Metamorphosis of Workwear
"Metamorphosis of Workwear" is an international exhibition showcasing contemporary artistic interpretations of traditional work attire, such as blue overalls, nylon aprons, and industrial uniforms. This clothing – an inseparable element of daily life in factories and plants for decades – serves as a starting point for a narrative on the transformations of labor, identity, and the post-industrial landscape of European cities.
The exhibition features a collection of unique garments designed by artists from six cities sharing a common industrial heritage: Chemnitz, Gabrovo, Łódź, Manchester, Mulhouse, and Tampere. Traditional workwear has been deconstructed and transformed into expressive artistic forms that blend elements of fashion, craft, design, and contemporary art.
An integral part of the project is a performance scheduled for February 7, 2026. Developed by the project’s artistic director Wiete Sommer and choreographer Seraphine Detscher, the performance combines movement, fashion, and historical narrative. It treats workwear as a "second skin" – a medium for the relationship between the body, matter, and systems of labor.
The local perspective is brought to life by Łódź-based artists Wiktoria Król, Maciej Stańczak, and Weronika Strojny.Their works reference the local factory landscape and the city's history. Workwear, once ubiquitous in Łódź’s textile plants, becomes a symbol of working-class identity and the communal experience of labor in their designs.
The "Metamorphosis of Workwear" project has been underway since 2024. It connects cities often referred to as "European Manchesters" – hubs with a shared textile industry heritage and similar experiences of deindustrialization.
The project’s goal is to explore the evolution of work and worker identity through the medium of workwear, understood not only as functional clothing but also as a vessel for memory, social experience, and symbolic meaning. By merging art, fashion, design, performance, and social dialogue, the project creates a space for reflection on the past, present, and future of work.
As part of the initiative, participants took part in artistic residencies, workshops, and consultations with local communities, including former industrial workers.
The exhibition had its first showing in Chemnitz in November 2025. It is now on display in Łódź, before traveling to Gabrovo, Bulgaria.
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Metamorphosis of Workwear
Exhibition: February 11 – April 4, 2026
Performance: February 7, 2026, 6:00 PM
Venue: Central Museum of Textiles in Łódź
Curatorial Team: Wiete Sommer, Anna Grala, Michał Herynowski
In collaboration with: Anna Piaszczyńska, Almut Hertel, Marcin Gawryszczak, Magdalena Gonera, Aleksandra Kmiecik, Wojciech Kolis, Aleksandra Łochowska, Sylwia Meyer-Olejarczyk, Agata Pawelec, Hanna Siewińska, Marlena Wiśniewska
Artists: Marlene Schroeder, Wenke Sommer, Anna Straßer, Nikolay Bozhilov, Nevena Ekimova, Mariela Gemisheva, Wiktoria Król, Maciej Stańczak, Weronika Strony, Kevin Boardman, Jess O'Riley, Jenny Steele, Anna Byskov, Elise Ehry, Dorothee Haller, Ira Heikkinen, Riika Peltola, Heli Sahanen
The project's academic partners are the Industriemuseum Chemnitz, the Central Museum of Textiles in Łódź, and the Christo and Jeanne-Claude Center in Gabrovo, in cooperation with institutions from Finland, Great Britain, and France.
The project is co-funded by the European Union under the Creative Europe program.
The partner of the “Metamorphosis of Workwear” performance is CWS Workwear Polska.
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