(Un)seen Labour
- Financier(s): Regieorgaan SIA en het Stimuleringsfonds Creatieve Industrie (Call Artistiek en Ontwerpend Onderzoek)
- Started in: October 2025
Much of the work in the fashion and textile industry remains invisible. Think of the craft of makers, the care of repairers, and the maintenance by consumers. (Un)seen Labour investigates how art and design can make this invisible labour visible. In this way, we contribute to new circular making and design practices: ways of working in which materials and knowledge are reused and valued. Practices that are fairer, more inclusive, and more sustainable.
Why unseen labour matters
The craft and care behind clothing receive little attention in today’s fashion system. Yet these invisible contributions are crucial for a circular future. As long as labour in the chain remains hidden, the transition to a transparent and sustainable fashion and textile system comes to a halt.
A holistic perspective on circular fashion
(Un)seen Labour looks beyond materials and recycling. Social, cultural, and aesthetic aspects, alongside ecological ones, are of great importance. Together they create a holistic perspective that makes new ways of making fashion possible.
Circularity is not only about materials and technology, but also about the people, values, and relationships connected to them. Fashion can only truly change if we include that side.”
— Daniëlle Bruggeman, Professor of Fashion, ArtEZ University of the Arts
Towards new ways of designing and making
With (Un)seen Labour, designers, researchers, and craftspeople explore together how hidden processes can be made visible. They conduct artistic and design research. They talk with practitioners, researchers, and other stakeholders. Together they explore how circular practices can emerge: ways of working that reduce waste, reuse materials, and benefit both people and the environment.
The research provides more insight into circular working. This means looking not only at materials but also at social and cultural aspects. In this way, the whole ecosystem is taken into account.
The project focuses on questions such as:
- Who are the invisible players in the chain?
- What do we mean by invisible labour?
- Which aspects do we want to make visible in order to develop more circular practices?
Partners, designers and researchers: working together on circular fashion
(Un)seen Labour is a research project by ArtEZ University of the Arts in collaboration with State of Fashion, and carried out with partners Avans University of Applied Sciences and the Crafts Council Nederland.
From ArtEZ, Femke de Vries and Tjeerd Veenhoven conduct research together with Professor of Fashion Daniëlle Bruggeman. From Avans University of Applied Sciences (Centre of Expertise for Broad Prosperity and New Entrepreneurship), Joline d’Arnaud van Boeckholtz participates. Designers Tess van Zalinge, Zyanya Keizer & Eleftheria Lavdaki, and Amy Suo Wu take part in the project on behalf of State of Fashion.
Together we work on alternative ways of making fashion, in which unseen labour – from repair and craft to care and collaboration – takes centre stage.
Results and impact
The project shows the roles of craftspeople, repairers, and consumers, and explores how these can be made more visible. Designers develop practical examples that encourage transparency, inclusivity, and sustainability in the fashion industry.
The first concrete results will be presented at the State of Fashion Biennale in Arnhem in 2026, in the form of an exhibition and a symposium.
(Un)seen Labour has been awarded funding under the Artistic and Design Research Call of Regieorgaan SIA and the Creative Industries Fund NL.
