Esme Armour is a Nottingham based artist/researcher. She works with textiles, exploring communication through pattern and colour, and the benefits of collective activity. Her current projects focus on workwear for contemporary labour.

How often to do you reply to a compliment about something you’re wearing with: ‘and it has good pockets!’ ? Not enough women’s clothing has functional pockets, but that doesn’t mean we have to live without them.

Bring your clothes that you wish had pockets and we can provide the materials, tools or a helping hand (whichever you need) to add them. Whether a hidden, in-seam pocket, or decorative patch pocket; somewhere to put your hands, or your phone, or a good luck charm; make your existing clothes serve you better.

Through this practical workshop we want to open a conversation about work/utility wear and the possibilities of feminism as functional clothing. If more women’s clothing had pockets, would we still carry bags? Would we still be the ones with the tissues, the lip balm, the painkillers and the snacks? How does having pockets free us or influence us? We also hope to share the skills and confidence which allow us to take ownership of our clothing, reducing the need to buy new and providing an alternative way to engage with the fashion system.

(All welcome, no previous experience necessary. )