Clothing Conversations: Community Storytelling Series

Clothing Conversations

A Five-Part Community Storytelling Series Through Clothing

By Marium Durrani

What stories do our clothes carry?

We all have pieces of clothing we hold onto for reasons that have little to do with fashion.

A sweater worn by someone we love. A dress from a particular chapter of our lives. A garment that reminds us of home, a person, a place, or a version of ourselves we once were.

Clothing Conversations is a five-part community storytelling series exploring the emotional lives of clothing and the memories attached to what we choose to keep.

Led by Toronto-based fashion anthropologist Marium Durrani, each gathering brings together a small group of people to share the stories behind one meaningful piece of clothing, textile, or fabric-based wearable.

Through guided prompts and an intimate storytelling circle, we’ll explore where these objects came from, who they connect us to, the moments they represent, and why they continue to matter. Clothing becomes a doorway into conversations about identity, belonging, family, love, change, resilience, and personal history.

The series runs from October to December, with two gatherings each month. Each session stands on its own, so you can attend one or join several. Every gathering offers a new theme, a different group of people, and another opportunity to see the stories held within the things we wear and keep.

HOW IT WORKS

For each session, you’re invited to bring one piece of clothing or fabric-based item that holds a story.

It can be something old or new, something you wear regularly or something tucked away. It might belong to you, someone you love, or simply remind you of a particular moment in your life. There is no right kind of object to bring — what matters is that it means something to you.

The session begins with guided reflection, using a Clothing Conversations Memory Tag to help you privately explore the story behind your object before deciding what you’d like to share.

From there, we gather in a small storytelling circle facilitated by Marium. You’ll have an opportunity to share your object's story, listen to others, and discover the unexpected connections between our experiences.

Sharing is always an invitation, not an obligation.

During the sessions, Marium will photograph your garment during the session. Afterward, she will create a personalized digital Garment Card featuring a photograph of your item and a summary of the story you shared — a small keepsake preserving a story you may never have written down.

Organic tea from H+H will also be served throughout the gathering.

THE FIVE CONVERSATIONS

Session 1 | ORIGINS

October 7 — Where Our Stories Begin

Where do our stories begin?

This session explores family, childhood, heritage, and the garments that connect us to where we come from. Bring something that carries a sense of home, ancestry, tradition, or an early chapter of your life.

Session 2 | BECOMING

October 28 — The Person We Were Becoming

Clothing often accompanies us through moments of change.

This session explores transition, growth, transformation, and the garments connected to new chapters in our lives — the clothes we wore as we became someone new.

Session 3 | CONNECTION

November 11 — The People We Carry

Some of the most meaningful things we own are connected to other people.

This session explores love, relationships, gifts, and the people whose stories live within the things we keep. Bring something that reminds you of someone who has shaped your life.

Session 4 | HOLDING ON

November 25 — Why We Keep What We Keep

Why do we hold onto certain things, even when we no longer wear them?

This session explores attachment, nostalgia, memory, and the objects we cannot quite bring ourselves to let go of. Together, we’ll consider what it means to keep something — and what it might be keeping for us.

Session 5 | EXPRESSION

December 9 — The Clothes That Tell Our Story

What do our clothes say about who we are?

The final session explores identity, confidence, creativity, and the ways clothing helps us express ourselves. Bring something that feels particularly you — a garment that tells a story about how you see yourself or how you want to be seen.

YOUR EXPERIENCE

Each $50 ticket includes:

Participation in an intimate, facilitated storytelling circle

Guided prompts for reflection and conversation

A personal Clothing Conversations Memory Tag

A personalized digital Garment Card featuring your item's photograph and story

Organic tea from H+H

A meaningful pause from everyday life, with an opportunity to reflect, listen, and connect

ABOUT YOUR HOST

Marium Durrani is a fashion anthropologist, educator, and circular fashion advocate whose work explores repair, garment longevity, and the social life of clothing.

She holds a Ph.D. from Aalto University in Finland, where she researched communal repair practices as forms of care and resilience, and an M.Phil. in Environment and Sustainability from the University of Oslo. She has also held a Senior Lecturer position at Metropolia University in Helsinki.

Based in Toronto, Marium brings together research, teaching, and public engagement to create learning experiences that connect people with clothing, sustainability, and material culture. She currently works in Education & Programming at the Textile Museum of Canada.

Her work creates space for dialogue, participation, and community-centred approaches to fashion and environmental change.

ATTENDING

Please arrive within 15 minutes of your ticket time to allow yourself a moment to settle in before the session begins.

Accessibility: The workshop space is wheelchair accessible and located on the main floor. Unfortunately, the washroom is not wheelchair accessible and is located downstairs in the shop basement.