shemakes

In Europe, the gender pay gap is still a fact. In 2023, it meant that women for example get paid 88 euros where men earn 100 euros for the same type of work. shemakes empowered future female innovators of the sustainable fashion industry through inspiration, skills and networks to bridge the gender gap in the textile and clothing sector.

The Challenge 
While numerous projects and initiatives focused on bridging the gender gap in the better-paid science, technology, engineering and mathematics (STEM) sectors, shemakes focused on addressing gender inequality in the specific business sector of the textile and clothing industry. Why? Because women in the textile and clothing industry are most represented in the lowest-paying jobs. Their positions are affected by systemic gender constructs while their natural and acquired skills are assigned low value in traditional business structures.

Who was shemakes?

shemakes was a two-year European-funded initiative with a consortium of 10 partners in 7 countries. In order to bridge the gender gap, shemakes mobilised two innovation ecosystems in the textiles and clothing (T&C) sector:

1. Fabricademy, based on the Fab Academy model of worldwide distributed digital analogue education in the FabLab network, brought greater gender parity to the currently male-dominated maker culture.
2. Textile and Clothing Business Labs (TCBL) foundation, a network with over 50 Labs that has built a value based innovation community already characterised by a majority of women in leading roles.

The experience, existing practices and research of these two ecosystems formed a fertile starting point to work towards more equality in the T&C industry.

Let’s bridge the Gender Gap!
Practically, shemakes aimed to tackle her challenge along three strategic axes:

● Provided Innovative Learning Paths such as workshops that engaged girls and women innovators in three different age groups

● Business support and connections provided by engaging local communities and businesses in collaborative activities and co-creation workshops. The aim was to lead to new innovation projects and business concepts

● Shared inspiring stories of role models of female innovators, designers, researchers and entrepreneurs within the community of girls and women 

Outcomes
This project aimed to produce a range of concrete impacts on textile and clothing manufacturing in around ten European countries and to provide a roadmap for policy change, making it replicable on an even larger scale. We envisaged a more circular sustainable fashion industry guided by concepts of equality, innovation and openness, in which female creativity, craftswomanship and compassion are recognised as drivers of success.

More info? 
shemakes.eu