Crafting Careers: Social Inclusion through sewing

As we extended the duration of our Crafting Careers program to six months, this Winter-Spring term saw five dedicated students navigate the Crafting Careers curriculum, exploring pattern-making, industrial tailoring equipment, and upcycling techniques.

Out of the 6 students who enrolled for this course, 4 graduated in July 2025, and will be able to access a paid 80-hour internship at ANKAA's ethical manufacturing lab. Course feedback was encouraging: students enjoyed the "easy going atmosphere (created by teachers), inspiring environment for creativity, freedom of choice on what to sew, possibility to use different fabrics, leading to many ideas and inspiration for future projects!".

Already, a brilliant graduate has completed their internship successfully this September. While we prepare for the next term of Crafting Careers, which will begin January 2026, we are dedicating this Autumn to conducting more internships and providing more opportunities for students to secure employment in Athens. In parallel, we are adapting the Crafting Careers curriculum to integrate more employability support, and incorporate some of the feedback from previous students, such as "learning how to make more difficult pieces, in different sizes", as well as "adding a section for evening dresses and a section on spinning and embroidery."

At the same time, we are opening our tailoring space twice a week, so students and previous students can explore their craft and fine tune their skills independently. Through this new Open Lab, we aim to create a warm space for students to be able to develop their own projects and ideas, on their own terms.

Links:

• Where Fashion Meets Storytelling to Foster Migrant Inclusion