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Threads of Resistance: Sustainable Fashion Hits Balsall Heath

Local activists, designers and makers across the West Midlands are taking matters into their own hands for Sustainable Fashion Week 2026, 26 September through 4 October, uniting communities across the UK under this year’s theme, Threads of Resistance.

The Old Print Works in Balsall Heath, Bham’s Hub, is hosting a vibrant lineup of skillshares, panel debates, and local showcases. Whether you want to escape the polyester trap, repair your favorite knitwear, or take a stand for eco-fashion, here is a look at what is happening at the hub.

What’s Coming Up Next

Sustainable Fashion Showcase

Saturday, 3rd October 1 – 5pm
£5 Standard / £3 Early Bird / £4 Concessions (Students, Seniors, Low Income, & B12 residents)
Book your tickets here

In partnership with I’d Peel A Pomegranate, bringing together regional designers, makers, and grassroots activists to map out the future of sustainable style in the West Midlands.

What to expect:

Spotlight on local makers, including featured showcases from Gursimran and Taradhin Clothing.
A live debate on the realities and possibilities of sustainable fashion within Birmingham.
Live spoken word performance by poet Sofia Broadmeadow.
Explore Daily Thread (the hub’s community textile space) and share your own creative ideas for local fashion initiatives.

Sustainable Fashion Socials & Clothes Swap

Thursday, 3rd December 6 – 8:30pm
£4 Standard / £3 Concessions (Also available on the door)
Get tickets here

Keep the momentum going into the winter! Refresh your wardrobe sustainably by trading pre-loved items, meeting fellow local activists, and connecting with the community.

Highlights From SFW Opening Weekend

The Old Print Works kicked off SFW 2026 with a massive weekend of hands-on activism and community dialogue. Here is a recap of what went down:

Sustainable Fashion Skillshare (Saturday, 26 Sept)

Attendees gathered for an afternoon of mending, upcycling, and slow-crafting techniques designed to help everyday clothes last longer:

Jutta (Daily Thread) showed participants how to turn worn-out t-shirts into yarn, bags, and rugs.
Textile artist Helen (The Natural Dye Shed) demonstrated printing repair patches using plant pigments and recycled textiles.
Umamah led a masterclass on mimicking knit stitches to repair holes invisible to the naked eye.
Jane hosted a drop-in crafting bespoke upcycled medals using sashiko and seed stitching, while Claire guided attendees through subversive embroidery
From nettle cordage and drop-spindle spinning with Amina (Artisan 7obby) to scrap-yarn weaving with the Birmingham & District Guild of Weavers, Spinners and Dyers.
Block-printing iconic Extinction Rebellion motifs with Louise, plus pre-cut bag sewing with Bernadette in the Daily Thread space.
A special viewing of The Nettle Dress (2023), documenting artist Allan Brown’s seven-year journey hand-crafting a dress entirely from foraged stinging nettles.

Sustainable Fashion Forum

Sunday brought together researchers, activists, and creatives for a series of short talks addressing the systemic impacts of fast fashion:

arly Kelleher (A Single Thread CIC) introduced the broader vision for SFW, while Emily (Birmingham Friends of the Earth) discussed the national Planet over Profit campaign and how clothes swaps create spaces for political dialogue.
David Evans (Climate Citizens) outlined how councils like Bristol are banning fast-fashion billboards and built the case for implementing similar policies in Birmingham.
Material researcher Zoe and artist Aimee demonstrated practical ways to repurpose discarded items, old dress fabrics into handbags and curtain hoops into statement earrings.
Tammy Woodrow presented a performance lecture on transforming garments into dissident feminist objects, while the team behind Reloved Brum shared their journey creating a boutique-style charity shop in Grand Central to support Birmingham Hospice.
Alina and Zain, co-founders of I’d Peel A Pomegranate Magazine, closed out the forum with a deep dive into the environmental and social costs of synthetic fibers.

Daily thread clothing adapted — Sustainable fashion at Daily Thread

Get Involved

Join the movement, support local makers, and help build a local fashion ecosystem centered on longevity and creative resistance. Visit The Old Print Works on Saturday, 3 October to take part in the showcase!

What is Daily Thread?

Daily Thread is gathering momentum. Ok, so it’s not quite daily yet as our name suggests, but that’s what we are aiming for, and we are equipped with traditional looms, a knitting machine, domestic and industrial sewing machines, overlockers, fabric, books, and a friendly space (with sofas, and often cake) where you can meet other makers.

For experienced textilers, beginners and everyone in between.

To find out more just drop us a line on**@***********ks.org“> in**@***********ks.org

Daily thread workshop at the Old Print Works — Daily thread sustainable fashion workshop at the Old Print Works

Full timetable of national events

Seeing Rhonda: Exhibition and Archives of a Birmingham Photography Pioneer

The work, activism, and lasting influence of photographer Rhonda Wilson are being brought back into the light in a brand-new exhibition, Seeing Rhonda, making its debut alongside the official launch of the Rhonda Wilson Community Archive at The Old Print Works.

