Lekazia Turner, embroiderer from Jamaica, 2022
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Gail Falconer UK

SECTION OF DRESS: Thousands of stitches on the dress

Dress maker extraordinaire who helped Kirstie create the Red Dress
Gail  is an extraordinary dress maker who has worked for many high end fashion label’s and couture ateliers as well as creating her own bespoke bridal company for many years in her hometown of Derby.

Gail was connected to Kirstie by a fashion agency in 2008, and they immediately clicked - working together for many years in London. Gail, an outstanding pattern cutter who never uses straight lines "because the body is not made of straight lines", instead each line is beautifully crafted to the actual curves of the body.... creating a second skin. Gail has an vivid imagination and a wonderful ability to problem solve, not to mention dedication to her craft.

When Kirstie presented the concept of the Red Dress to Gail, she quickly rose to the challenge. As well as showcasing the embroidery, Kirstie’s brief was that the dress’s design should look both feminine and elegant, but also strong and empowered.

“We discussed enhancing the feminine silhouette and bringing in a military hint with strong shoulders...Gail produced the most beautiful pattern, constructed out of many exquisitely shaped pieces”. KM

The Red Dress has been reassembled by Kirstie many times over the years to accommodate all of the new embroidery. Gails wisdom and experience was called upon in 2019 and 2023 to help complete a number of additional tweaks and adjustments.

Gail also created and embroidered a blue trim which was stitched around the edge of the bodice.

If you would like to connect with Gail, please contact Kirstie to be put in touch.
Please support our CROWDFUNDER to raise the remaining funds to create a book documenting The Red Dress project:

https://www.crowdfunder.co.uk/p/the-red-dress-book
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OUR SUPPORTERS

A huge thank you to all who have given their time, energy, enthusiasm, advice, experience and financial support to the Red Dress project over the years.

In addition to the institutions below, funding has been gratefully received from a number of private donations and 441 individuals around the world via 2 Crowdfunding campaigns in 2020 and 2022.
"
Nothing expresses more eloquently the feelings I suspect we share about the importance of embroidery in our lives, and the support we derive from the friendships made through stitch, than Kirstie Macleod’s Red Dress.
Caroline Zoob, Editor of Stitchers Journal 2022
This beautiful object highlights the common ground between individuals, bringing together different identities and uniting people, we are honoured to contribute to it.
Tiny Kox, PACE President at the Council of Europe, Strasbourg 2023
The Red Dress has become an icon of the international textile world.
Suzanne Smith, Textile Society 2022
The Red Dress in its final incarnation, a magnificent, regal robe, symbolises the empowerment of women through the creation of something beautiful, something which began with bowed heads and tired fingers but also with faith and joy, an openness and willingness to be a part of something which they could not see at that time but in which they could believe had meaning and worth connecting with other women around the world.
Lady Alison Myners, Chair of the Royal Academy Trust 2020
The Red Dress is in some respects similar to Mail Art, the populist artistic movement centred on sending small scale works through the postal service. It initially developed out of the Fluxus movement in the 1950s and 60s – but on a larger scale – the journey of the work is part of its identity, process, and in fact function. A signifier of the temporal and physical nature of the process inherent in the creation of the piece. The surface of the dress layered with embroidery slowly transforming into a specific topographical map – completely particular to the work’s journey – and reflective of the burgeoning sculptural landscape of the object.
Paul Black, Artlyst 2015
It’s her (Kirstie’s) red silk Dupion bodice and voluminous skirt created for the Red Dress that fully demonstrates her commitment to embroidery and the immense respect for the international community of makers.
Denna Jones. Embroidery Magazine 2010
...the fact that they could embroider what they wanted and that it is appreciated has given them some strength, some confidence that I didn’t feel so strongly before they created the embroideries.
Nicole Esselan, Founder of Kisany Africa, supporting artisans in DR CONGO and RWANDA who created embroidery on the Red Dress in 2018
This is both an extraordinary work of collective art and profound and eloquent social commentary. It is also an example of how potent the Attire language is capable of becoming.
Attires Mind (Fashion Blogger) 2020
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