VIN + OMI x Multaka
On display until November 2026
Ground Floor gallery
The dress on display is one of two garments that were created in a collaborative project bringing together MultakaOxford volunteer creatives, Oxford Brookes University students and fashion designers VIN + OMI. The project was facilitated by MultakaOxford and the Pitt Rivers Museum's Clothworkers' team, alongside workshops at the University led by project coordinator Amy Harris. Together, a shared studio environment was created which encouraged participants to explore sustainability and innovation in fashion, and how cloth has long functioned as a marker of identity, skill and community. Drawing on diverse experiences and cultural perspectives, from highly skilled makers to complete beginners, the group collectively produced two dresses for the VIN + OMI Dysphoriana catwalk show at London Fashion Week 2025.
The project integrated museum learning, inclusive design education and ethical fashion production, modelling an approach to contemporary craft grounded in collaboration, shared authorship and social impact. This was achieved by inspiring research visits to the textile collections at the Pitt Rivers Museum, followed by creative making sessions in the studio. Communally, the group contributed more than 100 hours of collaborative making to create both garments. At the heart of the process was the belief that making together can create connections between people. As one participant reflected, collaborative craft offered 'the best possibility to share skills, ideas and experiences about our own lives... to know more about each other, meet new people and discover new cultures'. Participants from different countries worked side by side, learning unfamiliar techniques, supporting each other and developing new confidence through the process. For some, the workshops provided a welcoming creative space to form friendships, listen to music together and discover common ground across different cultural backgrounds.
The garments themselves are made from recycled plastic-derived fabrics developed through VIN + OMI's UK clean-up initiatives. Appliqué flowers made from these materials were combined with repurposed garments to create new surfaces and forms, bringing together diverse craft approaches within a shared process of making, that reflects the environmental principles of the designers' practice.
The dress on display in the museum reflects a shared creative process and collective authorship. Techniques, stories, and ideas were exchanged which demonstrated how collaborative craft fosters connection, bridges cultural difference and transforms makers and the work they create.
VIN + OMI
VIN + OMI are an award-winning British design duo known for pioneering work that combines creativity, environmental responsibility, and social engagement. Describing themselves as “ideologists” rather than simply fashion designers, their practice spans fashion, textile innovation, film, art, product design, and sustainability consultancy. Across their work, ecological responsibility and social impact remain central principles.
Since establishing their studio in 2004, VIN + OMI have developed over 40 sustainable textiles, including several world-first plant-based materials. Their research has explored fabrics made from nettles, chestnuts, mushrooms, seaweed, and waste plant matter, as well as textiles derived from recycled ocean and river plastics collected through community clean-up programmes. This work reflects their commitment to circular design and environmentally responsible production.
Collaboration is a defining aspect of their practice. Over two decades they have worked with artists, activists, companies, and public figures who share their environmental values. Current projects include a collaboration with King Charles III, transforming plant waste from the Sandringham Estate into new textiles and garments. Their work is also held in museum collections internationally, including London’s Victoria and Albert Museum.
Click here to learn more about the designers and their London Fashion Week 2025 Collection ‘Dysphoriana’ where the garments created in the collaborative project with Multaka were first showcased.
MULTAKAOXFORD
Multaka means ‘meeting point’ in Arabic. MultakaOxford is a person and community-led project based at the Pitt Rivers Museum and History of Science Museum in Oxford. The project focuses on creating opportunities for intercultural dialogue and understanding through sharing art, science, culture and history in the museums and beyond.
To learn more about Multaka click here.
Acknowledgements
VIN+OMI, Arex Alomairah, Saro Amini, Oksana Borzykh, Ned Garrett, Amy Harris, Ash Hamoud, Jumana Hokan, Elham Hussaini, Salleh Hussaini, Nazanin Jahanrai, Anna Kalifa, Gloria Leung, Iryna Makisha, Mila Malko, Adam Yaqoob, Jack Pedley, Elina Rahnamay Vaghef, Anisah Rokib, Arvin Sajadi, Iryna Shylnikova, Abel Solomon, Hannah Underwood, Rayan Kurdi, Alexandra Zedong Temdonjio, and others.