Spanning more than three decades of work from the 1980s to the 2010s, this project is a tribute to a woman who changed the cultural landscape of our city.

Photographer and Activist

She was a photographer, journalist, educator, cultural entrepreneur and activist, championing Birmingham women and social change through her photography, tackling issues like low pay, homelessness, and women’s representation.

Photographs, letters, posters and publications sit alongside personal notes, sketches and overlooked ephemera, revealing how she worked, collaborated and built opportunities for others.

Archives return to Balsall Heath

Initiated by Dr. Annette Naudin (Associate Professor at Birmingham City University) in partnership with The Old Print Works and PRISM Photography Network, the project brings Rhonda’s legacy back to where she lived and worked.

“It is very fitting to have Rhonda’s archive in Balsall Heath where, in 1989, she set up the Poseurs Studio and Gallery with fellow photographer Ming de Nasty. The process of uncovering letters of thanks, rolls of her photographs and her personal notes is both exciting and profoundly moving.”
Dr Annette Naudin

From co-founding Poseurs Studio and Gallery in the late 1980s to developing influential initiatives such as Seeing the Light (founded 1995) and Rhubarb-Rhubarb (founded 1999). Personal letters included in the archive offer a powerful insight into Wilson’s impact, documenting how her support shaped careers and opened doors for emerging photographers. The archive and exhibition bring into focus the contributions of women too often absent from formal collections, and reframing Birmingham’s cultural history through their work.

“We are delighted to host the Rhonda Wilson Community Archive here at The Old Print Works and to have the opportunity to shine a light on this important part of the city’s cultural history. Rhonda’s influence and impact on photographers and creatives is evident and we look forward to developing the archive further.”
Hannah Greenwood & Rebecca Tura, Interim Co-CEOs, The Old Print Works

Archive material, Rhonda Wilson community archive. Image courtesy The Old Print Works.

Hand coloured manual photomontage portrait of Rhonda Wilson by Ming De Nasty 1995 Creative Commons Attribution-Share Alike 4.0 International licence

“She thrived on creativity, she based her world upon it…One of the last things she said to me recently was ‘If an image can hold you for a second, then take you on a journey somewhere secret, peaceful or magical or tell a story to the viewer, it’s a true reflection of the person that made it’. To the very end she talked about light.”
John McQueen

Plan Your Visit

The exhibition is free (though donations to support the archive are very welcome!).

Event	Dates & Times	Location
Main Exhibition Run	Tuesday 23 June – Saturday 27 June 11am-5pm	The Old Print Works, Balsall Heath
The Official Launch Event	Thursday 25 June 6pm-8pm	The Old Print Works, Balsall Heath
Special July Opening	Saturday 11 July (As part of Balsall Heath Second Saturday and Balsall Heath Community Festival) 11am-4pm	The Old Print Works, Balsall Heath

Where to find it:

The Old Print Works, 498-506 Moseley Road, Balsall Heath, Birmingham, B12 9AH.

For more information about the ongoing archive project, you can reach out to research lead Dr. Annette Naudin at an************@****ac.uk.

Seeing Rhonda

Adding colour to our Festival with Retrofit BH

The energy, (and the heat) was high at The Old Print Works as we officially launched some very special additions to this year’s Balsall Heath Community Festival.

Model practice at Retrofit

Retrofit Balsall Heath showcased their fabulous retro model house. Their team ran interactive activities and chatted with residents about how to insulate Balsall Heath’s beautiful (but sometimes drafty!) older housing stock to help cut down energy bills. The model house itself has travelled a fair bit already to local schools, and will be taking to the pavement again for Balsall Heath Community Festival. You’ll get another chance to see the model house in action, taking pride of place in our “East West Retrofit Procession” on Sunday, 5th July, the third day of our mammoth ten-day community celebration!

Retrofit Model House in action in The Old Print Works Cafe

Colouring competition returns

Long-time residents will fondly remember the iconic colouring competitions from the old Balsall Heath Carnival days (1977–2016). Back then, local schools and local organisations would distribute posters, and families would proudly display the finished masterpieces in their front windows for the judges to spot while walking the streets, with fabulous prizes up for grabs!

We loved that tradition so much that we are bringing it back for 2026!

Colouring sheet 2026 – contact bh********************@***il.com – Rules for entry

Save the dates

We are building up to an incredible ten days of celebrating our community. Here is what you need to know right now:

Get those colouring posters filled in and displayed in your windows!
Keep an eye on updates in the Heathan, as more dates and activities are announced
Take part in our mammoth 10-day celebration of everything that makes Balsall Heath amazing.

Share your progress, your finished windows, and festival excitement using the hashtag #BHCFest26!