Not so long ago, we wouldn’t have thought twice about getting out the sewing box and mending holes in our clothes. Today, thanks to the rise of fast fashion and the decline of our patience and skills at darning, we tend to consider worn out garments as no longer of use. 

Textile artist Celia Pym has a unique approach. She is on a crusade to help us not just mend our clothing, but re-appraise what the things we wear mean to us in the process. She believes clothes aren’t just a second skin for the body, but are a conduit for so much more – our clothes tell stories of our lives, our habits, behaviours and relationships. 

In this podcast series, Radical Acts: Why Craft Matters, Harewood Biennial curator Hugo Macdonald meets the designers, artists, makers and creators who are using craft and design to tackle the urgent crises that shape our lives. 

Radical Acts: Why Craft Matters will open on 26 March 2022 at Harewood House, Leeds. Full details at harewood.org/biennial to be released soon.

This podcast was produced by Bird Lime Media.