ECAS 5 Panel: designing African Creative cities
Tailoring cloth, tailoring alternative modernity’s on the 21 th century: a co-education program designed with the African tailors in Lisbon Sofia Vilarinho
CAPULANA A” golden” rectangle about 1,70/1.10 m
Cultural concepts vs sustainability Slow-fashion Co-design / Co- education Affectivity
Maputo is a melting- pot of dressing practices modeling a strong visual culture and experience.
A tailor working with a stylist
Shaping urban visual experiences
Knowledge is part of cultural heritage
Tailors and stylist are central agents on clothing “creativity practices�.(Grabski, 2009 )
From Apprentice to Master tailor
tailors produce fashion made by a complex matrix intertwining traditional
capulanas, bespoke tailoring within capulana, upcycling of imported cloth, mix of veils and
secondhand clothing garments.
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tailor’s know-how is part of cultural heritage and an important carrier of cultural identity broadly recognized in society –however it is not at all politically or institutionally recognized as a cultural (re)generator/(re)creator that could contribute to sustainable development; Apprenticeship-knowledge–transfer is not valued as an integrant/relevant component of the (in)formal education system- therefore the whole profession lacks recognition Tailoring is traditionally taught through informal apprenticeship; however, there is hardly any apprentice training adopting a full-fledged and coherent education program with masters ready and willing to completely train their apprentice up to the highest degree – often their own insecurity lets them lower the training level of fear to train their own future competitors who may exceed their own skills.
crystallization of tailoring’ knowledge and the way masters teach the apprentice.
INFORMAL SECTOR Poor Working conditions no Water/no Electricity Apprentice/Master work by custom order
migration Africa(s ) Europe HOPE SCHOOLING JOB CONDITIONS
MAY BE lower access to a ‘formal’ system of soft loan to help them to develop better working, or even a schooling/formal system to empower
knowledge and technical skills of this master tailors.
Ansumane DjabatĂŠ is from Bafata_Guinea Bissau. He learned with his grandmother with the age of 9 years old. He his living in Lisbon since 2010. He dreams about a higher course in economics
The African tailors in Lisbon Live and work at central immigrants’neighborhoods Rossio , Martim Moniz and city peripheries.
Malam Seidi , a tailor from Guinea Bissau. He was born in a family of tailors. He start learning this art, in his childhood with 8 years old. He is now living in Lisbon for 12 years. Worked 10 years in the construction business, because he had no chance to work as a tailor. Since 2010 he is unemployed and works on tailoring.
Martinho Seidi, from Guinea Bissau, he is in Lisbon for 4 years. Unemployed. He hopes to work as a tailor , to later return to Bissau to teach other tailors.
Rasta, from Sierra Lione. He is in Lisbon for 12 years. Always worked as a tailor. He has is own workshop and sometimes apprentices. He wants to return to Jamaica to live from music.
Gibril TourĂŠ, is from Guinea Bissau.In Senegal he learned tailoring with the age of 12. He lives in Lisbon for 14 years, He never returned back. He lives from tailoring but he dream to be a musician.
? How can African tailoring be re-appropriated as “formal� education system, allowing to upgrade and constantly update knowledge and experience while at the same time reaching better working working conditions in postcolonial and global contexts today?
Develop a curriculum proposal that fits the cultural background of the African tailors and is responsive to educational needs.
The program
CO-LEARNING
1st module: Creative challenges: fabrics, color and drawing. 2nd module: Pattern cutting upgrade. Specifically we worked on pattern cutting introduction; construction and transformation of basic pattern cutting (skirt, trousers, body); the construction of a jacket. 3th module: Empowerment skills: cutting and sewing 4th module: Technologies: from fabrics to social webs. We introduced textile technology and also informatics to develop a facebook page and the “virtual� tailors group.
The ‘third’ model Sustainable society Co-learning education
In-context learning
Verbal discussion of specific principles. Demonstration, observation, reflection and exploration
Concrete understanding About ‘rules’ built through specific activities
Context-focus Situated understanding
Co-learning transfer
The teacher showing the image of the main angles used to develop pattern cutting
The teacher and the tailor working on the exercise. They discussed pattern development with a fabric without using paper.
Sharing Knowledge among tailors A tailor that had better understood the exercise is explaining details for the other collegue.
Collaborative learning
Sharing knowledge Drawing skills
Cross-cultural dialogues: A woman from Mozambique Island and the tailor from Guinea Bissau
Upgrading technical skills. Finding rigorous methods of measuring and drawing patterns.
Upgrading trough technologies: the virtual tailor community on facebook
The tailors visiting the Costume Museum in Lisbon
Photography by Ana Bezelga
Thank you Sofia Vilarinho vilarinho.sofia@gmail.com http://africantailors.wordpress.com http://africantailors.tumblr.com