In the heart of Prato, one of Europe’s most important textile hubs, a three-day training brought together trainers, artists, professors, creatives, and fashion designers from Germany, Greece, Italy, and Spain to explore sustainable fashion practices and upcycling fashion techniques.

The training began with a warm welcome and a guided tour of Lottozero’s space, a creative hub and design studio with a textile laboratory, shared studio space, and an exhibition area. The tour was led by Federica Valli, who introduced participants to the space and its mission to foster creativity and sustainable design. An introduction about the Refashionized project and its main objectives, activities, and outputs was held to familiarize all participants with the project and the training activity’s objectives.

The participants then moved to the exhibition space of Lottozero, where Alessandra Tempesti presented Oltre il Giardino, a temporary exhibition by artist Claudia Losi. This exhibition delves into the complex relationship between humans, the environment, and communication, a theme that resonated with the workshop’s sustainable focus. Short presentations on repurposing, bleaching, and cropping took place, with Despoina Giapitzoglou from Catwalk presenting the repurpose technique, and David Mínguez García from UPV presenting bleaching and cropping techniques.

The second day kicked off with a hands-on workshop on basic stitches and appliqué, led by fashion designer Tzeni Triantafillou from Kainotomia. Participants gained essential sewing skills, from mending torn clothing to creating new pieces. Building on this, they applied their skills in an appliqué workshop, where they learned how to give old clothes a fresh, unique look.

In the afternoon, the training continued with a patchwork workshop led by Federica Valli from Lottozero. Participants discovered creative ways to repurpose fabric scraps into unique textile pieces, giving new life to every last bit of material.

The final day began with the needle punching workshop, during which participants discovered this decorative technique’s meditative qualities. Many noted its relaxing nature, making it beneficial for both fashion and mental well-being. This workshop, also led by Tzeni Triantafillou from Kainotomia, highlighted needle punching’s potential to elevate any textile product.

The embroidery workshop followed, led by Federica Valli. Participants learned how to bring images to life on their favourite clothes, as well as how to use embroidery to fix or cover imperfections. This session empowered participants to make meaningful, creative changes to their wardrobes.

Olga Yocheva, JKPeV’s filmmaker, documented the three-day training and interviewed the representatives from all partner organisations.

Over these three days, we learned, laughed, exchanged ideas, and formed lasting connections. Special thanks to the workshop leaders, all the participants and the Lottozero team for making this inspiring event possible!