Arts Council England funding, sales of accompanying merchandise and exhibition fees, been able to touch even more audiences globally, returning to visit commissioned embroiderers and going on tour to be displayed at major galleries and cultural institutions. The dress has sparked multiple and varied further collaborative projects, including the Calico Garment Initiative, reinforcing the message that community is its cornerstone.
As The Red Dress continues its journey to exhibition venues and engagement events, the publication of this book marks an important milestone in the wider project. In partnership with the website, the interactive Digital Red Dress, existing film footage and other documenting activities, it offers further access to the dress beyond its physical presence.
I remember how sensitively she moved her hands over the stitches, softly caressing the motifs, seams and silk dupion fabric of the dress, and each time she reached a new embroidery I was able to share the colour of the threads, what type of yarn it was and importantly who had created it, why and where they were from.
This is one of hundreds of special memories I have from the many years of guiding The Red Dress around the world; just a few minutes of time I spent with a visually impaired woman in her 70s encountering the dress (supported by charity DeafPLUS in Bath, UK) who used to work as a fashion designer in London.
Keeping The Red Dress accessible to as many people as possible has remained a central theme within the greater project. I’ve been challenged many times to think of new ways of creating connection to those who may not feel or be able to visit the garment in a public space such as a museum or gallery setting. Each time, through collaborating with professionals for advice, I’ve been moved and excited about the different sensory experiences the garment provides. - Kirstie Macleod.
Excerpt from The Red Dress: Conversations in Stitch by Kirstie Macleod, Quickthorn Books, 2025. Available to purchase here.
View a global map of embroiderers here.
View a digital version of The Red Dress here.
IMAGE CREDITS
1. Lekazia Turner, Embroiderer from Jamaica 2022. Photo by Mark Pickthall
2. Lekazia Turner, Embroiderer from Jamaica 2022. Photo by Mark Pickthall
3. Sharmin Faeq Sadiq, Iraq National Waterfront Museum, Supported by Swansea Womens Asylum and Refugee Support Group
4. Gisèle, Esther and Esprance, 2018. Photo by Nicole Esselen
5. Embroidery group in Aguacatenango, Mexico. Dress worn by Vanessa Aguilar Juarez, 2021
6. Red Dress embroidery detail by Allthreads Collective, Australia, 2018. Photo by Sophia SchorrKon
7. The Red Dress, hardback book cover, 2025
THE RED DRESS
The Red Dress is a global collaborative embroidery project conceived by British artist Kirstie Macleod and created over14 years from 2009–2023. It has been contributed to by 380individuals (367 women/girls, 11 men/boys and 2 non-binary artists) from 51 countries, a staggering achievement that bears repeating and which has resulted in the dress being included in the Guinness World Records 2026.
Designed initially to explore identity and unite individuals from diverse backgrounds and locations through the shared medium of embroidery, forming bonds across different languages and cultures, the garment holds millions of stitches added by both commissioned embroiderers and willing audiences at events and exhibitions worldwide. Myriad embroidery styles employed across the dress’s fabric have created a kaleidoscopic pageant of complimentary and contrasting motifs.Panels of the dress and later the completed garment have travelled to artisan communities and individuals across six continents, from remote rural areas to busy cities, to be worked on, creating an interwoven map of human experience expressed both subtly and boldly across the striking burgundy silk dupion.
The Red Dress won first prize at the Premio Valcellina Textiles Award in Maniago, Italy, in 2012, has secured funding and residencies and been the focus of political and educational gatherings. It has provided vital income and materially improved the lives of disadvantaged individuals and had extraordinary personal impact on its many makers and audiences. Following the formal completion of The Red Dress in June 2023, it has, thanks to Arts Council England funding, sales of accompanying merchandise and exhibition fees, been able to touch even more audiences globally, returning to visit commissioned embroiderers and going on tour to be displayed at major galleries and cultural institutions. The dress has sparked multiple and varied further collaborative projects, including the Calico Garment Initiative, reinforcing the message that community is its cornerstone.
As The Red Dress continues its journey to exhibition venues and engagement events, the publication of this book marks an important milestone in the wider project. In partnership with the website, the interactive Digital Red Dress, existing film footage and other documenting activities, it offers further access to the dress beyond its physical presence.
I remember how sensitively she moved her hands over the stitches, softly caressing the motifs, seams and silk dupion fabric of the dress, and each time she reached a new embroidery I was able to share the colour of the threads, what type of yarn it was and importantly who had created it, why and where they were from.
This is one of hundreds of special memories I have from the many years of guiding The Red Dress around the world; just a few minutes of time I spent with a visually impaired woman in her 70s encountering the dress (supported by charity DeafPLUS in Bath, UK) who used to work as a fashion designer in London.
Keeping The Red Dress accessible to as many people as possible has remained a central theme within the greater project. I’ve been challenged many times to think of new ways of creating connection to those who may not feel or be able to visit the garment in a public space such as a museum or gallery setting. Each time, through collaborating with professionals for advice, I’ve been moved and excited about the different sensory experiences the garment provides. - Kirstie Macleod.
Excerpt from The Red Dress: Conversations in Stitch by Kirstie Macleod, Quickthorn Books, 2025. Available to purchase here.
View a global map of embroiderers here.
View a digital version of The Red Dress here.
IMAGE CREDITS
1. Lekazia Turner, Embroiderer from Jamaica 2022. Photo by Mark Pickthall
2. Lekazia Turner, Embroiderer from Jamaica 2022. Photo by Mark Pickthall
3. Sharmin Faeq Sadiq, Iraq National Waterfront Museum, Supported by Swansea Womens Asylum and Refugee Support Group
4. Gisèle, Esther and Esprance, 2018. Photo by Nicole Esselen
5. Embroidery group in Aguacatenango, Mexico. Dress worn by Vanessa Aguilar Juarez, 2021
6. Red Dress embroidery detail by Allthreads Collective, Australia, 2018. Photo by Sophia SchorrKon
7. The Red Dress, hardback book cover, 2025
Kirstie Macleod has worked as an artist for over 20 years, and on the Red Dress for the last 16. What began as a sketch on the back of a napkin in 2009, has grown into a global collaborative project involving and connecting with thousands of people all over the world.