Female students from two high schools in Western Sydney have become published writers and artists after the release of a new book Free to Fashion.
Over the past several months, students from Birrong Girls and Bossley Park High participated in creative writing and art-making workshops run by the not-for-profit creative writing organisation, Story Factory and The Social Outfit, a fashion label that support refugees and migrant women to launch their careers in Australia.
Students learned memoir writing techniques in workshops that encouraged them to explore the concept of ‘fashioning’ as it relates to clothing, culture and self-expression. They also experimented with making art through the use of oil pastels, collage and sculptural techniques to create 3D forms in clay.
Their completed stories and pictures of their artworks are published in the new book, released this week, which also showcases Story Factory’s mission to bring creative writing and storytelling practices to young people from under-resourced communities.
Cath Keenan, Executive Director and co-founder of Story Factory, described the book as “a unique publication.”
“It not only presents visually the hard work and creativity of these young women, but also captures the importance of sartorial stories in their lives; weaving together diverse perspectives on themes such as family, home and belonging,” she said. “This book is a celebration of their voices.”
Keenan is a former journalist at The Sydney Morning Herald where she worked as an arts writer and literary editor. She co-founded Story Factory in 2012 with Tim McGregor, running workshops that according to her LinkedIn profile, currently reaches up to 1,000 young people each week. The organisation also regularly publishes a selection of student writing from their creative writing programs each year, which is sold both online and at their Bookshop in Redfern.
CEO The Social Outfit, Jacquie Macdougall said the project between the two schools and Keenan’s organisation has been a great opportunity for community collaboration, creativity and empowerment.
“[It is] everything The Social Outfit stands for,” she said.
Sydney-based practicing and exhibiting artist Issy Parker assisted with delivering the art making workshops, an enterprise that helped students “to capture their individual self expression and creativity through varied art and ceramic practices exploring the theme of fashion and identity”, Macdougall said.
“Utilising the design skills of Paris based, Australian artist Clementine Barnes, the beautiful vibrant textile print designs ‘Amplify’ and ‘Storyteller’ are the result of combining these student’s individual works.”
“The prints are the centrepiece for The Social Outfit’s 10th birthday this week and a visual representation of our core values of diversity, community, empowerment and creativity.”
Image: Students from Bossley Park High School with Chatcha Promcham from The Social Outfit. Credit: Edwina Pickles.