World 131 is a world where people personalise and embellish their clothing with mantras, ideas, thoughts, and feelings enabling them to reach out, to share with others, and to invite dialogue and a change and exchange of views.
In 2021 a gentle groundswell of activism emerged following a major research study into the impact of social media on self-esteem and self-confidence. A disparate group of UK makers began to use their clothes to openly communicate and connect directly with others, offering mentoring, encouragement, advice whilst modelling their vulnerability.
This Exploration was created by Lucy Phillips, with subsequent addition by Soraya Smithson (located in the UK), developed from a World by a Fashion Fictions contributor, using a Creative Commons Attribution-ShareAlike 4.0 International licence which allows others to share and adapt the work in any medium and for any purpose, providing that they credit the authors and share their material using the same Creative Commons licence.
Does this World remind you of something?
I am keen to hear about any historical or contemporary real-world examples – whether individual practices, subcultures or mainstream activities – that this fiction brings to mind.
Please share any such examples using this form. Thank you!